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In the early '70s, NASCAR was approaching the transition that irks us to this day: the change from beefed-up factory tubs to tube-frame, purpose-built race cars with body panels hung on them. The evolution was in full swing when Bobby Allison joined up with Junior Johnson's team in 1972. Bobby and Junior notoriously didn't see eye to eye on several points-the right choice of car being one of them. Bobby had built his own cars for years, even when driving for someone else. If he felt his design would perform better than Junior's on a particular track, he wasn't shy about it.
During the single season they were together, Bobby turned down Junior's modern cars several times in favor of a '72 Monte Carlo of his own construction. The car was a throwback, since it utilized the Monte's factory unibody. That didn't stop it from winning, much to Junior's chagrin.
All that was in Kevin Wiles' mind as he stared at the rusty $300 '72 Monte he'd just saved from a rendezvous with the crusher. It was far too rough for a regular restoration but perfect fodder for a stripped-down street version of Bobby's '72 Monte. Over seven years, with help from members of the First-Gen Monte Carlo Club and local friends, Kevin transformed it in his garage-crafting the 10-point rollcage, radiusing the wheelwells to fit the 15x10-inch Wheel Vintiques rims and Goodyear Blue Streaks, making his own sheetmetal dash, and painting it red to match the inside of a vintage Coke cooler.
Now, nine years later, Kevin's logged plenty of miles on the street, where the period-perfect paint and raspy 427ci big-block always grab plenty of attention, good and bad. "I've not gotten a ticket yet," Kevin tells us. "But I have had cops turn around and follow me to see if I have lights and a license plate."
Spartan and simple, just how a NASCAR racer should be. Some might say the 10-point 'cage, TCI window nets and five-point harness, and Summit Racing seats are a bit much for the street. Those guys probably also wonder where the stereo is.
The 427 previously lived in a friend's '66 Chevelle. The specs are unknown, but a big, smoky burnout proved its oats. A set of Hooker headers and an Accel ignition are the only updates. Behind it is a T-10 trans with improved mainshafts.
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