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Words: Tommy Parry Images: Taylor
Some people like their classic muscle cars to spend their lives in dusty garages, and some like to take them to car shows. Then there’s a smaller contingent which pays little respect for tradition, retrofits everything, and takes muscle cars to the track.
Taylor clearly fits into this last group. Built to Pro Touring specification, his ‘69 Camaro uses a stout 502, outfitted with Edelbrock Heads and Intake, Edelbrock Carb, Chevrolet hydraulic Roller Cam and Hedman Ceramic coated headers for a usable amount of road course-appropriate grunt. That power is fed to the Currie 9” rear end via a T-350 transmission, but that drivetrain, while impressive, isn’t what makes this machine shine.
The real appeal of this Camaro is the subframe and the footwork which makes this machine so well-suited for the road course. Underneath, Detroit Speed provided the subframe, subframe connectors and a set of mini tubs. As the aforementioned parts are all powdercoated black, there’s still a subtle aspect to the car’s underbody, though anyone with a drop of motor oil in their veins will recognize how modern and immaculate it all appears.
Fortunately, most of the Detroit Speed catalog dots the Camaro’s four corners. Included in Detroit Speed’s suspension package: a Quadralink rear suspension with adjustable shocks, Hydroformed rramerails, stamped crossmembers, DSE tubular upper and lower control arms, DSE/JRi Coilover adjustable shocks, power rack and pinion steering, a splined anti-roll bar, C6 steering knuckles and bearing packs from the same ‘Vette. Not only does this give it the decisive handling a road course rewards, it offers an athletic stance which works perfectly with those modern Forgeline wheels.
That traction and sharp front end is largely due to the choice of wheels. Massive Forgeline ZX3R rims measuring 18X9” in front and 18X11” in the rear fill the wheel wells. Within them, Wilwood big brakes with 13” and 11” rotors, front and rear respectively, help bring the orange behemoth to a stop - and the sticky Pilot Sport 2 tires help in this regard too. Despite the size and the heft of the ol’ Chevy, it does manage to stop and change direction with impressive power thanks to the retrofitted footwork.
The stout suspension and potent powerplant are enough for a functioning Pro Tourer, and the gleaming exterior - dotted with choice touches - makes it a very attractive machine. Flowmaster quad exhaust tips, Marquez Design Billet RS tail lights with Digitail sequential LEDs and a blacked-out rear decklid panel are strong elements which give it a muscular and slightly sinister appearance.
The interior is simple as expected; basic black leather, a custom dash with Auto Meter gauges and a rollbar. Anything this heavy and apt to see the track needs a cage.
Yet all this performance and beauty wasn’t quite enough for Taylor, who proposed, first of all things, a chrome lip on those imposing rollers. With the help of Santa Ana’s Paramount Motors, he added a little chrome to give the car a less athletic but more classically-inspired appearance.
Feeling a need to spruce up the Camaro’s backside, Taylor plasti-dipped the rear decklid panel and added an SS emblem from Defenderworx. He then installed a set of Marquez Design taillights, which, when turned off, add a little flair. However, it’s the sequential LED lights within them that will turn the most heads.
Taylor still has a lengthy list of upgrades he’d like to make to his corner-carving Camaro. A coat of Lamborghini’s Grigio Estoque gray, tinted windows, HID headlights, racing seats with racing harnesses, VintageAC’s subtle air conditioning system and a few other stylistic touches for a sportier cabin are just a few. Best of all, he’s planned an LS7 with a Tremec six-speed manual. If the car’s already this well-built and modern underneath the skin, why not enjoy the drivability, tunability and sheer performance of one of Chevy’s current lineup?
