Nickey Chevrolet (also referred to as "Nickey Chicago") was a

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...

automobile dealership located in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, USA. Founded in 1925 by brothers E.J. and Jack Stephani, Nickey Chevrolet became one of the largest factory dealerships, specializing in high performance

muscle car Muscle car is a description according to ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'' that came to use in 1966 for "a group of American-made two-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving." The '' Britannica Dictionary'' ...

sales and service. Nickey Chevrolet was originally established in the 1920s at 4120 Irving Park Road (at the corner of Kedvale and Irving Park Road). When the Northwest Expressway (completed on 5 November 1960 and later renamed the

Kennedy Expressway The John F. Kennedy Expressway is a nearly freeway in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Portions of the freeway carry I-190, I-90 and I-94. The freeway runs in a southeast–northwest direction between the central city neighborhood of the W ...

) was constructed, Nickey Chevrolet moved to 4501 W. Irving Park Road in Chicago. Ultimately, Nickey Chevrolet grew to a facility. The service department specialized in engine swaps, transplanting 427 cubic inch displacement (CID) "Big Block" Chevy engines into the very first 1967

Camaro The Chevrolet Camaro is a mid-size American automobile manufactured by Chevrolet, classified as a pony car. It first went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed to compete with the Ford Mustang. The Camaro share ...

s, and soon thereafter into Novas, Chevelles, Impalas and even Corvettes. Nickey Chevrolet modified hundreds of cars to their customers’ specifications. A customer could walk into the dealership, pick out a car, and then have it modified to their taste. Because of their rarity, many of these dealer-modified cars are maintained in museums or private collections and are rarely seen in public. The dealership was sold in 1973 and became Keystone Chevrolet. The key players who built Nickey's performance cars and image moved to a new location on Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago. The New Speed Shop and Automobile Conversion Centre was named "Nickey Chicago". They continued to build legendary Hi-Performance Chevys until 1977 when the speed/performance shop finally closed its doors. In 2002 a muscle car collector and enthusiast, Stefano Bimbi, purchased the legal rights and trademarks for the Nickey brand. The new company, Nickey Performance, located in Saint Charles, Illinois, builds, sells and services vehicles branded as Nickey Super Cars, and has also taken steps to establish a registry for Nickey-modified cars.Jim Mueller
"Provenance puzzle lacks only backward K: Owner of souped-up 1970s Nova traces its roots to learn whether it's the rarest Nickey machine"
''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'', April 29, 2007.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Landmark Dodge Website
Auto dealerships of the United States Automotive motorsports and performance companies American companies established in 1925 Retail companies established in 1925 Retail companies disestablished in 1973 Muscle cars Chevrolet Defunct companies based in Chicago