Iconic doorslammer chassis builder Jerry Bickel believes the newest '55 Chevy Bel-Air body will become to Pro Modified what the '69 Camaro is at the present time.

This newest shell, originally designed by Bob Mandell and financed by Tim Wallace, this is the first of its type in carbon fiber, offers the lightest and most aerodynamic version in the marketplace today.

Bickel says the molds, now built by Larry Jeffers, will offer a weight savings of 35-pounds. Jerry Bickel Race Cars is an authorized distributor of these new bodies.

"The biggest drawback to this body was that it was not available in carbon fiber," Bickel said. "You definitely need carbon fiber to be able to take advantage of the weight breaks in Pro Modified. Not only that, with the extreme speeds these cars are making, you need the durability of carbon fiber.

"The molds are first class. I think these are going to catch on and become a popular option. The fact its an older body style is an added bonus."

The first of the new race cars with these bodies recently rolled out of Bickel's Moscow Mills, Mo.-based shop earlier this week.

David Perkinson will field this new shoebox in PDRA Top Sportsman, and it will be driven by Randy Perkinson. The car is powered by a Charlie Buck nitrous-injected engine.

"It's the most aerodynamic '55 Chevy I've ever seen, that actually looks like a '55 Chevy," Bickel added. "It's not like when these cars rolled out of the factory back in 1955, cutting through the wind was not the primary objective."