As gearheads, the one thing we always like to see is when a company puts its own blood, sweat, and tears into a build. It shows us that they not only supply us with great parts, but they aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty and join in on the passion that keeps us all going.

One such company that is putting a lot of hard work into a build utilizing its own products is Derale Performance. We’ve been a fan of its cooling products for years, and as a company, President Tom Longo has decided it was time his team put together a car of its own to commemorate 60 years in business.

Longo picked a 1966 Mercury Cyclone GT as the footprint of his build, and it’s been entered into the coveted SEMA Battle of the Builders competition for the 2016 show this fall in Las Vegas. We asked Longo a simple question: “Why a Mercury Cyclone?” of all vehicles, because it’s rare enough that you find one, but even more so that you see one being built as a NASCAR-style entry.

Longo said, “When we were trying to find a vehicle to use, we wanted something that was going to stand out, something other than another Camaro or Mustang. A friend of mine had this Cyclone that used to belong to a drag racer and so I started to do some research on the car and when I saw that drivers like Bobby Allison drove one, it kind of sunk in and I thought, ‘this is the car’ and we went with it.”

We’ve been following along with the build for quite a while now, and though we won’t have a full feature to provide you until the unveiling at SEMA, we have been able to catch various photos of the build from Derale.

The Cyclone GT will feature many upgrades to the existing suspension, but Longo was adamant about using NASCAR-sized 15-inch wheels, and managed to fit the upgraded Wilwood brakes inside. Of course, you can expect a full line of Derale cooling products in the vehicle, as well.

Longo said they’ll be using his company’s various coolers, including engine oil, transmission, differential coolers. They’ll also add Derale’s shrouded radiator fans and PWM to help control the fan functions.

If you can’t make it to SEMA this year, no worries, we will bring you a full feature of the Cyclone from SEMA. But for now, you can visit the Derale Performance website for information about cooling your vehicle’s fluids, and keep up with the Cyclone’s progress on the Derale Performance Facebook page.