Think for a moment about the terminology you hear when discussing custom cars. The hobby has, in a way, been upgraded, to borrow a buzzword. Builders used to talk about making parts; now those components are custom fabricated. Paint was mixed years ago, but now it's blended. Those of us who chronicle this hobby gladly employ such words and phrases to add color and spice to stories.

Newstalgia is the term Jan and Tom Stepp use to describe their '59 Cadillac Series 62 four-door. The car is long, low, and wide; it has smooth, graceful lines, wears plenty of chrome, and has those well-known symbols of '50s flamboyance: high-in-the-sky tailfins. Yet underneath that classic, elegant skin is a surprisingly modern means of motivation.

Tom bought the car for Jan on Valentine's Day in 1994 and drove it to their home in Lake Orion, Michigan. For her it was a welcome change to have a roomy hobby car, since previous family rides included a T-bucket, Model A, Corvette, and motorcycle-vehicles that tend to require riders to travel lightly.

With 125,000 miles on the clock, the big Cad was a "typical rusty, crispy Michigan car" when the Stepps got it. It was mostly complete, though, and even had some colorful history: Danny Vann, an Elvis impersonator, had used it at one time. The Stepps came up with a plan for their sedan, and entrusted the project to Slim's Bodyworks in Freeland, Michigan.

The biggest challenge was installing the '94 Caddy Northstar V-8, an engine normally mounted transversely in front-drive cars. Slim's fabricated a new front crossmember to help it fit, while Wayne Bloomfield took care of alterations like relocating the oil filters, power steering pump, air conditioning compressor, alternator, and cooling lines. Once the 300hp, 4.6-liter engine was in the chassis, the crew at Slim's built custom headers and a stainless exhaust employing Borla mufflers and Stainless Specialties resonators. An aluminum radiator was added for cooling, and a custom air intake built using dual K&N filters.

Tom, who works as an engineering manager, designed an aluminum adapter to mate the Northstar mill to a 700-R4 overdrive automatic, which Bloomfield beefed up with a custom converter and heavy-duty clutches and bands. A custom two-piece driveshaft linked it to the 3.75:1-geared Currie rearend.