As the one of the largest annual conventions held in Las Vegas, it takes a lot to stand out in the crowd at SEMA. With the show just a few weeks away, the crew at Derale Performance have offered up a brief glimpse of the build they’ve been working on for this year’s show.

President of Derale Performance, Tom Longo, explains that the machine they’re putting together is derived from a “California car that was street legal and driving on the streets of Los Angeles all the way through 2010.” And while it may see some additional street duty in the future, its new purpose is decidedly more focused on the race track.

In support of its new racing inclinations the mystery car is getting a fully frame-connected, custom-built Lothringer full 8-point roll cage, a custom Harmon Racing fuel cell, custom Beard Racing seats and a pair of Crow Safety racing harnesses.

And it’s going to need them, as it’s motivated by a 427 cubic inch small block V8 built by JMS Racing with a Scat rotating assembly. The parts list on this stout build includes Mahle pistons, Edelbrock heads, Holley fuel injection, a Comp Cams camshaft, and a custom built Lothringer exhaust system.

All told, the small block is said to be making a healthy 550 horsepower and 580 pound-feet of torque, and it will send that power back to a Currie 9-inch rear end through a Richmond 5-speed manual gearbox with a McLeod dual stage clutch.

Of course that power isn’t of much use on the track if you can’t get the car to turn or stop. To that end, the suspension has been thoroughly upgraded with a TCI Engineering custom independent front suspension that is supplemented by a torque arm three-link setup out back. And in keeping with the vintage NASCAR theme, the car wears a set of Basset 15-inch steel wheels that are wrapped in Hoosier short track slicks that measure 27 x 8 inches up front and 27 x 10 inches in the rear. Braking duties will be handled by a Wilwood six-piston setup at each corner.

In terms of aesthetics, we’re told that Derale is staying true to the old school stock car vibe, with the car now wearing Matrix Wimbledon White and Metallic Gold paint hues along with hand painted lettering and pin striping by Tom Clark.

So what are Derale’s plan for the car after it debuts at SEMA? “After we show it at SEMA, we plan on taking it to race tracks around the country,” says Longo. “Although we haven’t put the 2016 calendar together yet, we’re already committed to compete at the Motorstate Challenge in Michigan.”

But beyond getting out there and mixing it up on the race course, this build has a special meaning for the folks at Derale, a third-generation family owned and operated business. “We are dedicating this build to my late father, Bill Longo, who dedicated 60 years of his life to the company,” said Longo.

If you want to see the rest of the build, be sure to check back with us after the reveal at SEMA – we’re sure it won’t disappoint you, and we have it on good authority that it’s going to be a stunner. In the mean time, you can search around the Derale website and probably surmise some of your own guesses about this unique build.