I came across this car at a show today. It's not a vette, but a nice car with a cool story.

 

So what's the story? I can't read the paper in the window.

 

The car has been a test mule for PHR Magazine for the past 40 years and was rebuilt this past year by PHR & GM. The mods are extensive, and include a custom ram air hood, new GM 427 crate, trick suspension, interior and much more.

The build was shown on speed a few months back and can be found in current mags.

 

Great car - I've been following it for years in PHR.

 

I've also followed Project X for many many years. It's a beautiful car now...but to me it's sad to see it turned out to pasture as a *show pony*.

That cars' best years included:

Rebuild of the original 283 with some high compression pistons.
Prototype test of Hilborn stack injection
A 427/425 install with a tunnel ram and 660's
(got stolen and recovered without engine about that time I think)
A big Olds rear end swap
Disc brakes
Later a 9" and moving springs under frame on rear.
A 350" L-82 crate motor
Who knows how many cam swaps?
Literal at the track tests of intakes back to back-8000 rpm sidestepped clutches and all!
Tony Nancy Interior job
*Stretched/Flared* rear fenders
A couple of new paint jobs
A roll bar install
A Doug Nash 5 speed..huge gears and M/P racing.
A supercharged 350..blown up a few times at the track including once while filming during the movie Hollywood Knights where it was a star with Tony Danza.


Everytime they did something..they took it to the track and told you what worked and what didn't. One of the best test mules there ever was.

Then it got a lame ZZ502 with EFI..made like 325-350 RWHP.

Now it has a lame 427. The old small blocks would spank this one!

Just sad to see. It was much more interesting as an educational tool...not a GM Public Relations stunt.

JIM

 

The 427 didn't look all that lame, but I didn't get to hear it run. Regardless of is current duties with GM, you still have to admire the work that has gone into it.

The fabrication of the hood ram air was really nicely done.

 

Don't get me wrong...it IS a beautiful car and your pics show it well. The hood set up is cool as well as all the work that went into making it handle etc.

But they could have done that with any old '57 body....or one of the new re-pops. No need to take the *soul* out of the original *X*.

It's now destined to show queen duty. Not much more we're ever going to learn from it like we used to.


JIM

 

Sorry you feel this way about the car Jim. I don't come across a car like this every day so I thought I'd share it with the forum. I guess I was wrong to think others would find it interesting.

 

Any idea which brand of wheels were on the car.

 

I did find it interesting and would like others who know more post it. It's some car with a wild history

 

eastltd...let me back up here. I've obviously come across all wrong. The car IS a great car. The engineering they put into it at GM is amazing. No doubt about it. I enjoyed seeing the pics and I'm sure everyone else did too. Just the hood setup alone gives ideas for creating stuff that you normally wouldn't see.

Maybe you just had to have been around and kept up with it from the old days to appreciate what it meant to everyone. It wasn't that pretty back then....and no doubt the engineering was probably lacking. But it was just a neat old Hot Rod that represented what folks were actually building and racing at the time. Heck...maybe it IS doing the same today...or at least what folks would like to build if they could.

So I apologize if it seemed I was not appreciating your pics or the car. I really do like it.......just would rather see all the mods and style on another chassis and would have preferred to see it still an old school nasty street machine like it was when it was in it's heyday. Truthfully it hasn't done much in 20 years other than go on a Power Tour once I think.

Thanks again for posting...it actually brought back a lot of fond memories!

JIM

 

No need to apologize Jim. I understand your point of view. I too am getting long in the tooth and remember the old days. In this case I found it interesting that they resurrected a car with some historical significance and put it out there for all generations to enjoy.

 

I admit it's a shame the car has become a show queen. I too think it should be flogged on the strip, or racking up many many miles as an incredible street car. I started keeping up with Project X in the mid 80's , so I was a little late to see it's real heyday.

 

For the young folks here. http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?t...nnel=340485641

I have been reading about Project X since about 1974 lol. It went from a ripping the ground up and as my name SHAKERATTLEROLL to a more streetable joy ride. But as they say things change.

 

Nice story, I think sometimes change is good. In this case it is, what a beautiful car.

 

That's great; I always wanted to know what happen to Project "X". I read the tech on that car for many years as a teen and on into early adult life. I can recall when the project first started and that car was a plain white '57 and has seen more mods a facelifts than...(insert your favorite celeb).

I think it absolutly the best retirement that Project "X" could have ever received. I was always concern that it was DIW some where with no hope.

Thanks for sharing

 

Thanks for sharing the story, great stuff. I had 3 57's in my lifetime, the nicest was a copper bronze colored one with beautiful chrome. Bought it while a senior in high school in 1965, I used to burn off a set of rear tires in 5 days, got so I could change a blown transmission in a couple of hours too! I used to snap rear springs pretty regular too, wonder how they solved that problem

Great stuff, thanks

 

...from Hollywood Knights. Listen to the "loss of traction" by Project X. Looks like they purposefully "wetted" the right lane so the Cobra would win.

 

That was cool! Thanks for digging it up

 

glad to see it's still alive and well

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1U8ANfixjzc