BOWTIE BADDIE

JOSH MESSINEO BLENDED LS GRUNT, AN AP5 VALIANT AND 80s STREET MACHINE STYLING TO CREATE A 100ORWHP DRAG-AND-DRIVE WEAPON

FEW things will ruffle purists' feathers like fitting your classic ride with an engine from a rival manufacturer. Josh Messineo knows all about that; he chose to stick a cheeky iron-block LS into the front of his AP5 Valiant.

The intention wasn't even to upset the Mopar faithful, but rather to find the cheapest and easiest route to a four-digit street car. "The goal was to break the 1000rwhp barrier, and you just can't argue with how easily we did it," Josh reasons.

The AP5 has been built as Josh's new dragand-drive machine, which he hopes will dip into the eight-second zone. "I don't like race cars you only use four times a year, so I wanted a car that can run eights at the track but that I can also throw the kids in and go cruising," he says. "I've also loved watching all the dragand-drive stuff in the States, so I want to have a go here myself." After deciding not to use his '56 Cadillac for such a purpose, Josh went on the hunt for a suitable home for the 5.3, and happened upon the AP5. "I'm not really a Valiant guy, but it popped up as a roller for the right price, so I grabbed it."