Try as they might, modern supercars can’t match the wildness of classic cars modified for drag racing. We’re talking about fully-custom Corvettes, gassers, and even wagons or 4x4s. The Chevy El Camino is arguably one of the most important and frankly beautiful cars to come out of the 1960s. Racing these pickups is pretty normal because of the 396 connection.
That’s the same big-block V8 that was fitted to the Chevelle SS, and it made for both a wild ride and a strong soundtrack. But, the racing El Camino we have here proves you can never go too big with the displacement.
Artist Abimelec Design wanted to create a version of the classic truck that was inspired by the Porsche 917. And he chose the wildest of engines to do it. Mopar guys have the Hellephant to fill their classic Chargers and stuff. But Chevrolet Performance struck back with its new crate.
we’re talking about a 632, as in 632 cubic inches of displacement. Also known as the ZZ632/1000, this is a 10.35-liter machine that revs to 7,000rpm and will deliver 1,000 horsepower and 876 pound-feet of torque.
The big boy was revealed at the 2021 SEMA show about two months ago, and tuners are eagerly awaiting deliveries, which start in early 2022. The digital world is thus the only way to jump the gun, and Abimelec did just this in his wild rendering. Plus, this means you don’t have to spend $20,000 on an engine and who knows how much more for the installation.
Speaking of installation, you might have noticed that the El Camino’s V8 is in the wrong place. Most of the bed is gone, replaced by a bright red engine and a large transmission housing.
“I wanted the back end to look very mechanical and bare, while contrasting with the almost stock body,” the artist says.
Only the outlines of the fenders are left, barely coving the large Goodyear Billboard tires. The skeleton chassis holds the engine in place and is in contrast with the original construction of the Chevy car-truck hybrid.
Another obvious change: the extended wheelbase, meant to accommodate the transaxle layout. Thankfully, the Chev has long lines to hide everything.
