When it comes to building a pro-touring car, most people gravitate towards the GM F-body platform or a Ford Mustang. But for Matt Graves, a marketing manager at American Powertrain in Cookeville, Tennessee, the goal was to build a pro-touring car out of a full-size luxury coupe or sedan. The result? The ultimate example of a funny idea that morphed into a real thing – a 1983 Cadillac Coupe DeVille, which he calls “pro luxury.”
The Chicken Coupe, as it’s affectionately known, features grippy rubber on all four corners, huge disc brakes, 600 horsepower, and a stick shift. Thanks to many bench-racing sessions and some internet propaganda, Matt stayed motivated to keep chipping away at this project, which rolled out of his Greenback, Tennessee garage in 2021, and onto the highways of the HOT ROD Power Tour.
Let’s dive a little deeper to find out how he pulled it off.
The Build Process
Matt started with a rolling chassis that he bought several years ago. He determined it was too far gone and was on the brink of giving up on the concept altogether when his friends and pro luxury supporters Jeff Lee, Marcus Heurich, Jefferson Bryant, and Jon Clark pooled their money together to buy this 1983 Cadillac Coupe DeVille as a surprise gift to springboard the project. It was a rolling chassis with a decent interior and paint, a blank canvas for Matt and his friends.
Underneath, the Cadillac shares many components with GM’s B-body platform (Impala/Caprice), though it does have a different wheelbase and a few other small variances. The good news is that aftermarket suspension components for an Impala bolt directly to the Cadillac frame. This realization led to the use of a QA1 Stage 2 B-body suspension system, which features tubular control arms and double-adjustable coil-overs on all four corners, as well as hefty front and rear anti-sway bars. Baer Brakes got the call when it was time to implement a big brake kit, and Matt went with 14-inch rotors and six-piston calipers for the ultimate stopping power. He also installed a Baer ReMaster master cylinder, proportioning valve, and brake lines.
The Chicken Coupe is powered by a 427ci LS engine from World Products. The engine features their cast-iron block, packed with an Eagle crankshaft with 4.250 inches of stroke. The Manley connecting rods and Mahle pistons are a bulletproof combination, and the World Products 220cc cylinder heads move air very efficiently. A Comp Cams roller camshaft features a split duration of 248/254 degrees and lift of 0.637/0.657 inch, and it’s supported by Comp valvesprings and pushrods. Keith Jesse at Holley advised Matt on the fuel-injection system, which starts with a Holley EFI split race intake manifold with multiport fuel injectors and 1,000-cfm throttle body. The original-style fuel tank features the company’s EFI in-tank fuel pump, with the whole EFI operation running their Terminator X system, tuned by Dr. EFI.
MSD LS coils light the fire, and a set of Hooker long-tube headers (for a G-body) sends fumes into a custom 3-inch exhaust system with Borla mufflers. The World Products 427 cranks out 600 horsepower and runs on 93-octane pump gas. The engine wears gold paint and Holley’s Pontiac-style LS valve covers, part of a plan for the Chicken Coupe.
The Chicken Coupe has a Tremec Magnum six-speed modified by American
Matt’s unique build, the “Chicken Coupe,” has certainly turned heads in the automotive community with its pro-touring take on a full-size luxury car. Matt’s use of modern suspension components and massive brakes, combined with a powerful LS engine and a six-speed manual transmission, takes this Cadillac Coupe DeVille to a whole new level of performance.
Despite its large size, the Chicken Coupe handles like a dream, thanks to the suspension upgrades and grippy tires. The Baer brakes provide impressive stopping power, allowing the car to come to a halt quickly and safely. And with 600 horsepower on tap, this Cadillac is no slouch when it comes to speed.
But it’s not just the performance that sets this car apart. The interior features custom touches, like the Holley EFI dash and the gold Trans Am-style steering wheel, that give the car a unique, personalized feel. And with plans for a Bandit Trans Am-themed repaint, the exterior will be just as eye-catching as the interior.
Overall, Matt’s Chicken Coupe is a true testament to the possibilities of pro luxury. By taking a full-size luxury car and giving it the pro-touring treatment, he has created a car that is truly one-of-a-kind. And with ongoing plans for upgrades and improvements, there’s no telling where this car will go in the future.