You’ve heard of seller’s remorse, right? I’ve got builder’s remorse. It’s when I look back on the cars I’ve owned or passed up on that I could’ve made into monsters. Right on the top of that list is a wine and primer red 1979 Chevrolet Caprice coupe that I acquired in 1998 for $150, needing only an intake and carburetor. The car ran, the car drove, and I got to drive it…twice. Once when we were moving houses, once to go get some gas. That’s it. After the summer of 1999, I never saw the car again. And if you factor in the 1977 Impala coupe I had prior to the Caprice, which I drove once on the street and got caught by my mother doing burnouts in, the itch for an Aerocoupe-style B-body Chevy to me is similar to a recovering addict near the temptation.

I have many reasons I want to build one of these, including the potency of the platform, the durability of the design, and the legroom…oh, I miss the legroom. Just think of it as a slightly plus-sized Malibu and it makes sense. Look at cars like the 1989 Pontiac Safari that Three Pedals owns, or the ’85 Caprice hit sleeper that Steve’s Automotive whipped up earlier this year…monsters that look stock enough to lull all but the most discerning eyes just make me feel good. This car does the trick…with the riveted-on hoodscoop and buckshot mags, it’s just about equal to the car I left behind nearly two decades ago. But the big red brick never, ever ran like this one does!