Shirley Muldowney-themed Chevy Nova Street Cars to Debut
To be a well renowned car builder these days number one you gotta be good and number two, you gotta be fast! And that’s just the instruction Joey Riley and Rory Roberts received for putting together Car No.1 of a limited number of high-performance Chevrolet Nova hot rods honoring drag racing icon Shirley Muldowney.
With the first of 25 “Cha Cha” Novas shooting to be officially revealed during the 2024 SEMA Show, Riley, Roberts and Muldowney have advanced well past the drawing board stage on this historic project. The best part about SEMA, in our minds is not only getting to see the cars fully built, but hearing the blood, sweat, and tears that had to go into hitting those strict deadlines.
Muldowney, the four-time world champion,will be on hand May 12, to add her signature to the actual glovebox cover of the initial special-edition, 1,000-horsepower hot rod at Riley Performance and Restoration headquarters in Gainesville, Texas.
“I am so excited about these cars, and I can’t wait to see what the boys have been up to over there in Texas,” Muldowney said. “When I first fell in love with cars as a young girl, the whole thing was about cruising the streets and challenging the other hot-rodders to a race. That’s how it all began back in the ’50s and ’60s.
“I couldn’t have even imagined a car like these Nova’s are going to be. You’re talking about the coolest and fastest street car you could ever dream up. I’m really impressed by the effort that’s being put into this entire project. It’s quite a deal for them to do something like this in my honor. I’m blown away!”
If you’re not familiar with Riley and Roberts, you’re at least familiar with their legendary work for legendary people. The two rose to prominence while working together with legendary auto designer and racecar driver Carroll Shelby, constructing the continuation cars bearing Shelby’s name. Since opening their own shop in 2008, Riley and Roberts’ various builds have been highlighted on a myriad of TV shows, magazine covers, high-dollar auctions and prestigious car shows around the country.
“We’re doing this for the millions of fans who, like us, grew up admiring and rooting for Shirley Muldowney,” Roberts said. “These will be very extreme, street-legal racecars that are absolutely jam-packed with custom features saluting Shirley’s incredible career.
“We are thinking the popularity of these cars may surpass every other tribute car we’ve ever made, and possibly more than any other tribute car ever produced. It’s pretty rare to have a hot rod appeal to both men and women in equal measure, but just like Shirley herself, we think that’s exactly the reaction we’ll get.”