[1]Building toy cars to resemble production vehicles is nothing new but recently we’ve seen an influx of production cars turned into Hot Wheels-inspired creations. We first brought you some of the cool designs through our 2011 SEMA coverage [3] and now we’ve run across the story of the ’57 Edelbrock [4] Chevy Bel Air on FenderBender.com [2] built with the same idea. And the cool thing about this car is that a team of industry leaders didn’t come up with it, rather the Chevy was the project of an Ohio automotive college.
[5]The Bel Air didn’t always look as nice as it does now. In fact, it was actually a complete disaster when it was found, with rust, body damage, no trim and a non-existent interior according to Tom King, Ohio Technical College’s vice president of enrollment management and technical training. While it probably didn’t look like much, King thought it was the perfect start for a very special school project.
Inspired by a Hot Wheels car, Ohio Technical College students restored the Chevy and created a life-size version of the child’s toy. After starting in the classic car restoration program in April of 2010, the Chevy was passed on to different classes in order for students to get hands-on experience with the vehicle.
After metalwork and fabrication were complete, students fitted the car with a LS3 engine topped with an Edelbrock supercharger before taking it to the 2010 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show. This engine combination is good for about 600hp.
After returning from SEMA, the car was painted and fixed up with all of its mechanical components.
The car also received a complete interior, making it 85 to 90 percent complete when King and a few students drove the car to Edelbrock’s Rev’ved Up 4 Kids charity event in May of 2011. There the students stayed for three extra days to work with the Edelbrock crew fitting the car with an exhaust and refining some engine and mechanical work.
[7]When the summer of 2011 hit, the car was almost done. Students completed the car with some high-performance tuning and specialty graphics to make it look just like their Hot Wheels aspiration.
When all was said and done, the car was given to the man who inspired the entire project, Vic Edelbrock Jr. Funding for a one-of-a-kind racing program at Ohio Technical College, that teaches student how to work in performance shops and on race teams, had been provided by Edelbrock Corp. and King thought the car project would be a perfect way to say thank you.
The students at Ohio Technical College did a wonderful job recreating the classic Edelbrock Hot Wheels car. We look forward to seeing the Chevy at future events and are excited to know that the talented students that created this unique ride are the next generation of performance builders to hit the industry.
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