By Craig Sparkes and Society Staff – reprint with permission only

I first met David Seghesio in 2014 at a Goodguys Get-together. I was covering the event for No Limits and had registered my 1967 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442. As I was taking a break and sitting by the 442, David came up and introduced himself. He had just acquired a 442 and was asking a lot of questions relative to the restoration of his car. We chatted “442 talk” for a while and before he left, he gave me his business card for a future contact. David is the Facilities Manager for his family’s vineyard in Healdsburg California – Seghesio Family Vineyards.

Turns out I have a good friend who lives in Healdsburg and we were scheduled to have lunch a few months after the Goodguys Get-Together. I contacted David and he invited me to come to the Winery and see his cars. In addition to being an accomplished viticulturist, David is a car nut and accomplished “wrench spinner.”

As he told me, working all his life in the vineyards and being responsible for all the machinery, he became quite a mechanic! At the time of my visit, David had a 1960 Ford Starliner with a 312 T-Bird Y-block engine, the aforementioned 1968 442 and a 1966 Chevrolet C-10 pick-up that David calls his “winery shop truck.” Some shop truck!!

David bought the truck in 2011 for $500 in Stockton, California—complete with a six cylinder and three-on-the-tree. Knowing he wanted to put a blown big block in his next project vehicle, he thought a pickup (and a winery shop truck ??) would be the best choice. Racingjunk.com was the source for a 468 cu.in. Chevrolet big block and an 8-71 BDS Supercharger with computer controlled fuel injection. 

 David likes to shift gears so he decided to mate a Tremec five speed transmission to the Chevy. The estimated horsepower is 650 to 700 (a conservative estimate) running through a narrowed GM 12 bolt rear end with a Detroit Locker and 18.5 width tires. To stop all those horses, the truck has plenty of braking power from a Wilwood disc brake system.

David painted the truck a spectacular Candy Tangerine color. In the sunlight, this color sparkles and changes hue as you walk around it. The hickory wood in the bed was dyed orange to match the Candy Tangerine paint. Francis Minaglia’s Auto Upholstery stitched the Dreamer Apricot leather seat and topped it off with German weave carpet.

This “winery shop truck” is a beautiful custom with a beast of a power train. Sitting in that luxurious interior and having those 700 horses at your left foot makes for a wonderful and thrilling ride. David has outdone himself !