Words and Photos: Gary Rosier
Johnny Davis, owner of JD Motorsports with Garry Keller since 2002, has been involved in NASCAR competition for over 35 years and is a life-long resident of Gaffney, SC.
Mr. Davis is one of the longest-running active team owners in all of NASCAR, having first fielded cars in 1983. Currently he campaigns a three car team in the X-Finity NASCAR Race series.
I happened to run into him and his girlfriend, Carol Stevenson, not long ago here in Port Orange Fla. at a local car cruise-in, and chatted with him about this car they were sitting in.
It looked like a ’57 Corvette… until you started to notice the doors didn’t open, no windows or top and the interior/dash was a bit “different.” Also, how could you mistake that HUGE blower sticking up out of the hood? So I asked him about the car.
Turns out it was a molded fiberglass body display model that he saw on Craiglist. He’s always perusing it for stuff for his own collection (he owns about 60 cars, give or take, he says with a laugh!), the race team, parts, etc. Then he attended an estate sale for an old racer friend nearby when he took an interest in the Art Morrison chassis that was for a ’57 T-Bird for sale. Some quick checking confirmed it had the right wheelbase and width for something he was thinking about.
Turns out that during the race season there is no time for anything, but during the down times and off-season, he likes to keep his boys at the shop busy, so he put the general plan in motion to build him a cool ’57 Vette!
While out in the Vegas area for an X-Finity Race, he saw an ad for a 355cu in (.30 over 350 block) blower motor for sale. He purchased it, loaded it into the trunk of their rental car (no kidding, he says!), and the build was on full tilt!
It’s now sporting a Willifield 6-71 blower, with Forged pistons and internals putting out 800hp! Its cooled by a CNR Aluminum radiator. The car weighs in at 1787 lbs and features coil overs all around. All that horsepower transmits through a 2 speed powerglide transmission (capable of holding 1,000 hp, I might add!) back to a Ford 9 inch with 3:90 gears. 4 wheel Wildwood disc brakes brings it to a safe stop.
All his life he has been a racer he says, inspired by his father who was always drag racing and tinkering with cars since he could remember. He has never lost the passion or zest for life, he says, as their company logo says: “Winning while enjoying the sport” tells you a lot about who he is.
Congratulations to Johnny and his team for such a dedication to their tasks for the gorgeous transformation. He enjoys this car for sure, and it is surely one outrageous “Un-REAL” ’57 Corvette!
