It’s just been a Cadillac kind of day here at Dragzine. Earlier, we rolled out our in-depth feature on the very first of the new-age Cadillac CTS-V Pro Modifieds — belonging to John and Camp Stanley and the Stanley & Weiss team — and now we get our first glimpse at the second such car to be completed, belonging to none other than popular Northeast-based Pro Modified racer Dina Parise.

For Parise, the delivery of her gorgeous new Rob Matheis Race Cars-built Cadillac ends months of eager anticipation. Nearly a year ago, the Cadillac was little more than a conversation between she and husband, Andrew, and chassis builder Matheis. Then it became a rough sketch and a rendering, followed by the laying of tubing on a jig that quickly took the shape of a five-second race car chassis, eventually covered by an incredibly swoopy Cadillac body. What was just an idea a year ago was quickly becoming reality, and this week, Parise finally got to lay eyes on the new chariot she’ll carry into battle in the world’s quickest and fastest doorslammer category with the Extreme Outlaw Pro Mod series and the PDRA.

“We had a conversation with Rob [Matheis, of Matheis Race Cars] last year, and he told us he was a big fan of our team and had been following us, and indicated that he really wanted to build a new car for us,”  said Parise. “We’d been running the Corvette for a while and felt it was time for a change, and it all just came about at the right time. so we thought, ‘yeah, let’s do it.’”

“We talked about how it was a Cadillac and I’m an Italian girl, and it’s just the perfect combination. It was a little bit of a perk to the new car.”

The new race car replaces Parises’ likewise stunning 1963 split-window Corvette she campaigned previously that, like Andrew’s 1953 Corvette, featured a spectacular patriotic theme. Although they’ve departed from that theme on a large scale with the new car, opting for a stylish single-color scheme befitting of a luxury Cadillac, there’s still a very classy “Freedom is not free” design that’s been airbrushed on the rear wing and deckled, thus carrying on the tradition with each of their former cars. The paint scheme on the car was applied by fellow Northeast Pro Mod racer Bruce Mullins of Paint by Bruce Mullins.

Says Parise, “As many know, I was a professional figure skater in my other life, and I guess I’ve got a ‘showgirl’ quality about me, and so I tend to do things with a ‘glitter in my veins’ approach. So we’re going to kind of carry that over into the new car. It’s sleek, and it’s sexy, and it’s classy — I think this car wants that.”

Rob Matheis does unbelievable work. The lines, the safety — I can’t wait to drop the hammer on this baby. It’s badass for sure,” exclaimed Parise.

With support from backers USA Auto Supply, DJ Safety, Stainless Works, Bell Racing USA, LAT Racing Oils, NGK Spark Plugs, Hoosier Racing Tire, CRC Automotive, Neal Chance Racing Converters, and Speedwire, the Parise Racing team has set their sights on the  PDRA Pro Modified category for competition later this year.