It's quite an honor to be named the Chevy High Performance Chevy of the Year, but the gentlemen who collaborated on this project and their teams of dedicated enthusiasts are very familiar with the territory. The Chicayne is a study in "understated excellence." It is a compilation of a great design from Mike Desmond, the horsepower know-how of John Meaney, and the craftsmanship of Troy Trepanier and his team at Rad Rides By Troy that sculpted this very unique package.
Chicayne is a driver. After getting a little seat time at this past year's Hot Rod Power Tour, we can tell you it is a thrilling ride. With over 1,100 hp of twin turbos churning through its soul, it made the Long Haul Gang with ease. Chicayne is like a rock star in that it has a following and will draw a crowd of dedicated Bow Tie enthusiasts within minutes of coming to rest.
Chicayne was also made to run hard. At press time, the results were not available, but Chicayne was to have made some full-throttle passes down Route 66 in Joliet, Illinois, to prove it can hook-and-honk. All these things combined to make Chicayne this year's CHP Chevy of the Year.
Rather than re-review this piece of high-powered rolling automotive art, we instead provide you with interviews of two of the main persons responsible for bringing this car into being. For all the detailed information on Chicayne, get your hands on a copy of the June issue and read Jeff Smith's review.
What follows here are answers to some of the questions CHP had for Glenn Grozich, owner of Billet Specialties and the Chicayne, along with comments from Troy Trepanier, who brought this car to life. We hope you enjoy this unique perspective of men and machine, and that their comments inspire your own future Bow Tie endeavors.
Glenn Grozich's Chicayne, built by Troy Trepanier and Rad Rides, emptied the booths at last year's SEMA show. The crowd at that event was naturally jaded, but when the cloak came off the Biscayne, they flipped out. It stood out like an Uzi in a field of pocketknives. Troy had again trumped the street machine world with another wholly different creation, drawing praise for its vision and execution of street-machine excellence.
Congratulations on winning the prestigious Outstanding GM Vehicle Award at the 2002 SEMA show in Las Vegas, the Mother's Shine Award also received at the SEMA show, the Popular Hot Rodding Goodguys 2003 Street Machine of the Year award, and now the Chevy High Performance Magazine 2003 Chevy of the Year.