Vance Kershner was living in Huntingdon Valley when he bought his first new car, a 1973 Plymouth Road Runner, writes A.J. Baime for The Wall Street Journal.

He spent most of his free time working on and racing that baby.

His love for that vehicle led him to study mechanical engineering at the University of Delaware.

When he graduated, he got a job offer in Texas. He left his car behind as he moved.

Life then got busy, and the car sat for decades.

But four years ago, Kirshner decided to restore his Road Runner to its original factory condition.

Accomplishing that goal spurred him further. The intimate knowledge gained from his initial overhaul, primed Kershner for a bigger challenge: Convert another 1973 Plymouth Road Runner into a muscle car.

The Huntingdon Valley gear-head found another Road Runner on the internet, bought it, reworked it, and named the finished product Hellrunner.

Among other things, he added the “Hellephant,” a 426-cubic-inch, V-8 supercharged Hemi engine that puts out 1,000 horsepower and modern electronics into the muscle car.

What is it like to drive the finished product?

“It’s very badass,” said Kershner.

Read more about Vance Kershner in The Wall Street Journal.