Featured Vehicle: ‘One Nasty-Looking’ 1969 Chevy Camaro
Posted By Ashley Majeski-Smissen, June 10, 2010
"Sinister functionality” is the term
Michael P. Manning uses to describe the concept of his 1969 Camaro. Since the day the original concept of the car was formulated, he knew one thing: it had to be a menacing muscle car.
“I was into the Trans-Am series and [am] a big fan of
Mark Donohue,” he said. “1969 was a banner year for the team and I wanted to do a No. 6 recreation.
“My original concept was to produce a car with an immediate ‘bad boy’ look,” said Manning, who is president of electrical and wiring company American Autowire.
Manning knew what he wanted and set out to find a build team that could bring his concept to reality.
“I had just met
Kyle and
Stacy Tucker [owners of
Detroit Speed] at an NSRA show where they had showed me [the company’s] ‘Twister Camaro,’” said Manning. “[I thought] bingo! We’re on the same page.”
The trio agreed to work together to build Manning the muscle car he had envisioned.
Detroit Speed built a custom "SS" hood for the Camaro.
“Detroit Speed (DSE) was just beginning the development of its hydroformed front subframe and Quadra-Link rear suspension,” said Manning. “My Camaro became the prototype mule for that development.”
Though he stayed close to his original concept for the car, after buying a Z06 Corvette he was so impressed with its performance that he decided to make a bold change in his Camaro’s concept. The car still had to have a sinister look, but now it also had to be functional.
“No bling. No add-on stuff. No chrome,” said Manning. “If it wasn’t functional, it didn’t go in or on the car.
“Being a functional racer, it needed to look and act like it belonged on the track,” he said. “Sitting still, it needed to look like it just came off the track.”
The Camaro was purchased from one of Manning’s dealers in New York and, though it was in sad shape, it still had its original GM quarters and fenders.
“The car was hurt, but that never mattered, as we knew it was going to be ripped apart,” said Manning.
Detroit Speed started the ground-up restoration, formulating a slew of custom parts for the Camaro, including a custom “SS” hood and a low-rise rear spoiler.
A GM LS7 sits under the car's hood, along with a T56 six-speed tranny.
“The custom bumpers and spoiler were subtle changes to the overall style of the car,” said Manning. “The 1969 body is so distinctive that we never wanted to drastically change the look.”
The front and rear bumpers were recessed and tucked, and Detroit Speed body and frame parts were added, as was a Ford 9-inch rear with 3.70:1 ratio. Under the hood, the team installed a GM LS7 engine and many other custom parts, including fuel rails, coils and valve covers.
The car, which took about two years to build, was painted in a Dark Titanium Pearl color to give it a sleek and wicked look.
When the car was complete, the Tuckers brought it to the
2010 Hotrod & Restoration Trade Show to surprise Manning. It was unveiled in front of a crowd of hot rodders, all eager to see the beast under the sheet.
Manning said he knew that he had achieved the look he wanted for the car one day after he brought it home.
“We were sitting in a street-side bistro and the Camaro was parked across the street,” he said. “No one in the bistro knew the car belonged to me. Two gentlemen were sitting behind us and one says to the other, ‘look at that Camaro. That is one nasty-looking car.’ The other one added, ‘There’s no way I want to mess with that!’ That pretty much sums up.”
The Camaro features modified Recaro Specialist front seats.
Stat Sheet:
Car: 1969 Chevy Camaro
Owner: Michael P. Manning of American Autowire
Location: Bellmawr, New Jersey
Builders: Detroit Speed, Inc., Mooresville, North Carolina
Interior: The car has custom rear seats and door panels, as well as a custom DSE dash with AutoMeter gauges. The console was done by Chuck Hanna of Hot Rod Interiors in Mooresville, North Carolina.
Powertrain: The car is powered by a GM LS7 engine and a T56 six-speed transmission. It also has a custom Petersen dry sump tank.
Body & Frame: A Detroit Speed hydroformed front subframe was used, as well as the company’s Quadra-Link 4-Link rear suspension, frame rail connectors, Deep Tubs, firewall fill plate and a custom six-point roll cage.
Tires: Goodrich tires, (KDW-2 NT, 275/35/18 front, 335/30/18 rears)
Wheels: Fikse Profil 13, 18 x 10 (front), 18 x 12 (rear)
Paint: The build team used the Dark Titanium Pearl paint color that was used on the 2009 Dodge Challenger.
Other Features: The Camaro features an American Autowire electrical system, an ididit steering column and a Vintage Air Gen IV air conditioning system. A low-rise rear spoiler was also added to the car, as were custom bumpers.
http://www.hotrodandrestoration.com/...-chevy-camaro/
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