The annual SEMA Show showcases some of the world\u2019s finest modified and custom cars, but even among the top 10 percent of builds each year, there are those that stand\u00a0above.\u00a0Cars where\u00a0craftsmanship and attention to detail reach an entirely different level. <\/span><\/p>\n When Ringbrothers reveals a build at SEMA, you can expect something extraordinary, and 10\u00a0years ago, their 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle blew Dino\u2019s mind. So, what\u2019s the story behind the car named\u00a0Recoil<\/i>?<\/em> Let\u2019s revisit this half-million-dollar restomod in this week\u2019s throwback post.<\/span><\/p>\n 2014 Feature<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019ll get straight to the point here. I don\u2019t normally shoot cars like this \u2013 I just don\u2019t. My time in Japan is mainly spent featuring rides that are usually a collection of bolt-on parts, finished off here and there with a few custom touches \u2013 just enough to call the project unique. Granted, when we\u2019re dealing with modern cars, there isn\u2019t much else you can do. You rely on what the industry supports and backs you and tuners with and call it a day. But when it comes to the older stuff, that\u2019s when we truly begin to see the actual skills in fabrication that a builder has. It\u2019s then that you see a true transformation and a coherent theme come alive in a specific build.<\/p>\n Nowhere is this more evident than in the US, and especially so at the SEMA Show, where the latest and most badass custom builds are debuted. And at the 2014 event, one machine in particular stood out. So much so that it\u2019s one of the few cars that I revisited multiple times to get a better look at and, of course, add to the top of my \u2018to feature\u2019 list.<\/p>\n Seeing that I do live on the other side of the world, I hadn\u2019t heard much about Ringbrothers up until a few months ago. In my downtime, I always check out Jay Leno\u2019s YouTube<\/em> channel, and that\u2019s where I first came to hear of these guys and be introduced to the type of work they do. Looking at the DeTomaso Pantera they took to Jay\u2019s,\u00a0I remember thinking that restomodding sure has evolved over the years \u2013 something that was further emphasised by actually seeing the car in person at SEMA.<\/p>\n But then I saw the other<\/em> car they built, and my mind was blown.<\/p>\n Such is the level of detail in this build that it took a long time to go over the 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle and its underlying jet fighter theme. As you make your way through this story, you will see this for yourselves \u2013 a build where literally every surface, every addition, as well as every omission, works beautifully together to create something very<\/em> special.<\/p>\n I guess this is the stuff you can achieve when you invest half a million dollars into a build, but like I\u2019ve already said, I\u2019ve just never seen this level of execution before. \u2018Recoil<\/em>\u2018 as the Chevelle is known, is nothing short of restomod perfection!<\/p>\n It\u2019s almost hard to believe now, but back in June, this car was still in a bare metal state. Aside from showing just how fast Ringbrothers work, it also gives you an idea of where a full restoration process of this caliber has to start. It\u2019s necessary to get the most important stuff right, and that starts with the bodywork.<\/p>\n Sculpting bodywork into a form that not only looks factory enough to fool the eye but at the same time contains subtle features that somehow make it look more modern, more flowing and with a lot more aggression is something that Ringbrothers are well known for. The way they have integrated the side-exit exhausts on each side of the rear lower flanks is a perfect example. All of this sits over a Roadster Shop custom chassis sporting the sort of goodies you would want to see on a car that\u2019s been designed and built to hit the corners.<\/p>\n One quick ride in the car to sense the immediate and savage acceleration that the blown engine delivers is all you need to realise just how appropriate the Recoil<\/em> name is. But let\u2019s stick to those body details for a little longer because they\u2019re what sets the visual tone of the reimagined Chevelle. Carbon fiber would probably be the last material you\u2019d expect to find adorning an American muscle car from the mid-\u201960s, but literally, everything that was once chrome has been replaced with the composite. The vented bonnet is a work of art, from the way it\u2019s designed and constructed to fall over the louvred intake to the way it\u2019s been painted to highlight its composition. To keep things secure, it\u2019s been pinned down with a pair of Ringbrothers billet bonnet pins, which are themselves little works of detailed art.