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Late-night inspiration at a dorm and a handful of borrowed parts have turned into a student-run build that aims to appear on one of the auto world’s biggest stages. Cal Poly’s Performance Automotive Communications, Engineering and Design club is reworking a 1988 Corvette into a show car headed for SEMA 2026, while giving undergraduates hands-on engineering and industry experience.
From a dorm-room idea to a campus workshop
The car’s current growl comes from an LS engine fitted into a late‑1980s Corvette shell, parked in Cal Poly’s Research Development Center. The project began when mechanical engineering student Jake Larson sketched the concept as a freshman; he now advises the team while new student leaders run the day-to-day work.
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Cal Poly students overhaul 1988 Corvette: campus club turns classic into show car
The coupe itself is a mixture of donor components: twin turbos sourced from Volvo, a transmission from Dodge and a Ford differential. The collection of mismatched parts has forced students to adapt components that were never designed to work together — a core learning challenge for the club.
Learning by building
For the club’s principal engineer, Johnny Bray, the project has been a practical classroom. He says the unpredictable nature of swapping and adapting parts forces members to solve problems they can’t simulate in labs.
“You learn faster when systems don’t behave the way you expect,” a student leader explained, describing the trial-and-error process that stretches technical knowledge and shop skills.
Membership spans more than 20 students across engineering, business and first-time builders. Typically, 10 to 15 members show up for build sessions where everyone takes on multiple roles — from welding and wiring to logistics and sponsor outreach.
Goals, constraints and growth
Club president Kalev Vaska, a mechanical engineering junior, says recruiting more members and tackling larger projects are top priorities. The team operates within tight limits: modest tools, limited workspace, constrained budgets and academic schedules — all of which shape what they attempt and how they learn.
- Project vehicle: 1988 Corvette with LS engine
- Planned showcase: SEMA, November 3–6, 2026
- Active members: 20+ students; 10–15 regularly at builds
- Sponsors: Radium Auto Engineering, Summit Racing; Cal Poly Engineering provides major institutional support
- Skills emphasized: fabrication, systems integration, project management, sponsor relations
Funding through networking and industry ties
Beyond campus facilities and faculty support, the club’s bulk of parts and funding comes from outreach at motorsport events and trade shows. Students say attending gatherings such as Gridlife Laguna Seca helped them meet suppliers and secure donations — a practical lesson in how automotive projects are funded outside institutional budgets.
Sponsors have donated components and materials, while Cal Poly Engineering offers tools and space, allowing the club to focus financial resources on specialty parts and event logistics.
For many participants, the experience doubles as professional development: the build adds tangible skills to résumés and creates networking opportunities with aftermarket companies and motorsport professionals.
What’s next
With months of work ahead, the team is balancing classroom obligations with full-day build sessions and weekend shop time. Their target is a complete, display-ready vehicle for SEMA in November — a public test of their engineering choices and organizational work.
Whether the Corvette draws attention for its engineering or for the ingenuity of its makers, the project highlights a broader trend: universities increasingly treat complex, cross-disciplinary builds as a bridge between academic theory and industry practice.
Late nights, improvisation and a growing list of sponsors: the students are turning concepts into a finished vehicle — and, along the way, into professional experience that matters beyond campus.
