When you’re the CEO and owner of an aftermarket parts manufacturing company, chances are you want to showcase your products. While some will simply replace OEM parts with their own, others take a drastic approach to separate themselves from the ordinary. Chris Jewell is the latter of the two, and his demeanor and personal choice in vehicles clearly demonstrates it.
Jewell is far from a newcomer to the world of clutches. He built a career brand building and product managing before starting his own company. After assisting OEMs and aftermarket clutch companies, he reintroduced himself as the leading clutch supplier to the import drag scene with Competition Clutch. Jewell has now stepped into the American muscle arena, introducing a new lineup from his company, Vengeance Clutch. Vengeance offers a line of American-made twin-disc clutches for the domestic market. Clutches are offered in three different configurations, from street to strip, and hold anywhere from 750-1,000 lb-ft of torque!
Chris Jewell’s Company Car
How does Jewell showcase these new clutches? A simple clutch kit installed on any S550, S197, SN95 or even a Fox-body would have sufficed. His twin-turbo GT350 idea would have made sense. His Ford fan base would have been fine with any of these choices, but Jewell wanted something that stood out as much as his products. After a long thought process, a Lincoln Town Car won him over.
The thought of a full-size luxury barge being the brand image of a performance clutch company, was not what most would expect. However, Jewell saw the potential of a powerful V8, manual transmission with a bonus of creature comforts. While the build was being orchestrated, the modular 4.6 liter engine and 4R70 were already on their way out.
The car simply floats down the highway, smooth as possible. – Chris Jewell
Aggressive Procedure
With the engine bay empty, the new powerplant was ready to be installed. Jewell’s idea was to modernize his four-door beauty, so a Coyote motor was sourced. The fitment of the Coyote in the engine bay makes it appear factory spec. Of course a manual transmission was chosen to row gears behind the 5.0-liter Ford. The only caveat was the loss of leg room for the jumper seat passenger due to the new shifter. However, with four other seats to choose from, I think they’ll find a new seating area with no problem.
After performance was handled, Jewell wanted the Lincoln’s exterior to match the aggressiveness of Ford’s high performance Coyote engine. A murdered-out theme was chosen and a cloak of matte black covered the exterior. The Coyote engines’ output far surpasses the Modular 4.6, so a set of Weld RTS wheels were chosen to handle the newfound performance. Nitto 555’s in the front keep the car steering where requested, and a pair of Mickey Thompson ET Street S/S tires do their best to keep the rear wheels planted to the pavement.
Being a CEO has its perks — after all, what other positions allow you to choose the company car? If the workload gets a bit heavy, Jewell can always personally unwind and wind-out his hot rod Lincoln. Although, if you’re lucky you might see him taking his mom out to lunch, as the ride is just that comfortable!
