Customized Z06 Corvette Pays Tribute To Military Veterans

Karl Kustoms, a Chevrolet Performance retailer and custom shop, recently completed “The Defender,” a military-themed 2016 Z06 Corvette. The Defender was a build completed in large part by Bad Boy Vettes, with Karl Kustoms contributing custom airbrushing. While nearly every panel of the Corvette has been modified to honor a military branch, the custom airbrushed images on the underside of the hood and the engine bay are particularly impressive.

“It is a privilege to take on a custom project like this and use our skills to honor our nation’s military. This Memorial Day, we are proud to recognize those who served.” – Clint Quesinberry, Digital Marketing Specialist

The full time show car is currently at the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where it will remain for the rest of 2021. It will then travel the country, visiting up to a dozen or more events. The customized Corvette is also a contender for the 2021 International Show Car Association (ISCA) Car of the Year.

Some of the features of the custom painted hood include:

• Detailed lettering for the words “Honor, Duty, Country”
• US Army helicopter firing at a Russian helicopter
• Serviceman with a German Shepherd in uniform
• The USS Iowa battleship
• Arlington Cemetery stones with names of Medal of Honor recipients from each major conflict

“We did what we could to take this thing over the top,” said Ed Birmingham, Karl Kustoms Painter. “I sat there for hours doing the detail work. I spent more time than I would normally spend on a hood, but it all paid off.”