<\/p>\n Take a look at the side mirrors, which again are built from a combination of carbon fiber and billet aluminium and are formed to further support the jet fighter feel.<\/p>\n And yes, there is a bullet-shaped RePlay camera mounted underneath each one. But look beyond the design it \u2013 enlarge this picture via presentation mode and savour the faultless fabrication and the quality of the billet aluminium parts that make up the support and main structure. Bolt-on catalogue parts eat your heart out!<\/p>\n Recoil<\/em> sits low but at a purposeful ride height. AFCO shocks are fitted at each corner and support a C5 Corvette independently-sprung front end and a Roadster Shop 4-link setup in the rear.<\/p>\n It all allows the custom HRE wheels to tuck nicely inside the gently blistered fenders. These collaborative wheels \u2013 the second design the two companies have worked on together \u2013 are sized at 19\u00d79.5-inch up front and a barrel-wide 20\u00d713-inch out back. The grip is provided by Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres \u2013 275\/35R19 and steamroller-sized 345\/30ZR20 monstrosities front and rear, respectively.<\/p>\n Braking is taken care of by a quartet of Baer 6-pot callipers that bite down on big 2-piece rotors. The front-to-rear balance is easily adjusted through a Wilwood bias knob on the dashboard.<\/p>\n A custom car deserves a custom badge, and if you look closely enough, this one reveals a little secret. 1KHP. What do you think that refers to?<\/p>\n The motor, of course. Truth be told, it\u2019s not quite 1000hp \u2013 20hp shy, to be precise \u2013 but who the hell cares when it\u2019s presented in a fashion like this?<\/p>\n Given the feeling I was getting from the car, I had high expectations lifting up the lightweight carbon hood for the first time \u2013 and I was certainly not let down. The Wegner Motorsports dry-sumped LS7 almost looks compact in the center of the Chevelle\u2019s expansive shaved and smoothed engine bay. For pure function\u2019s sake, it\u2019s been positioned right back against the firewall to give the car great front to rear weight balance.<\/p>\n The LS7 is built around an RHS block and heads and features a forged bottom end that provides the bulletproof base that a blown setup like this needs to reliably churn out solid numbers. And that\u2019s 980hp to the wheels let\u2019s not forget!<\/p>\n Pump gas is provided by an Aeromotive pump and Holley fuel injection system, while forced air comes from a Whipple twin-screw supercharger that supplies boost from idle for instant throttle response. There is power and torque everywhere<\/em> throughout the rev range \u2013 enough to light up the massive 345-section rubber through the first three gears!<\/p>\n As you can imagine, a motor like this will inhale air at an alarming rate once you start working your way up the rev counter. To ensure that it\u2019s never starved of oxygen, Ringbrothers fabricated this airbox, of which the two louvered sections peak through the carbon bonnet.<\/p>\n I\u2019m sure that at speed there is positive pressure being generated in there, and that in turn helps ram air into the blower.<\/p>\n Ringbrothers modified a set of Flowmaster stainless steel headers to get them to the specs they were after, and continued them on with the custom twin-exit exhaust we saw earlier on. The sound, as you might imagine, is pure thunder!<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a further example of just how much work it took to not only allow the HRE wheels to sit just right with the custom suspension setup, but also allow them enough space to turn. And since fender wells tubbed in metal is just so last year, Ringbrothers executed these ones in carbon fiber. As you do\u2026.<\/p>\n I haven\u2019t seen this quality of carbon fiber since I was at the Pagani factory in Italy last year. The hood is double skinned of course, and has structure to it and impressive rigidity. The center is protected with some metal because that blower gets pretty hot when the car is unleashed in anger around the track.<\/p>\n The details continue wherever you look. Check out these billet double-hinged bonnet supports, which have a little horizontally-mounted gas strut to even make lifting the hood a sensory experience. The good thing is, they are right out of Ringbrothers\u2019 catalogue, so anyone with a period muscle car wanting to spice things up a little can head over to the website and put an order in.<\/p>\n 980hp of fury may be nice and all, but somehow you need to channel all that power to the wheels. That\u2019s why Recoil<\/em> has nothing but the best in the driveline department, starting off with a reworked Tremec T56 from Bowler Transmission. The gearbox sends drive to a hefty John\u2019s Industries 35-spline Ford 9-inch rear end, finishing off with Dynotech driveshafts.