1983 Cadillac Coupe de Ville With 427 Warhawk Crate Engine Swap Is One Neat Sleeper

This particular example of the breed, lovingly nicknamed Chicken Coupe, is a little different. An unassuming pro-touring build riding on 18- by 10-inch American Racing wheels and Kumho performance tires, the luxury coupe is flexing a World Products 427 Warhawk crate engine with 600 HP.

Owned by Matt Graves, the spruced-up sleeper was nothing but a rolling chassis last March when the virus that shall not be named forced many of us into lockdown. Augmented by a six-speed Tremec manual transmission with a cue-ball shift knob from American Powertrain, this fellow also stops on a dime thanks to 14-inch rotors and six-piston calipers from Baer Inc.

Pictured at the Holley LS Fest East 2021, the Cadillac de Ville further boasts QA1 suspension for much-improved handling and better ride quality, a 1,000-cfm throttle body, and 48 lb/hr injectors. The featured video comes from Holley’s YouTube channel, which explains why this build features plenty of Holley upgrades. The list starts with the Frostbite performance radiator, accessory drive, split-design race intake manifold, and fuel filter/regulator combo. Matt also runs the Terminator X engine control kit, joined by the 7.0-inch digital dash that fits perfectly in the bone-stock dashboard.

The finishing touch comes in the guise of a Hooker BlackHeart full exhaust system constructed from 304 stainless steel - with pride - in the United States. “I’ve embarrassed a couple of Corvettes already with this car, so that’s a lot of fun,” said the marketing and sales manager of American Powertrain.