If you have turned on a TV at all in the last several years, you have probably heard of Shawn Ellington and 187 Customs. They have been featured numerous times on Street Outlaws and Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings on TV.
Based in Oklahoma, Shawn and his team have built the famous 1969 “Murder Nova” that puts down 4-second times in the 1/8 mile and 6-second times in the quarter mile. But we’re not here to talk about the Murder Nova today.
Instead, we are taking a look at the 1976 Chevrolet Impala wagon that 187 Customs brought to the 2023 SEMA Show. I saw the car at the Corleone Forged wheels booth.
Having attended SEMA for several years, I have noticed some patterns among custom car builders. There is no shortage of custom Camaros, Novas, Corvettes and Mustangs at SEMA. Nobody is building anything from the mid-to-late 1970s, or any station wagons for that matter. So it was really different to see something like this.
The car’s metallic green paint with gold grille and headlight surrounds is certainly eye catching! The car is a certified land yacht, measuring in at 228 inches in length. However, this family station wagon has been completely upgraded by 187 Customs into a modern, high-performance machine.
Under the hood is a 5.3L LS “Ruthless Runt” engine from Texas Speed, with a Holley Terminator X-Max fuel management system controlling Deatschwerks injectors and fuel pump. The engine is coupled to a 4L80E transmission with Circle D torque converter. There is a Dynamic Driveline driveshaft connected to a Quick Performance 9″ rear end.
The car rides on QA1 control arms and coilovers with an Accuair Air suspension system. A set of Wilwood disc brakes hides behind the gold 26-inch Corleone Forged wheels.
This is a unique build that really stood out from the crowd at SEMA.
