This 1976 Chevrolet Impala was built by Richard Rawlings and Aaron Kaufman of Gas Monkey Garage to compete in the Gumball 3000 and the Bullrun Road Rally – they were clocked at a top speed of 163 mph.
This car was given a comprehensive rebuilt by Rawlings and Kaufman to improve its performance, it’s powered by a 6.0 liter 345 bhp V8 from a Cadillac Escalade, it has uprated suspension including KYB shock absorbers, heavy duty springs and sway bars, and it has Wilwood disc brakes all around.
Fast Facts – The 1976 Chevrolet Impala By GMG
- Richard Rawlings and Aaron Kaufman rose to fame in 2012 with the release of the new TV series “Fast N’ Loud” on Discovery Channel, centered on their unusual exploits at Gas Monkey Garage in Texas.
- This car started life as a relatively standard 1976 Chevrolet Impala, once the team at GMG got their hands on it it was transformed into a road rally car capable of over 160 mph.
- A 6.0 liter V8 from a Cadillac Escalade was added, it produces 345 bhp and 380 lb ft of torque, power is sent back through a GM 4L65-E 4-speed automatic transmission and a 9-inch differential.
- The car was raffled off in 2013, tickets cost $5 each and the funds raised were donated to the Sharkarosa Wildlife Ranch – an educational park that is home to more than 100 exotic animals.
Gas Monkey Garage
Gas Monkey Garage was founded in 2002 in Dallas, Texas to build and modify cars for clients in the United States and around the world.
The car is now powered by the Vortec HO 6000 6.0 liter V8 from a Cadillac Escalade, producing 345 bhp and 380 lb ft of torque.
Though well-known within the car community the company didn’t become more widely known until 2012 when Discovery Channel started airing the series Fast N’ Loud, it was centered on Gas Monkey Garage with a particular focus on Richard Rawlings and Aaron Kaufman.
The show would run for eight seasons between 2012 and 2020, launching some of its stars to celebrity status and resulting in a number of related off-shoot TV shows including the current series Garage Rehab which has been on the air since 2017.
The Gumball 3000
The Gumball 3000 was founded in 1999 by Maximillion Cooper, his goal was to create an annual international 3,000 mile celebrity motor rally that would include cars, music, fashion, and entertainment.
Many car-loving celebrities have taken part over the years, including Matthew McConaughey, Lewis Hamilton, Deadmau5, David Hasselhoff, Tony Hawk, Usher, and Travis Pastrana – all of whom were driving supercars rarely seen on the street.
It has dual CB aerials, a roof rack with front and rear facing Hella driving lights, and a train horn with an air compressor.
Each of the almost two dozen Gumball 3000 rallies that have been completed ran through multiple countries over a number of days – some require the cars to all be loaded onto planes and flown to a distant country.
Every year the Gumball 3000 Foundation raises money for worthy causes including Usher’s New Look Foundation, When You Wish Upon A Star, and Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund.
The 1976 Chevrolet Impala Shown Here
As mentioned in the introduction, this unusual 1976 Chevrolet Impala was built by Richard Rawlings, Aaron Kaufman, and the team at Gas Monkey Garage specifically to take part in the Gumball 3000. It then later took part in the Bullrun Road Rally.
The original engine, suspension, brakes, transmission, and rear axle were all removed as they would be replaced by significantly uprated parts to improve performance.
The Vortec HO 6000 6.0 liter V8 from a Cadillac Escalade was fitted, it has a 10:1 compression ratio and flat top pistons, and it produces 345 bhp and 380 lb ft of torque.
This car was driven by in both Richard Rawlings and Aaron Kaufman in the Gumball 3000 and the Bullrun Road Rally.
Power is sent back into a General Motors 4L65-E 4-speed electronic automatic transmission and from there into a new 9-inch differential capable of handling the increased torque.
The suspension now includes KYB shock absorbers, heavy duty springs, and upgraded sway bars, there are also Wilwood disc brakes on all four corners.
To make long days on the rally more comfortable the car also has air-conditioning, a tinted sunroof, power steering, and power assisted brakes.
A roof rack with six Hella driving lights was installed along with racing seats done in the original style fabric, a CB and Alpine AM/FM radio, and a train horn with an air compressor.
The car is now due to roll across the auction block later in May with Mecum, if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Mecum
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
