Summary

Known as the 'Velle,' this Pro-Touring custom Chevelle is powered by an EFI 540ci 8-cylinder engine mated to a 6-speed manual transmission. This 2,000-hour, no-expense-spared, frame-off custom build took three years to complete.

Details

This track-ready California car was hand-built from scratch by master craftsmen at Modern Motoring in Orange, CA. It's powered by an electronic fuel-injected 540ci 8-cylinder big-block engine that delivers 612hp to the rear wheels at 6,000 rpm with 575-foot pounds of torque backed by a TREMEC Magnum close-ratio dual-overdrive 6-speed manual transmission and a Currie 9-inch rear. The engine dyno was 686hp at 5,900 rpm with no less than 600 ft/lbs of torque to the rear wheels from 2,000-5,900 rpm. The exhaust system has American Racing headers that are ceramic-coated with a full-length ceramic-coated 3-inch MagnaFlow exhaust system. There are 2,500 miles on the car since its completion. Modern sport suspension and a Hydroboost Wilwood disc braking system were installed for handling and stopping power. The Viking suspension features double adjustable coilovers on all four corners with UMI front and rear sport suspension, UMI rear shock tower brace and UMI heavy 'Race' front and rear sway bars with an American Powertrain X-brace. The entire frame was sandblasted, boxed and braced with several customizations. The custom interior features a one-piece seamless headliner, wrapped SS Chevelle dash and center console with subtle stitching, custom door panels with Fesler armrests and Porsche carpet throughout. Cerullo XR Sport seats provide a roomy cockpit with SPARCO harnesses. The interior also features LED lighting, a collapsible billet chrome Flaming River steering column, Flaming River steering linkage, blue Dakota Digital gauges, Vintage Air, power windows, Nu-Relics remote power door and trunk locks, remote alarm and an electric emergency brake. Sound-deadening material was added to reduce noise and heat. Three cameras are in the car: a BlackVue front camera system, aBlackVue rear camera system and a rear license plate backup camera, all feeding to the Alpine display. The Alpine R Series 1400-watt Bluetooth sound system features a 7-inch Alpine R Series touch screen, Apple CarPlay, navigation and Siri, and an R Series 10-inch subwoofer with R Series tweeters and speakers worked into the wrapped kick panels. The $50,000 Lexus Structural Blue Paint job is water-based with powdered glass instead of metal flake and was designed for an extreme color shift effect to emulate the Morpho Butterfly from Costa Rica. The exterior of the car is ceramic-coated with Ceramic Pro 9H, which includes all painted surfaces, wheels, glass, chrome-plated valve covers, chrome surfaces and the firewall. The Velle sits on Budnik G5 Wheels wrapped in Michelin PS2 tires and the car is mini-tubbed with 335-30-18 rears and 275-30-18 fronts. The billet Budnik G5 steering wheel matches the wheels. Additional customizations include smoothed firewall, shaved drip rails, shaved marker lights, shaved wheel trim, shaved front and rear bumper bolts, non-adaptive motorcycle LED headlights and LED taillights, and the glass is tinted in Legal Smoke. The Velle was showcased in the duPont Registry booth at the 2019 Orange County International Auto Show and was featured in OPGI's (Original Parts Group) recent television commercial in May 2020. Additionally, the Velle was the winner of the Good Guys 2019 Award of Excellence.