Tag Archives: Chevrolet Camaro

SEMA 2023: 1968 Chevrolet Camaro ARDUOUS by Tyler Nelson

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Based on how many amazing cars are at the SEMA Show, you might think that restoring a classic car is easy. Just order the parts and put it together! But the truth is that when it comes to parts and labor, it costs a lot to get quality work. If you ask Tyler Nelson of Revision Rods & Rides, he might say that building a car is an arduous process.

His 1968 Chevrolet Camaro is nicknamed “Arduous,” which is defined as: involving or requiring strenuous effort; difficult and tiring. I think that is an accurate description of the work that goes into building a top-tier car for SEMA.

With any project, there are always unforseen problems and challenges. Parts don’t fit, dealing with back orders and shipping delays, things break during removal and installation, and introducing custom-made parts adds a whole world of new challenges. Such is the case with this 1968 Camaro. At his shop in Rapid City, South Dakota, this Camaro was completely taken apart and rebuilt using new parts and plenty of upgrades as well.

The Camaro’s original chassis has been replaced with an Art Morrison chassis with a fully independent rear suspension. Under the hood is a GM Performance LT376/535 crate engine producing 535 horsepower, coupled to a GM 8L90E 8-speed transmission. The engine is hidden beneath a custom made air intake and engine cover that were fabricated for this car, giving it that show car look when the custom built hood is open. Everything from the fender liners to the radiator support was custom made for this car, then painted to match the exterior body color, which is a custom mixed BASF Refinish blue with accent stripes.

The interior is completely custom with the dashboard, center console and door panels made out of aluminum and wrapped in two-tone Hydes leather. While I am not generally a fan of white seats, I think that the contrasting gray and white interior looks really sharp for this car.

The car also features tons of one-off machined parts. Look closely and you will see a hexagon pattern, which is repeated in the front grille, the brake reservoir cover, the machined AC vents, the hood cowl vents, the speaker grilles in the rear dash and even the inserts of the front bucket seats. Even the gauge cluster has a subtle 6-sided surround to it.

The drip rails have been shaved and the glass is flush mounted, giving the car a more modern look. It rides on Billet Specialties wheels.
The car was a Top 12 finalist in the Battle of the Builders at the 2023 SEMA Show, and a Top 3 finalist in the Hot Rod category. Arduous has received plenty of recognition including Meguiar’s Magnificent Masterpiece and GM IRON Builder of the Year finalist at the GoodGuys Heartland Nationals in 2024.

This car was truly a labor of love for the clients, Mary & Clayton Graham who own this beautiful Camaro. It really was a treat seeing it in person at the SEMA Show. Congratulations on your well-deserved success! I can’t wait to see what comes next from the talented team at Revision Rods & Rides.

SEMA 2023: 1969 Chevrolet “Carbon Camaro” Convertible by Finale Speed

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For years, Chris Jacobs co-hosted Overhaulin’ and other shows including “Long Lost Family” on TLC. His passion for cars is well-known to his fans, who have seen him host numerous specials on networks like Velocity and Discovery.

His latest venture is the creative director for Oklahoma-based Finale Speed. The startup was founded in 2022 by JD Rudisill, who has assembled a team of veterans in the automotive world.
Finale Speed made waves in the automotive industry with the introduction of their fully carbon fiber 1969 Chevrolet Camaro, which was a sensation. The car was displayed at SEMA and Barrett-Jackson and was featured on an episode of Jay Leno’s Garage. Following that, Finale Speed announced the availability of a full carbon fiber 1970 Dodge Charger as well.

Now in 2023, the latest announcement from Finale Speed came at the Dynamat booth: they will be offering a 1969 Camaro Convertible as well. All of these cars are available with a full carbon fiber body sitting atop a Roadster Shop chassis. The carbon fiber body has 32 unique pieces and shaves approximately 750 lbs off the weight of the car.
Customers have the option to purchase a body and rolling chassis for $199,000, or they can spec a fully-built car from Finale Speed for $349,000.

