Photos: Nickey Chicago

A mid-west icon of the 60’s was restored a few years back by Stefano Bimbi. Nickey Chevrolet in Chicago was a high volume dealer that established a reputation for delivering muscle cars and performance parts for Chevy enthusiasts. Nickey Chigaco was their high performance parts store that advertised nationally and were soon selling over a million dollars a month in parts.

As the performance cuture grew, names like Bill Thomas and Dick Harrell got involved with the Nickey operations, eventually establishing the first national network for dealer-built supercars. Specially built L88’s, L89’s and L72’s were installed in Camaros and other Chev products of the day. In Stage I, Stage II and Stage III configurations, the Nickey cars became among the most sought-after examples of the muscle car era.

Today, Nickey Chicago operates out of St. Charles, IL, under the eye of CEO Stefano Bimbi. Their mission is unchanged from the original shop and recently, they showed us some of their latest Camaros – a Stage I and a Stage II example.

The Stage I car is more than just a “Sport” edition, incorporating mild performance improvements that tweak the engine up to the 475 HP level. Intake and exhaust enhancements, plus a custom tune, are responsible for the increased output. Distinctive identification accents and a Nickey Stage I tuned suspension complete the entry level version.

Moving to the Stage II level, more interaction with the customer is used to determine their most suitable or desired configuration. In fact, engine setups as high as 800 hp are available, based on a twin turbo configuration. Magnusson or ProCharger supercharged engines, as well as a single turbo version, all take advantage of Nickey CNC-ported cylinder heads, Nickey specification cam kit, along with Nickey custom intake manifold and fuel rails.

The company’s LS7-based, Stage III engines can be built ranging from 700 to 1,000 hp. Stage III cars also incorporate upgraded driveline components and a custom roll cage.