Project X was a rock star car long before it hit the movie screens on May 30,1980 when ‘The Hollywood Knights’ debuted.
The car was a supercharged 1957 Chevy 210 two-door sedan, and it was driven by Tony Danza in the movie.
Oddly enough, the movie star part of the Project X biography was just part of the Chevy’s multi-layered biography.
Jerry Sutherland
Project X began in 1965 when ‘Popular Hot Rodding’ magazine found a 250-dollar ’57 Chevy and started a long, endless journey for the rough old used car.
Their goal was simple—let their readers decide what modifications should be done to the Chevy. This proved to be a massively popular plan because every hardcore car guy on the planet knew about this ’57 Chevy. It was an instant (and ongoing success) in the street rod world. The yellow paint became its trademark and made an army of street rod guys hit the paint shops back in the 60s and 70s.
The ‘Popular Hot Rodding’ guys used Project X as a test mule for performance parts–the buy-in from readers was unbelievably strong because car guys had a stake in the future of this car. Readers could learn how well the aftermarket parts functioned and be a part of the design team—it was a brilliant marketing strategy.
The ’57 Chevy went through a million changes over the decades from an inline six, to small blocks, to massive factory big blocks—and yes—an electric motor. The history of the car is well-documented–to a point. Much of the documentation was tossed out in 2010 when ‘Popular Hot Rodding’ found a new home.
Nevertheless, ‘Popular Hot Rodding’ and, eventually ‘Hot Rod Magazine’ had the history of Project X covered well. The many changes were all published and vetted by the readers because their suggestions carried a lot of weight in the early days—right down to the massive supercharger/missing hood look.
The Chevy changed dramatically when GM Performance took over Project X and made some major upgrades. The Chevy had evolved from a crude backyard project any talented car guy could build to what they called a million-dollar build.
That is when the resto-mod trend started so Project X became a street rod with massive power and state-of-the-art Corvette-like handling. Veteran fans of Project X were lukewarm about this change, but the Chevy became a rock star on the car show circuit.
Project X also became a global star in ‘The Hollywood Knights’ because it did well at the box office–but it paid a price. A lower belt on the supercharger blew up during a race scene with a vintage Cobra 427, so the Chevy limped through the rest of the scenes.
That engine stuff was a small price for stardom, because the car became so popular, they sold a model kit for it.
This was more than a ’57 Chevy because it inspired average car guys to take on and improve their project cars. The explosion in yellow paint was no coincidence.
Jerry Sutherland
By: Jerry Sutherland
Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.
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