Christopher Sondles of Woody’s Hot Rodz and George Poteet got together and discussed the creation of a car that would pay tribute to the Widows, but with tons of very subtle deviations. Unfortunately, Sondles is keeping many of the subtle changes under wraps until completion, but he refers to it as a “1 incher,” since almost every panel has been massaged by an inch or so. The unveiling will be at the 2012 GNRS in Pomona, California, and afterward there’s talk that George may take this modern Widow for a lap or two on a banked oval just for the fun of it.
Engine: 550hp GMPP Limited Edition Aluminum 427, custom dual four-barrel intake by Bischoff Engine Services (BES)
Trans: Tremec TKO five-speed
Rearend: Ford 9-inch with 3.70 gears
Suspension: Art Morrison Tri-Five Chassis with Morrison IFS and triangulated four-bar rear
Wheels & Tires: 18x8.5 and 18x10.5 one-off Clay Cook Enterprises six-lug billet wheels with 245/40R18 and 275/40ZR 18 BFG g-Force Super Sports
YearOne/Ghostworks Garage
Project name: The McQ-Ship
Trend: Subtle monster turbo horsepower in street cars
This project in YearOne’s Ghostworks Garage will pay homage to the Brewster Green TA that co-starred with John Wayne in the movie McQ. The idea is to build what appears to be a lightly modified ’73 Trans Am, Brewster Green with small nose bird like the movie car, but stuff it full of twin-turbo LS7 power. Hence, the McQ-Ship name.
The powerplant will be the star of the show on this car and will feature 427 cubes with twin Turbonetics GTK550 turbochargers. The package is estimated to make approximately 950 hp when the boost is turned up a bit. Backing the engine will be a thoroughly reworked 4L80E automatic and a Moser 9-inch rear. You won’t be able to tell from the outside though, since the body mods will be kept subtle to give the Trans Am a fresh look while still appearing like a stock car, with slightly revamped wheel flares and a front spoiler with integrated driving lights and brake ducts. In other words, you’d never see, or hear, this 950 hp coming.
Engine: 7.0L twin-turbo wet sump LS7 by Wegner Automotive, Manley crank and rods, Turbonetics GTK 550 turbos
Rearend: Moser 9-inch with 31-spline axles and Detroit TrueTrac diff
Suspension: tubular front subframe with Heim-jointed tubular upper and lower control arms and integrated subframe connectors, four-link rear suspension with adjustable coilovers front and rear
Brakes: Baer 14-inch with six-piston calipers and Hydro-Boost assist
Wheels & Tires: 18x10 and 18x12 YearOne Honeycomb with 275/35R18 and 315/35R18 BFG g-Force T/A KDW