Is it love? Lust? A desire to see if the claims of a nine-second 1979 Chevrolet Impala are true? Um…yes. Everything about this silver and black B-body screams directly at the teenage delinquent in me. It begs me to haze the tires off like Australians are watching. It coerces me to fire up the genuinely big mill, find the nearest stretch of roadway that’s empty and straight as an arrow, and to lay into the throttle as long as I dare. This is a car that has truly shed just about every relation with it’s original form…forget a wheezing 305-powered sled painted in some kind of earth tone, this is a proper muscle machine. And it’s calling to the side of me that will undoubtedly yield to the pressure.
Per the ad: “Cars like this are hard to describe in words and pictures; you just have to see them in person to understand. For something this wickedly fast, it sure is beautifully built, with some super straight bodywork. We haven’t seen one this straight since, well, 1979 and even then, the factory wasn’t doing paint anywhere near this well. A few custom mods give it a predatory look, starting with that tall cowl-induction hood, but also include the bumpers tucked in tight to the bodywork, a blanked grille opening, and that beautiful two-tone paint. With a red stripe separating the black and charcoal gray, it almost looks elegant, and we love how they kept the original marker lights, emblems, and door handles. It’s almost like you could walk out, get in, and drive it to work, and technically, it is street-able. Too cool! 
The interior is, of course, a racer’s environment, but they didn’t skimp on the quality. You’ll find both factory bench seats still in place, although the X-brace on the cage pretty much makes the rear seat cosmetic. But with original door panels, full carpets (with floor mats!), and a factory dash, it certainly feels familiar even with all the race gear around you. There’s a fat steering wheel with a transmission brake button, a custom ratcheting shifter on the transmission tunnel, and a custom switch panel just to the driver’s right. Factory gauges don’t tell you anything, but it’s augmented with Auto Meter dials on the steering column. 5-point harnesses, the full cage (NHRA certified and good to go through 2021!), and a cooling fan for the driver are the kinds of things that show professionals were at work here and even the windows go up and down like they should. Heck, the trunk is still big enough for a family vacation, even with dual 16-volt batteries stashed back there.
Those dual batteries are probably mandatory for the brutal Shafiroff-built 555 cubic inch big block Chevy V8, which cost $40,000 (and is a one-off) to build and can be tuned to run on alcohol or gas. It comes with a full spec sheet, but the highlights include a custom MerlinX intake, custom headers, Dart heads, and 14.7:1 compression, which all add up to about 1000 horsepower on the motor alone. The twin snorkel air cleaner looks very much like those used on the 442s in 1969, but everything else is aerospace aluminum and braided stainless. The transmission is a built Ultra Bell PowerGlide that’s deadly consistent and a carbon-fiber driveshaft feeds a Dana 60 rear end with Strange 40-spline axles and a spool inside. 4-wheel disc brakes ensure it’s safe at the big end and the exhaust system sounds brilliant exhaling through the side pipes. The stance is just about ideal, sitting on black powdercoated Weld Pro-Star wheels and 29.5×10.5R15 rear Mickey Thompson rear meats to hook it up.”
I am not strong enough, I am not worthy, but I am ready.
The least expensive piece on this thing is the car they started with. So the question that MUST be asked, “Why not a two door?”.
Why no Buford T. Justice reference? Either the man OR Lohnes Proiject Car?
Really nicely built car and a deal at 39 large.
Sweet ride.