This Stunning ’69 Camaro is a Restomod Done So Right

BOLD RIDE

Copyright © 2016 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted on 27 April 2016 by Zach Doell 

 

                               

                                           

Most muscle and pony car fans would agree, the high point of the breed (in terms of design and performance) came in the late 1960s and early ‘70s, a period when new cars like the Shelby GT500, ‘Hemi Cuda, and Pontiac GTO roamed free on American roads. 

Fast forward nearly five decades and survivors still prowl today’s day streets… some with even more attitude than before. This is the restomod movement—classic cars meshed with modern components—and the results, when done right, can be frankly staggering.

This is one of those times. No longer bone stock, this 1969 Chevrolet Camaro convertible has had a host of modern performance upgrades, of which include a brand new GM LS3 crate engine. Try not to drool.

Power? This car has it in spades. The LS3 V8 in question is said to be a heady 525-horsepower variant, which ought to do wonders for the pony car’s straight line speed. It comes mated to an automatic transmission, and bellows through custom ceramic coated headers and a rorty Borla dual exhaust.

While punishing horsepower is a big draw for modern restomodders, so is handling, and this Camaro has been spec’d up with a proper “pro-touring” suspension setup to cope. Beneath its impactful body lies a new Art Morrison subframe, Detroit Speed Quadralink rear-end setup, uprated sway bars, coilover shocks at all four corners, power rack-and-pinion steering, as well as big Wilwood disc brakes. Sharp twists in the road are no longer feared, but welcomed.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt to just look mean too, and this Camaro convertible certainly does. The blacked-out Chevy boasts body-color badges and door handles, new hood vents, a set of staggered 17- and 18-inch Budnik wheels, a pronounced metal rear lip spoiler, and a racy roll cage popping out from beneath its fabric top. Overall, its low-slung body accentuates that predatory pro-touring and restomod look.

The interior however might be a bit too shouty for its no-nonsense exterior—it’s vibrant red—but it appears to be well wrought and features a Vintage Air air-conditioning system, Kenwood stereo, and some big subwoofers in the boot.

Like it? The Camaro convertible is up for sale online, with bidding just over the $40,000 mark.