<\/p>\n With six ratios to play with there\u2019s never a corner exit that Recoil<\/em> isn\u2019t able to exploit all of its grunt.<\/p>\n To get the feel of the car just right, paint was always going to be a tough choice. But after much debate, Ringbrothers decided that a custom mix from BASF was the only way to go. They call this military-inspired hue Sand Storm.<\/em><\/p>\n I always say that a good looking car should look its meanest from the rear three-quarter view. Well just look above\u2026 I rest my case! There is so<\/em> much detail back there too \u2013 carbon bumpers and a custom smoothed out fascia that proudly wears the Recoil <\/em>badge, all topped off with AM Hot Rod Glass taillights that are fixed in place with polished bolts for added contrast.<\/p>\n From a distance the trunk spoiler may look like a simple addition, but get up close and the level of fit and finish is totally in tune with all the other details we\u2019ve seen.<\/p>\n And yes. it looks a thousand times better out on the open road! Thankfully we were able to get some action shots of the Chevelle doing its things around Las Vegas Motor Speedway\u2019s access roads.<\/p>\n I\u2019m pretty sure I\u2019ve never posted a car feature with so many pictures, but like I said at the beginning of this post \u2013 I just don\u2019t get to see this level of execution very often in Japan.<\/p>\n The time eventually came where I had to pull myself away from the exquisitely appointed exterior and actuate the Ringbrothers billet door handle on the driver\u2019s side door. What followed next had my jaw on the floor\u2026<\/p>\n And I thought I was impressed with the exterior! If the car executed some of the highest levels of craftsmanship on the outside, I\u2019m unable to quantify the skill that has gone into designing and physically crafting the interior.<\/p>\n Recoil<\/em>\u2018s cabin puts most concept cars to shame, and it\u2019s here that the money involved in the build begins to make sense! Look at the door trim, the aluminium door handle wrapped in hand-stitched leather, the bicycle brake lever you need to pull on to open the door, and the round billet rotary switch that activates the electric windows.<\/p>\n Behind the jet-fighter-like front seats \u2013 which are impressively comfortable and supportive I should add \u2013 the rear bench has been deleted. But take a look at the aluminium metal work that wraps around the cabin, down to the sills and across the whole floor and transmission tunnel. Those are all handcrafted pieces with a hydrographically-printed pattern that almost looks like carbon fiber from a distance.<\/p>\n The dash has been shaved and there\u2019s nothing there aside from a plastic panel with a Recoil<\/em> logo on the passenger side. Behind the custom steering wheel and attached right onto the steering column is where all the instrumentation and switchgear is neatly arranged.<\/p>\n Yep, total concept car stuff right here! That illuminated start button is a Ringbrothers original product called the Terminator Touch Start System. You tap it with you finger and it senses your heat. One tap gets you into accessory mode, two taps starts the engine and a tap after that you kill the ignition. On the same tiltable and adjustable binnacle is where the back-lit Racepak LCD dash display and data logger is located. All you need is right there. Nothing more, nothing less.<\/p>\n The car is even fitted with an audio system and air conditioning. I won\u2019t say more, just look at the details\u2026<\/p>\n Nothing has been forgotten, and once you lift the carbon trunk lid you are treated to clean and simple space sporting the same aluminium metalwork we saw in the cabin. At the center of it all is the fuel tank with a centrally mounted filler. On the right side \u2013 and this is something that appears on most Ringbrothers builds \u2013 are terminals to connect a battery charger up to, because let\u2019s face it \u2013 the cars they build aren\u2019t the type that you\u2019d drive on a daily basis. But you absolutely could if you wanted to\u2026<\/p>\n If I had to choose one car that I could take away from the 2014 SEMA Show this is it right here. Once the Chevelle Recoil has made all of its show appearances across the country it will eventually be handed back to its owner, who I\u2019m sure must be beyond anxious to get behind the wheel and drive it properly. It\u2019s cars like these that exemplify what the tuning and hot rod scenes are all about \u2013 raising the bar by combining top-level craftsmanship along with innovation.<\/p>\n The Speedhunters Dino Dalle Carbonare![\"Ringbrothers-Recoil-01\"](\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/speedhunters-wp-production\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/18040057\/Ringbrothers-Recoil-01-1200x800.jpg\"\/)
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dino@speedhunters.com<\/p>\n