We have featured full carbon fiber muscle cars on Generation High Output in the past, like the 1970 Dodge Charger “Tantrum” by Speedkore that we saw at the 2015 SEMA Show. Finale Speed takes it to the next level by offering a more tailored experience. Whether you want a fully completed car or a body and chassis that you can finish with your own powertrain and interior, they can handle it.
The 2023 SEMA Show car in the Dynamat booth was orangey-copper in color with exposed carbon fiber stripes. The car did not have a finished interior so that the Dynamat sound deadening products were visible. The car rides on a set of Chip Foose 18-inch Coronet wheels.

While I can only dream of owning a car like this, I think it is super cool the way that companies are using technology and materials like carbon fiber to make muscle cars that are stronger, lighter, and faster than ever before!

Barrett-Jackson 2022: 2020 Hertz Hendrick Camaro ZL1

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Way back in 1966, Carroll Shelby partnered with rental car company Hertz Corporation for a special promotion. Hertz would order 1,000 Shelby GT350 vehicles and make them available for rent. These special edition cars featured black paint with gold stripes and GT350H badging. The campaign was advertised as “Rent-a-Racer” and was very successful.

The popularity of the original program has endured over the years, and has resulted in Hertz doing a number of re-boots and similar offerings featuring newer Shelby Mustangs, the Chevrolet Corvette, and most recently, the Chevrolet Camaro.

Hertz revived the Rent-A-Racer program in 2006, 2007, and 2016 with customized Mustang vehicles available for rent at select locations throughout the United States. Hertz also partnered with Chevrolet to produce a special “Hertz edition” Corvette ZHZ in 2008, 2009, and 2018.
2020 saw the debut of the first ever Hertz edition Camaro. These vehicles, developed in partnership with Hendrick Motorsports, take the “Rent-A-Racer” concept to a whole new level. A total of 224 units were built, with two versions. One model based on the Camaro SS is equipped with the 6.2-liter V8 engine and produces 480 horsepower. The other version is based on the Camaro ZL1 and features a Callaway supercharged 6.2-liter V8 producing 750 horsepower! Both cars wear yellow stripes over gloss black paint.
One of these special Hendrick Motorsports #24 / Hertz / Camaro ZL1 models was recently offered for sale at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale 2022 auction. The 650-horsepower Camaro ZL1 is an excellent starting platform to build a special car.

The Camaro’s stock supercharger was upgraded to a Callaway Gen3 supercharger with triple-cooled intercooler, boosting power output to 750 horsepower. To make room for the new supercharger, a hand-built carbon fiber hood insert was designed and manufactured by Hendrick Motorsports. The car is production number #012 according to a data plate under the hood.

Additional modifications include a Hertz / Hendrick Motorsports graphics package with the Hendrick Motorsports #24 logo, Forgeline wheels with #24 center caps over Hertz yellow painted brake calipers. Continuing the theme, the car features Hertz Yellow door inserts, lighted door sills with the Hertz logo, William Byron’s signature and the #24 logo, as well as #24 floor mats.
The car sold for $104,500 (including buyer’s premium) at the 2022 Scottsdale auction and shows just 6,600 miles on the odometer. That’s dangerously close to COPO Camaro money, for a car that can actually be registered and driven on the street. Although six figures sounds like a lot for a Camaro, I think it is warranted given the limited edition nature of the Hertz/Hendrick ZL1 and the low production volume. The car is also remarkably low mileage for a rental. I wish the new owner all the best with their new Hertz ZL1 Camaro! This is definitely a Special Edition car to be cherished and enjoyed, preferably on back roads with a heavy right foot!

Superhero Muscle Cars

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Jay-Z and Linkin Park. Chicken and Waffles. Each of these things are fine separately, but for some reason people feel the need to combine them. While some people swear they go better together, the rest of us wrinkle our brows in disgust at the idea.

Such is the case with superheros and muscle cars. I think they’re fine separately, but definitely not better together. My opinion is that the end result is not twice as good, but only half as good as it could be.

To give you a better idea of what I am talking about, let’s take a look at some examples. Exhibit A is a fifth-generation Ford Mustang that has been built by Roush Performance. The car exhibits the trademark Roush wheels, bumper, and supercharged V8 engine. This is a fine vehicle that any muscle car enthusiast would be proud to own.

For some reason, the owner felt the need to plaster Batman emblems on the front grille. I feel that the cartoon logos on this car distract from the seriously awesome nature of this high-performance vehicle.

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