I spoke with John Ward again this morning. For a guy who is semi-retired he is busy still doing bodywork and refinishing cars.
The Evil Seville: based on a 79 Seville body and grafted the upper body skin onto a Speedway Engineering Chassis. John's best friend is Ken Sapper (started Speedway Engineering) and is known throughout the stock car circle. The Seville was powered by a LS7 454 with twin turbos, propane powered and aided by a cold shot of laughing gas. I asked why he built it (dumb question). I cannot put in text his exact words but something to the tune of blowing the ******* doors off Ferrari and Porsche's with a laugh.
Also John did modify the Lola T70's used in THX 1138.
They were real Lolas not kits or clones. According to John Dan McLaughlin did some glass work for him and that was all. One coupe was returned to the Studio and the other (the first one wrecked in the film) John kept and rebuilt. That coupe ended up with Dan McLaughlin via a trade was traded back to John shortly after. Haggerty didn't end up with one of these. Dan may have made body molds off this coupe?
John also is a former 24 Hour Daytona winner (1st, 3rd in class). He ran the Titus/ Godsall Camaro/ Firebird in 1969. Here are photos of the restored bird from Daytona.
His secretary is going to try to get a pic of the Seville. All were done on film back then so may be (in Dan McLaughlin's words) un-obtainium.
Articles on Johns cars:
New West 1981 (Bonzai addition)
Auto Week 4/6/1992 -11/13/1995
Sports Car International 4/2002- 2/1992
Muscle Machine 3/2007