One of my favorite custom car builders are the Ringbrothers (Mike and Jim). I’ve featured their work on this site in the past, including the Mustang Mach1 “Dragon” and the Blizzard Mustang. Taking a break from their usual Fords, they recently wrapped up the build of this 1966 Chevelle nicknamed “Recoil.”
Even among a convention center full of custom cars, this one really stands out. For one thing, the car has no carpet at all. In fact there’s almost nothing soft abou the interior, save for the “seats.” The seats look like a cross between a fighter jet and some kind of bizarre 18th century medical device. Whereas most car guys would bolt in a nice set of Recaros or Corbeaus, these guys completely custom fabricated their own seats – which I think are one of the most interesting parts of the car. It’s the Ringbrothers’ attention to details that really puts them in a league of their own.
Aside from its obvious physical differences to other custom cars, the Recoil Chevelle is still a performance muscle car. Under the hood is a supercharged LS7 engine from Wegner Motorsports pumping out 980 horsepower on 91-octane pump gas. This is coupled to a Tremec transmission that’s been rebuilt by Bowler Transmissions.
As you might imagine, this will primarily be a track/competiton car instead of a street car. It rides on a custom chassis from The Roadster Shop with Corvette C5 front suspension and a 4-link in the rear. There are AFCO shocks at all four corners which help the car transfer energy in the turns.
It’s also loaded up with Baer brakes, a Magnaflow exhaust system, and rides on a set of custom HRE/Ringbrothers wheels that are 19″ in the front and 20″ in the rear. The total build has about 5,000 man-hours of labor into it, which is crazy! Building a car like this is definitely a test of patience as much as it is finances. No word on what this thing cost to build, either.
I hope to see more great work from the Ringbrothers at SEMA 2015 and beyond!
