Richard Kyle’s ’64 Plymouth Savoy

We’ll be the first to...        read full caption We’ll be the first to advocate power adders, but when you can run a string of 10.60s at over 128 mph on the motor alone, why bother?

The shiny stuff is all hand-polished...        read full caption The shiny stuff is all hand-polished aluminum, from the Chrysler D6 heads and Cross Ram manifold with dual Edelbrock 800-cfm carbs, to the radical aluminum Indy block stuffed with a Velasco crank, CAT rods, 9.5:1 JE pistons, and custom Isky camshaft. It belts out 510 hp and 750 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels—on pump gas.

There’s nothing trick...        read full caption There’s nothing trick back here. Just a set of Tri-City Competition leaf springs, Rancho adjustable shocks, 4.11 gears, 29x10.5-15 Goodyear slicks, and the massive 750 lb-ft of torque to get the portly 3,500-plus–pound Savoy out of the hole with 1.55 short times.

As with the original barnstorming...        read full caption As with the original barnstorming Super Stockers of the ’60s, the Savoy sports a set of restitched A100 Dodge van seats. Auto Meter gauges monitor important vitals, and a mandatory six-point roll bar adds safety when poking the push button TorqueFlite into the 10s.

Mopar musclecar fanatics are definitely in a league of their own, and we don’t mean that in a bad way. Mopar guys are usually very good at finessing the hard-to-walk line between street and strip while retaining the nostalgic theme. We found just such a person during our most recent jaunt to historic Famoso Raceway in Bakersfield, California. Meet Richard Kyle of Torrance, California, and his immaculate, yet street-driven ’64 Savoy.

Kyle’s addiction to big power began in the ’70s when he raced flat-bottom jet boats. For the Savoy’s powerplant, he chose the same Hemi engine that once propelled him across the waves of Bluewater Marina in Parker, Arizona, as fast as 10.51 at 125 mph. After losing a friend to the dangerous sport, Kyle sold the boat and stored the Hemi. It was only in 1999 that a buddy suggested he put it into what was formerly a six-cylinder granny car. One year later, Kyle was back in the saddle—only this time on land.

We met Kyle after he and his Mopar buddies made the 100-plus–mile drive from Los Angeles to Bakersfield for a weekend test-and-tune, and, of course, for some good old-fashioned bench racing. We’re suckers for the old-school guise and the nostalgic sound of early ’60s Super Stockers, so it was hard to miss Kyle’s retro ride. The Savoy might look tame with its PPG White exterior, but its 4-inch hood scoop and Weld Drag Lites shrouded with fatties and skinnies scream pure muscle to us. If these things alone aren’t enough to make you see it our way, then the Savoy’s 10-second timeslip definitely will.