Dave Kindig and his team at Kindig-It Design have once again redefined custom car building with their latest creation, the 1953 Corvette “TwelveAir.” Recently crowned the Ridler Award winner at the 2024 Detroit Autorama, this Corvette is more than a reimagination—it’s a ground-up custom build that transforms a classic icon using modern design and cutting-edge technology. Every detail, from the engine bay to the leather-wrapped interior, reflects a perfect balance of craftsmanship and innovation.
Designer: Dave Kindig + Kindig-It Design At first glance, the TwelveAir may evoke memories of the iconic 1953 Corvette, but no original parts from that car were used. Kindig’s team built every inch of this vehicle by hand or fabricated it specifically for this project. Beginning with hand-drawn sketches and quickly moving into CAD modeling, the car’s design took shape with precision and a creative vision.
What makes this build even more remarkable is the five-year process during which Kindig’s team kept everything hidden from view. They built a special room around their CNC machines to maintain secrecy, ensuring no one saw the car before its debut at the Autorama. The car was constructed from scratch, including the suspension system and the engine bay—two areas where performance and design came together perfectly.
The hand-formed aluminum body nods to the past, while modern tools like CAD and 3D printing allowed the team to experiment and refine every element before fi.