The car that started it all for many of us.
'69 Camaro
R.J. Gottlieb, Los Angeles, CA
Powertrain
Engine: It's all serious Rat, with a Donovan aluminum block, a 4.250-stroke King crank, Carrillo rods and 4.50-inch JE pistons that make 540 cubes. Airflow Research heads, a Pro Systems Dominator on a Dart intake, and custom headers with Borla mufflers make enough power to push the stock body well over 200.
Power: It makes 874 hp and 655 lb-ft of torque, both at 7,000 rpm.
Transmission: The Jerico four-speed crash box is linked to an RPS Stage IV clutch with a Cyn-R-G segmented flywheel and a carbon-carbon dual-disc setup.
Rearend: A full-floating 9-inch Ford rearend takes all the abuse. The axles are 31-spline, gun-drilled pieces, and the gearing changes depending on the venue. They run 3.25:1 gears while testing on a closed track, 2.79s for an event like the Z2Z Challenge, and a 2.49:1 ring-and-pinion for 220-plus mph speeds at flat-out open road races.
Chassis
Frame: Bill Osborne's Inland Chassis Design built what is essentially a stock car chassis with 2x3 rectangular-tubing framerails. With the stock '69 Camaro body dropped over it, the stance is unlike that of any other Camaro you've ever seen.
Suspension: The front end is supported by coilovers with Grigg's Racing shocks and Vogtland springs. The steering is a Stiletto rack-and-pinion, and the tubular sway bar is from Speedway Engineering. In back, it's also Grigg's/Vogtland coilovers with a three-link and panhard bar.
Brakes: Baer Racing is one of the car's primary sponsors, so it's no wonder Big Red wears the latest Baer 6S six-piston brakes clamping huge 14-inch rotors on each corner. The car will need those big brakes to come down from 200 mph.
Wheels: The wheels are "high-tech, old-school" 18-inch BBS three-piece units with magnesium centers.
Tires: Bet you've never seen an early Camaro with 335s on the front. Now you have. They're 335/30ZR-18 Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-Fioranos on all four corners.
Body: It's a bone-stock, all-steel '69 Camaro RS body with steel everything except for a fiberglass cowl-induction hood.
Paint: Mike Face Auto Painting applied bright red paint with white Z/28 stripes.
Interior: The stock dash is still covered by a stock pad, and the comfy seats are leather-covered Recaros (circa 1988). Even with a full `cage and aftermarket pedals, the car is shockingly comfortable. It feels like a stock '69 Camaro inside, and we'd have no problem going 200 in it.
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