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.