C6 Chevy Corvette 'Trail Boss' continues tradition of dirt-loving Vettes

The Chevrolet Corvette is a surprisingly popular candidate for conversion to off-road use. Last month, a Corvette development driver told Road & Track that creating an off-road Corvette “[Comes] up from time to time. … There’s one guy on the team who’s always pitching it. Obviously we’ve looked at what Porsche and others are doing.” By “others” he might have meant this C3 used for autocrosses and rooster-tailing in Iowa rallies. Or the C3 “Snowvette” lives up to its name. Or a C4 Safari that’s one of the nicest looking conversions to ever grace Facebook Marketplace. Or this C5 with “Z71 Off Road” stickers and 33-inch Nitto Grapplers that needs a James Bond-like compartment for releasing bald eagles instead of smoke and oil. Or this stripped-down C5 sand rail that needs a cameo in Grand Theft Auto. 

If it’s a C6 ‘Vette off-roader you’re waiting for before pulling the trigger, here you go. GM Authority ran an April Fools joke two years ago purporting to show spy shots of a C8 Corvette Trail Boss. This Facebook Marketplace user built a Vette with the same name but on a chassis from 2013. The listing’s got more photos than information; it looks like the engine’s been untouched save for a cold-air intake, and the odo shows under 50,000 miles. Stock output of 430 horsepower and 424 pound-feet of torque runs through a six-speed manual to the rear wheels. The builder installed Fox shocks with remote reservoirs, the better to play with the 33-inch Toyo Open Country A/T tires wrapping Fuel off-road wheels. And if the “Trail Boss” stickers weren’t enough to seal the deal, check out that trailer hitch. 

Turns out the coincidence of a C5 Z71 and a C6 Trail Boss is no coincidence — an Indiana man named Caleb Hodlin built both. The sole video on his YouTube channel says his mission is “to build the most insane off-road streetcars you will ever see,” so we’re looking forward to what’s next.

In the meantime, this C6 is up for sale on Facebook Marketplace for $23,000. It’s had a bit of buy-sell-buy-sell history in the recent past, but the video shows what it can do in the right hands. Whoever takes it home will want to keep a recovery strap in the cargo area — RWD with no lockers is a good way to spin wheels. Or perhaps have Caleb weld up a winch mount, something every real boss of the trail should have anyway.