Old School Meets Modern Day: Chris Field’s 1966 Plymouth Belvedere by Motech Performance


Debuting at the booth of Australian manufacturer Mantic Clutch (booth 71011 in the Central Hall, Racing Annex and Grand Lobby) at the 2019 SEMA Show, is the most unusual 1966 Plymouth Belvedere you’re likely to ever encounter. Owned by Chris Field and built by the team at Motech Performance in Murrieta, California, it is powered by a Mopar RP57 engine (in barely street tune) mated to a Tremec TKO six-speed transmission, using a high-performance Mantic Clutch designed to handle the horsepower and torque of what is, in essence, a street-tuned NASCAR engine.

The NASCAR Mopar RP57 engine produces 770-horsepower. The transmission is a TKO600 modified to fit the B-Body by Gerko Enterprises in Wake Forest, North Carolina. The transmission was face plated and cryogenicly treated by Liberty Gears. The clutch is a twin-disc component from Mantic Clutch USA. Oceanside Driveline built a custom four-inch aluminum driveshaft with 1350 universal joints. Rear axle is the stock 8-3/4-inch unit with 4.10 to 1 gears and a Sure Grip differential.

The exhaust system is a hand-built X-pipe fabricated by Motech Performance. It is ceramic-coated by Rockstar Coating in Riverside, California. Keeping things cool under the hood is a custom-built radiator by Champion Cooling Systems in Lake Elsinore, California. The plumbing and fittings provided by Fragola Performance Systems.

The suspension architecture remains mostly stock B-Body Mopar but upgraded with a Hotchkis TVS kit with adjustable Hotchkis shocks. The wheels are a custom Motech Performance set from a design by Tavis Highlander and machined by Curtis Speed. Brakes are the biggest Wilwood offers for the B-Body drum brake spindle. 14-inch rotors front and rear. Six-piston calipers up front, four-piston calipers in the rear. Nitto tires can be found at all four corners.

On the inside the race-inspired interior features an programmable LCD cluster by Autometer, seats and safety gear PRP Seats in Temecula, California; all tied together with a full roll cage fabricated by Motech Performance. Visually, and this car is certainly a feast for the eyes from every angle, are the front and rear tucked bumpers. All the Belvedere trim elements are shaved and what trim that remains, is powder-coated in a contrasting BMW flat silver by Temecula Valley Powercoating. It works perfectly with the original red paint that has been treated to a complete wrap that is almost impossible to discern.

If you’re in Las Vegas for this year’s SEMA Show, be sure to visit the Mantic Clutch booth and check out this one of a kind MOPAR that hearkens back to the time when NASCAR stock cars were actually based on “stock cars.”

1966 Plymouth Belvedere built by Motech Performance 1966 Plymouth Belvedere built by Motech Performance 1966 Plymouth Belvedere built by Motech Performance 1966 Plymouth Belvedere built by Motech Performance 1966 Plymouth Belvedere built by Motech Performance 1966 Plymouth Belvedere built by Motech Performance 1966 Plymouth Belvedere built by Motech Performance 1966 Plymouth Belvedere built by Motech Performance 1966 Plymouth Belvedere built by Motech Performance 1966 Plymouth Belvedere built by Motech Performance 1966 Plymouth Belvedere built by Motech Performance 1966 Plymouth Belvedere built by Motech Performance 1966 Plymouth Belvedere built by Motech Performance 1966 Plymouth Belvedere built by Motech Performance 1966 Plymouth Belvedere built by Motech Performance 1966 Plymouth Belvedere built by Motech Performance 1966 Plymouth Belvedere built by Motech Performance 1966 Plymouth Belvedere built by Motech Performance 1966 Plymouth Belvedere built by Motech Performance 1966 Plymouth Belvedere built by Motech Performance 1966 Plymouth Belvedere built by Motech Performance 1966 Plymouth Belvedere built by Motech Performance 1966 Plymouth Belvedere built by Motech Performance 1966 Plymouth Belvedere built by Motech Performance 1966 Plymouth Belvedere built by Motech Performance 1966 Plymouth Belvedere built by Motech Performance 1966 Plymouth Belvedere built by Motech Performance 1966 Plymouth Belvedere built by Motech Performance 1966 Plymouth Belvedere built by Motech Performance
<
>

Share this post

Richard Truesdell

Richard Truesdell is one of the most popular, prolific and talented contributors in the world of classic automotive journalism. Blessed with a distinctive eye for stunning cars, a novelist's attention to story-telling and the passion of a teenager for all things car related, Richard is worthy of his legend status.

0
Your Cart is empty!

It looks like you haven't added any items to your cart yet.

Browse Products
Powered Voltage Emoji by Caddy