Actor and stand-up comedian Kevin Hart is no stranger to the muscle car scene. His passion for collecting classic cars is on clear display in his MotorTrend exclusive series streaming on the MT App, highlighting his Mustang GT500E Super Snake and Pontiac GTO. The latest addition is a 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner restomod inspired by the Halloween film franchise, which also came with a new pair of Nike shoes.
Kevin wanted to pay tribute to Mopar muscle cars of the 1960s, so he commissioned Salvaggio Design of Wisconsin for the sinister-themed project, dubbed "Michael Myers." It's powered by a Hemi V-8 engine and features custom carbon fiber pieces paired with an orange and black color scheme, and rides on a more aggressive stance. Hart wanted the finished look to appear minimalistic and industrial—a muscle car that bystanders think is cool from afar, but is even more intimidating at point-blank range.
The spooky-looking sleeper packs a 7.0-liter supercharged Hemi V-8 that produces 940 hp when running on 91-octane fuel, and with the help of an abundance of upgrades. Just a few included under the hood are a Whipple 3.8-liter supercharger, CP pistons, a Winberg crank, and ported Demon heads. A Tremec 6060 six-speed manual transmission sends power to the rear wheels.
The restomoded Plymouth Roadrunner body comes garnished with a surplus of Billet automotive parts, including the three-piece grille that resembles the original car's look. Additional Billet-composed items include the side view mirrors, taillight surrounds, door handles, and hub caps. It rides on HRE wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport tires, 18-inch for the front and 20-inch in the rear. The front wheels get six-piston brake calipers with 14-inch rotors, and four-piston calipers with 13-inch rotors stop the back wheels. JRI shocks equipped at every corner help the lower look and take care of handling for supposedly smooth ride quality.
Inside, the Roadrunner restomod features a unique orange splatter effect, black Italian leather upholstery, orange stitching, and a boatload of customization. It comes equipped with Recaro front seats, a slasher knife-style shifter, and a Billet steering wheel and instrument cluster. Hey, is a knife handle any worse than a pistol grip shifter?
A closer look at the interior details reveals a tiny "Michael Myers" face on the rpm gauge, just one of many Easter eggs throughout the car. The roll cage is neatly exposed when you open the trunk, which has also been finished with leather panels to match the main compartment.
The team at Salvaggio Design began with a complete 3D scan of the donor car to create a computer-generated model. The design of a custom frame with CAD software using the computer model fitted a X-Gen 595 front suspension package supplied by Detroit Speed and Engineering. While Hart's Roadrunner is a one-off for now, this custom Salvaggio-designed frame fits all Mopar B platforms and will be available for sale at a later date.
Metalworkers then constructed several bespoke parts for Hart's specifications, including a roll cage, radiator support, firewall, removable floors, trunk, and wheel tubs to fit on the custom frame. Other work involved a new carbon fiber hood that integrates styling from the Roadrunner A12 race package, and unique flush-fitting bumpers. In addition, they also shaved the drip rails to create cleaner lines without ruining the original Plymouth design,
Several hours went into sanding and shaping the Roadrunner body before multiple coats of premium BASF Black paint could be applied. The exterior has a high gloss finish, while the interior features a clear coat and matte orange pearl in the underbody. After the paint settled, the only OEM components that remained on this Roadrunner were the repainted doors, fenders, rear quarter panels, and roof. Anything else was either modified or replaced, making Michael Myers more like the Ship of Theseus.
Salvaggio Design recruited Rey Marquez from Reymar Footwear to design a custom pair of Nike sneakers, a belt, and a wallet to accompany the custom Plymouth with leftover pieces of the unique splatter leather featured in the interior. The fresh wardrobe was delivered to Hart along with his finished custom Plymouth Roadrunner restomod at a secret unveiling held at Bruce Meyer's car gallery.
Nothing beats subdued performance and craftsmanship, and the Halloween influence translates into a cool theme that makes this restomod pop. You can also check out the episode of Kevin Hart's Muscle Car Crew featuring the Plymouth on the MT App right now.