FINALLY, A JON MOSS SPECIAL EDITION

Introduction to Jon Moss and His Legacy

It’s doubtful that we need to introduce Jon Moss to our audience, especially those of you immersed in the world of high-performance vehicles. For those of you who consider the Chevy Bow Tie to be a symbol of your super rod affection, the name means more than most. Over the years, Jon Moss has been one of the few staunch supporters of the Chevy Bow Tie image, even when there wasn’t much to get excited about. Here’s a guy who took it upon himself to argue the fact that a company such as Chevrolet, which built its considerable reputation on performance and racing, continues its domination within this high-profile segment.

Inside GM: The Challenge of Performance Advocacy

To some this may not seem like a big deal, but within a highly charged organization such as GM, where 10-day sales reports are what management lives by, the priority list of what gets done and signed off can be a haunting, if not impossible, reality to deal with. There is no doubt that Chevrolet is presently building some of the most interesting and fitting vehicles for the general populace—it has more high-mileage vehicles and well-packaged transportation than at any time in the past—but when it comes to performance vehicles, well, there’s the $70,000 Z06. This when the company has the absolute best V-8 engine technology going. What it lacks are the vehicles in which to install this technology, and the ability to bring those products to market at a reasonable price. That’s where insider enthusiasts such as Jon Moss made a difference.

Jon Moss: Builder of Dreams and One-Off Legends

Moss is one of those knowledgeable individuals who made it his job to regularly put his reputation on the line while selling his ideas to the corporation. His one-off high-performance Chevrolets provided the company with the huge image boost it needed, and at a time when it had little to offer. This helped build a strong performance following, but little else. Moss created those one-off-image Chevrolets in spite of corporate insiders who missed the point of the tie-in behind such packages when none were available for sale. At best, these were dream-book vehicles. During his 40-year GM career Moss created a staggering number of impacting vehicles, and he is credited for the ’92 Impala SS going into production. He also created the Coolside pickup.

Regency Conversions Steps Up

GM never really learned to take advantage of the image Moss created and build upon it, and he eventually retired. It took an outside GM supplier, Regency Conversions, to build this Jon Moss Signature Series RST, and while it makes no pretense of competing with the discontinued Ford Lightning or the Dodge Hemi Ram, it’s an impressive high-line package in its own right, loaded with Moss tradition. Moss was hands-on for numerous Indy 500 Pace Car concepts, so going in the RST is reminiscent of the incredibly popular 1969 Camaro Pace Car option. The person behind all this is Wayne Davis—president of Regency Conversions, the nation’s largest and most successful new vehicle conversion company—who used his 25 years of American muscle car restoration and building experience to create a special Silverado.

Regency’s Massive Operation and Vision

Regency Conversions is a huge company, and its involvement extends to Chevrolet, GMC and Ford vehicles. Regency builds all its vehicles in a 250,000-square-foot facility in Ft. Worth, Texas, and has 250 employees who construct 600 custom-crafted vehicles per month. As Regency must concern itself with manufacturer warranties—the RST carries a three-year/36,000-mile warranty—it chose to build the Moss Signature Series pickup using custom add-ons and paint with some performance upgrades, rather than extensive engine modifications. To do otherwise would require GM to conduct extensive emissions and durability tests, and this would only delay the introduction.

Aesthetic and Interior Styling That Pays Tribute

The Jon Moss Signature Series RST is a sport package that incorporates the original Camaro Pace Car look with an all-white body accented with orange hood stripes, as well as a rear add-on tailgate spoiler. To further carry the Pace Car theme, the truck ­ also features Camaro-like SS houndstooth fabric seat inserts trimmed in the 40/20/40 seat. The door panels feature an orange-stitched black panel trim, as do the dash and the leather-wrapped steering wheel. Further executing this graphic theme is a stainless dash panel that features red illuminated gauges with red needles against the stainless backdrop. The gauge panel is uniquely autographed with Moss’ personal signature. The rest of the dash is masked with a carbon fiber appliqué that is also carried onto the door panel control fascia. On the floor is a nice, retro-looking five-speed Regency shifter complete with a round, white shift ball, just like the old days. We liked the feel of the shifter; we just had to remind ourselves that this was a five-speed manual, not a six-speed like our Z06 Corvette. Adding to the treatment are the bright, metal-trimmed brake, clutch, gas and emergency brake pedals, reminiscent of those used in past Chevy packages.

Performance Enhancements and Driving Impressions

The Vortec V-8 is equipped with an upgraded and better-breathing air intake and ceramic-coated headers with performance exhaust, just as you would do yourself to any new vehicle once you got it home. The great-sounding dual exhausts are trimmed with SS tips. We enjoyed driving this truck—from the shifter to the sound—and the interior trim reminds you that this vehicle is “special.” You cannot miss this fact, as the truck was made in one man’s image, and “Jon A. Moss” is signed across the gauge panel. It all reminds you of the fun days when cars had more character, and a look and an image of their own. That’s the feeling you get with the RST, and the added personalization is a nice fit with the sophistication of the new Silverado. For us, throttle response was just fine, but for those wanting more of the same, we suggest a bolt-on supercharger kit, such a Magna Charger Radix for the Vortec 5.3-liter, or the new Rotrex supercharger now being fitted for these applications.

One Shortcoming and Some Suggestions

There is one gripe that I have about this truck: It has drum rear brakes. You cannot get rear disc brakes on a standard 1500 Silverado; that takes the HD package. So it’s possible that Regency had little option considering the warranty issue, plus the fact that the HD suspension would have been out of place on this vehicle. The fronts are performance-designed disc brakes with oversize, drilled and vented brake rotors. The calipers carry contrasting-color covers and seem a good match for the ABS rear proportioned drum brakes. For us, this vehicle would require a rear disc upgrade. The “Speedster”-style 20-inch (9.5 inches wide) wheels are a nice fit for this package, and they carry 265/50/20 Goodyear Eagle Performance radial tires, which work in concert with the sport-tuned suspension. Again, for our tastes, the stance requires dropped front spindles up front and a 2-inch lowering at the rear. Overall, the package is well mannered, and as power is applied and you up- or downshift through the gears, the resulting sound and acceleration feels very Camaro-like—not in the sense of a lighter, more agile pony car, but in the very essence of its spirit. No doubt the Moss package has a more modern feel; it’s very civilized in every respect, yet the experience is different somehow.

Exterior Details and Final Touches

The standard RST exterior features include a billet aluminum grille with color-keyed insert, stainless steel emblems, a billet license plate frame and chrome door handle pull levers with color-keyed backing plates. The mirrors are also color keyed. The billet grille has a contrasting orange Chevy Bow Tie, and the color-keyed front spoiler features a billet lower grille insert with built-in driving lights and nice-looking surrounds. Out back a steel rolled rear pan with molded exhaust ports eliminates the need for further modifications. The tailgate spoiler features contrasting graphic stripes to match the RST hood graphics, and to complete the color-keyed package there’s a front bumper cap with center chrome trim, which does away with the unsightly front bumper transition.

A Legacy Worth Driving

Regency did what it could to get the Jon Moss Signature Series package to market in a timely manner. It stands for a time when cars—and the men who conceived them—fulfilled a promise of image and performance. It is Jon Moss’ effort to create another in a long line of specialty vehicles—but this one proudly bears his name.