ON THE WEB KILLERRides Rides JOHN WARGO

Words - Paul Beck

Built by The Custom Shop

Dubbed, CaSSaNova, this 1967 Chev Nova was built to take part in the SEMA Battle of the Builds back in 2020 until Covid cancelled the event, the car still managed to stun all with a big showing in the revised 360 Online Battle…

John Wargo of The Custom Shop in Illinois, wanted to really showcase what they, as a team, are capable of building for a customer, and there’s no denying that this team have really hit it out of the park with this ’67 Nova build. To really make a statement against his highlytalented opposition, John knew his creation had to ooze style, incorporate many unique and bespoke touches and above all else, have as much impact as a Tyson right hook! Tick, tick, tick. This is one very special Nova.

The first thing that grabs your attention is definitely the multi-hued paint work. No less than 14 colours were used in creating the one-off, eye-catching paint job. But before any of that could be added, the Nova was going to be treated to many subtle and not so subtle changes to the body. Tucking the bumpers is the first on the list of things to do for 99% of car crafters, but John and his team went much further adding custom lighting to the front and rear, along with a chin spoiler, fender vents, shaved cowl and drip rails as well as oh-so-cool Tesla door handles! The bonnet now flips forward, the bootlid has an integrated lip and the Pro-Touring style ground effects kit is fabricated in carbon fibre! The colour coded wheels are from Billet Specialties.

Moving inside, there’s not much of the original Nova-spec gear left in place. With the entire interior gutted, the boys fabbed up a new dash and filled it with Dakota digital gauges. The infotainment system has been incorporated into the dash extension that flows into the centre console where it divides the comfy low back bucket seats. Providing the cruising tunes is a fairly substantial Sony sound system. The theme continues into the boot area as well. CaSSaNova gets plenty of power from the Procharged LS2 engine that now features Holley EFI that gives that old school fuel injection look whilst retaining supreme driveability. The detailed engine sits inside a fabricated engine bay and looks every bit as good as it performs. Backing the engine is a T56 manual gearbox that sends the new-found power to a Moser 12-bolt rear.

As is tradition for a SEMA build, this custom Chevy Nova is dripping with unique touches and bespoke features. Let’s start under the hood, where the Nova now runs a Procharged LS2 V8 engine, which was fitted with Holley EFI, Hedman headers, and Quick Time Performance mufflers. The ‘eight connects to the rear wheels by way of a T56 manual transmission, feeding a Moser 12-bolt rear end. It’s a shame that Covid put an end to SEMA that year and the Battle of the Builders was forced online. Sure, CaSSaNova still impressed in the pics, but I reckon with some many features incorporated into the build, it’s the type of car that you really need to see in person.