You’ve watched HOT ROD Garage’s co-hosts Alex Taylor and Lucky Costa build it and race it, and thanks to Hot Wheels, you can add a miniature 1955 Plymouth Savoy to your car collection. The HOT ROD Garage Hot Wheels 1955 Plymouth Savoy die-cast is available now at the MotorTrend Store and at your local Walmart store.
The classic ride, simply dubbed “the Savoy,” was built a few years ago through a series of HOT ROD Garage episodes to compete at the famed Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge. It instantly became a success on and off the track.
Why Choose a Plymouth Savoy?
The 1955 Plymouth Savoy surely doesn’t scream performance or attract an enormous amount of attention like Chevy’s Tri-Five series of cars, so why would HOT ROD Garage want to build one? The answer is quite simple: The yearly Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge hosts a Grudge Match event that pits influencers against each other in cars that are powered by Direct Connection engines. The caveat is that the influencers must use a Dodge or Dodge-related vehicle for their build. Alex races a patina-covered 1955 Chevy at events like HOT ROD Drag Week, so the idea was to build a Plymouth version for the 2022 event, keeping on-brand with the resident hot-shoe while adhering to the Dodge rules of the game.
From Barn Find to Racing in Six Weeks
We are familiar with TV build shows and the pressure of deadlines—it might make for good television drama, but it added more stress here, as Alex would be racing this car as fast as 150 mph on a street-turned-dragstrip. In a made-for-TV moment, when Lucky got COVID (remember those days?) and couldn’t pitch in until the end of the build, Dennis Taylor—racer, builder, and Alex’s dad—was hired to build the tube chassis and brought in several others to help get the car to the finish line. Cutting right to it, they finished it, raced it, and won! A new legend was born.
Upgrading Performance for The Big Tire Category
Our television friends returned to Roadkill Nights a year later to compete in the tough and competitive Big Tire category. It put them up against fast racers like six-time HOT ROD Drag Week champion and record-holder Tom Bailey, Drag Week superstars Joe Barry, and Dave Schroeder, among others. Lucky and Alex knew they needed a bit more power to compete with that lineup. They pulled the factory ECU and replaced it with a Holley EFI Dominator, while replacing the variable cam-timing setup with a custom camshaft from COMP and locking it down. Moreover, a smaller blower pulley and a shot of nitrous added more excitement to this Gen III Hemi party. A two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission replaced the TREMEC six-speed for durability and consistency at this level. The Gen III crate engine now makes well over 1,000 hp, allowing the Savoy to push into the 8s on the dragstrip.
The Hot Wheels collaboration is a fun way to help bring our latest icon to our fans. Be sure to visit the MotorTrend store or Walmart to grab your Savoy!
Hot Wheels photos by David Chickering
