1955 Tri-Five Chevy Has Turned Into a Twin-Turbo 540CI Merlin Engine Wizard

Still, even among the pristine builds that get showcased at automotive events, this 1955 Tri Five Chevrolet would easily stand out in any crowd – and not just because of its spectacular bright blue color or “Brute Force” nickname.

After all, Shawn Davis, the host of the AutotopiaLA channel on YouTube, calls it the “most exceptional Tri Five car I’ve ever seen in my entire life.” And we all know very well that he’s been documenting some amazing rides with the show for around three years already.

Probably mesmerized by the glamorous show car appearance, Shawn doesn’t start the video with the traditional hood popping. Instead, he gives the owner – who is a designer and has created many of the unique pieces of the car himself – directions towards properly explaining what made this project tick.

It’s obvious this goes way beyond the usual custom car build, as the attention to detail is nothing short of blistering crazy. Let us give you a few examples from just the design process. Moving past the entirely fabricated front end that needed to bode well with the lowered ride height, the grille was created using a 240-pound (109 kg) block of aluminum that ended up as a 24-pound (11 kg) piece prior to chroming.

Another example has to do with the owners’ obsession to integrate as many “Vs” as possible on this ride – they’re even etched inside the headlights. The unique LED taillights also feature 3D-printed parts and still make way for the fuel filler cap. There are even some functional Vs - the ones integrated in the doors, which mask the buttons for the door popper.

Want more? Don’t worry, because there’s plenty. While discussing the owner-designed unique wheels, Shawn notices they’re of a darker burgundy shade compared to the interior color, and the owner’s reason is they “didn’t want the car to go Superman with bright blue and bright red.”

It’s time for the interior chapter from the 4:20 mark, where everything has a little story attached to it. We’re not necessarily talking about the V-infused Classic Instruments, the iPad integration, or even the burgundy upholstery created by Gabe’s Custom Interiors.

Instead, let’s just refer to the seats, which were taken from a Chrysler Sebring Convertible, “one of the ugliest cars ever made by far,” according to Shawn. The owner simply wanted an integrated seat belt that wouldn’t ruin the clean interior lines, so he ended up reworking them into a comfy piece of art.

Now for the cool part, the engine discussion starts from the 8:55 mark when the engine hood is finally popped up with a couple of special tools to reveal the “freakshow.”

Remember how this show car is nicknamed Brute Force? Well, the 540-cu in (8.85-liter) Merlin block that additionally got treated to a couple of massive turbos is the reason for that. According to the owner’s explanation, the Merlin is not only an Arthurian legend wizard but also a racing block that’s “kind of like a hybrid between a Chevy and a Chrysler (engine) but doesn’t have any of either in it.”

Well, that’s a sensible explanation, right? No matter, because from the 11:40 mark, they start musing about the trim and color choice and Shawn expertly steers the conversation towards the dyno run that was performed on the ‘55 Chevy to see how much of said brute force is available.

Well, it seems the owner decided to detune the monster from around 1,400 to a “mere” 800 hp to make it usable and just “fun to drive.” Near the end, we also get a peek under the body from the 13:15 mark at the reworked Art Morrison chassis and independent front/rear suspension while the two discuss how the custom exhaust ended up sporting one-off mufflers.

Understandably, this time around, we’re not getting the traditional drive portion – although Shawn looks decidedly eager for a reshoot once the Chevy wraps up his life as a show car and will be available to reveal how a “docile little 800-hp detuned car feels like.”

Well, at least we do get a taste of the Brute Force from the 16:45 mark as we’re treated to a little sound show from the Merlin engine and unique exhaust setup!