Corvette Z06 news - Roid rage - 2008

Back when Top Gear was young and impressionable, we thought a coachbuilder was a mutant amalgamation of a football coach and a bodybuilder - a steroid-pumped, whistle-blowing, press-up dictating maniac. 

And, on the evidence of the coachbuilt Castagna Aznom, we weren't too far off the truth. This snarling lump of supercar is the product of Italian firm Castagna Milano, and it's the scariest thing to come out of Italy since Caligula. (Always on the ball with topical references, us.) 

Coachbuilding, of course, is the art of sticking a new body on an existing chassis, and the frame that underpines the Aznom is that of the Corvette Z06.

However, Castagna has bolted a carbon fibre/aluminium frame on top, taking styling cues off the 'Vettes of the 50s and 60s to create a deep-vented, mad-grilled schoolboy fantasy. 

A retracting rear wing, F430-esque rear diffuser and fat 20-inch alloys give the Aznom plenty of intent, but we're not so keen on those stuck-on wing mirrors. There are a few more cultured touches inside the cabin, including a Google Earth satnav system.

Castagna has also fettled the Z06's seven-litre V8 up to a massive 750bhp, which should be good for a 0-60mph time of 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 217mph. 

And that's before it gets down the gym and puts in some serious reps on the ergs. Or whatever it is that goes on in gyms.