The hot rod boom of the 1950s saw many creative designs, including the 1959 Troy Roadster, a one-off special edition built by car dealer Wally Troy. Wisconsin-based 7fifteen Motorworks is now building a limited run of tribute cars based on the Troy Roadster, a project that recently caught Jay Leno’s attention.
After Leno saw the tribute car, named 7fifteen Motorworks Troy Indy Special, at a car show, he invited co-owner John Kendall to bring the car to “Jay Leno’s garage”.
7fifteen Motorworks Troy Indy Special about Jay Leno’s garage
The Open Wheel Special combines the look of the 1959 Troy Roadster with modern components. This includes the tires, which are much wider than the originals, giving this tribute car a more crouched stance.
Like other original Troy roadsters, the Tribute features aluminum body panels designed using a 3D scan of the original car, helping to achieve a claimed curb weight of around 2,200 pounds with fuel and fluids. Independent pushrod suspension front and rear with Wilwood disc brakes are used in place of the original car’s solid axles and drum brakes.
The tribute car stays true to the use of the original car’s Chevrolet V-8 performance and features a General Motors LS3 6.2-liter V-8 producing 495 hp and 486 lb-ft of torque (a 525 hp upgrade is also available). It drives the rear wheels through a 6-speed manual transmission and limited-slip differential borrowed from a Cadillac CTS-V.
The Troy Indy Special was also designed for driving on public roads, although its minimal exterior lighting and open cockpit will likely limit this to fair-weather days.
A production of 33 cars is planned with a base price of 195,000 US dollars. That buys a visceral riding experience and a unique lookâand Jay Leno’s seal of approval.