The Block Highlights Restomod 1956 Chevy Bel Air’s LS3 Connect & Cruise System [VIDEO]
Back in September of last year, Chevrolet Performance’s restoration team, “The Block,” began work on a beat-up old 1956 Chevy Bel Air. The vintage ride, named “Bela,” was transformed into a modern-day hot rod, and shown at the 2015 SEMA Show in Las Vegas a few months later.
Now Chevy is giving us some more information about the revival that Bela underwent, including the new heart it needed to rise from the dead: the LS3 Connect & Cruise.
Take a look:
The video highlights the LS3 Connect & Cruise crate engine that is used to power Bela, which lowers the car’s weight and significantly enhances its performance. The all-aluminum motor provides this 60-year-old vehicle with a very anachronistic 430 horsepower and 425 lb-ft of torque.
“Immediately, I’m blown away with the torque,” TheBlock.com’s Dustin Wilson says when describing his first impressions of Bela. “You just lay into the throttle and she takes off.”
“With so much power on tap, you don’t really have to wring out the motor,” he adds, when discussing the Bel Air’s 430 ponies. “Quarter throttle is all we’ve been needing to get up to speed and maintain speed with modern cars.”
Wilson also talks with Daniel Valjevac, the owner of Retro Designs Speed & Custom, who installed Bela’s Connect & Cruise. Valjevac stressed the ease of upgrading the Bel Air with the performance package.
“I can see a guy in his garage doing this set-up, or a professional,” said Valjevac. “It’s very simple, directions are great, tech support is awesome, so I would just say get it, and put it in pretty much anything you want.”
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