There’s a well-known show on TV these days called American Chopper. Chances are that if you’re reading this, you’re interested in all things mechanical, so have probably seen it. If not, it’s worth a watch.

Unlike most reality shows, there are no hot chicks; instead it’s about a father and his two sons who spend their lives building some of the most outrageous Choppers you’ll ever see. It’s not the motorbikes that make the show worth watching though, it’s the behind the scenes banter, bickering and pranks that go on between dad and kids that make it a laugh.

Now it’s likely that if there were to be a reality show about the build of this gorgeous 1969 Chev Camaro it would be much the same. Father and son team John and Shane have had (more…)

Pin striping has been an important part of car customisation and hot rodding since the 1950s. But over the years the methods of performing this dark art and the tools used have changed. The latest instrument for one pro pin striper is the humble Sharpie marker pen.

Usually found on sale at Warehouse Stationary the Sharpie permanent pen is more often seen in offices rather than car tuner workshops. For pin striper Chris Dunlop the Sharpie pen has become an important tool in his highly acclaimed work. The latest machine to feel America-based Dunlop’s Sharpie is a Chevrolet Camaro. Without the need for cans of paint and fine brushes, Dunlop has created two magnificently detailed Sharpie stripes where the Camaro’s original lengthy pinstripes would have been. (more…)

When it comes to modern muscle car news it’s all been about the Camaro this week. First the Camaro ZL1 set a smoking hot time of 7:41.27 at the Nurburgring closely followed by Chevrolet announcing that the Camaro ZL1 convertible will be launching next month (read news). Now, to cap it all off specialist tuner Hennessey has revealed its latest special edition the 20th Anniversary Edition Camaro.

It’s clearly not the Camaro’s 20th birthday, but it is Hennessey’s 20th birthday so the tuner is going big with this celebratory Camaro. Officially named the HPE650 Camaro, this muscle car packs 655 horsepower achieved by fitting a TVS2300 supercharger. There’s also a new cam, replacement headers and intake and exhaust upgrades.

The upgraded engine can be matched with either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission and the hot Camaro will sprint to 100 km/h in around 3.8 seconds and cover the quarter mile in 11.7 seconds. (more…)

Look like a big-dollar pro build? Think again. This blown big block Camaro was built in a suburban garage.

I remember being heavily involved in a conversation-come-argument many years back about the pros and cons of building a car yourself, rather than paying professionals to do it. At the time I was 100 percent on the do it yourself side of the fence. While I still like to think that way a bit, the reality is I’ve grown to learn my limitations, and these days if I had the time and money to choose between paying someone to build a car for me or smashing my knuckles doing it myself, it would be a much harder decision.

As my knowledge of cars has grown, my awareness of my own shortfalls has also become more apparent, so while I like top-shelf vehicles, I don’t have the patience or ability to get them to that level without some help from the pros. On the other hand, the owner of this 1969 Camaro, Vince Lettice, has shown he’s got what it takes to mix it with the big boys.

From Mopar to Chev

The Lettice family’s journey to Camaro ownership came about by accident. Owning a pretty cool ’68 Dodge Charger, Vince and his family have long been regulars at a monthly Auckland breakfast meet. It was on the way home from one of these meets that Vince noticed they were being followed. It turned out to be nothing sinister at all, rather someone wanting desperately to buy a Charger just like theirs. Although the car wasn’t for sale, the price was right and a deal was done. (more…)

General Motors has just announced that it has built the world’s most powerful roofless production model ever, the all-new 2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Convertible. The new hyper drop-top will be officially revealed at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November.

The convertible Camaro shares its underpinnings with the upcoming Camaro ZL1 Coupe and is scheduled to reach showrooms from late 2012. Powering the convertible is GM’s 6.2-litre supercharged LSA V8 engine producing 432 kW and 754 Nm of torque.

General Motors was quick to point out that its drop top Camaro ZL1 has more power output than Euro performance models like the Aston Martin DB9 with 350kW and the Porsche 911 Turbo with 395kW. However models like the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport were conveniently forgotten about.

“The Camaro ZL1 convertible will be one of the most powerful and most capable, convertibles available at any price,” said Al Oppenheiser, Camaro chief engineer. “This is a car that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face every time you drop the top – or hit the gas.” (more…)

Mild-mannered street car during the week, smoke-billowing race car on the weekends.

Rooted… would be the best way to describe how this 1969 RS/SS Camaro was when it came into Tristan Teki’s possession. But since it was an RS/SS and since the seller was a good mate who was willing to do a deal on it, an agreement was made and it soon changed hands.

Tristan has been playing with cars for as long as he can remember, and in his time he’s owned more old Holdens than he’d care to think about. Over the years he’s taught himself how to do pretty much everything car-related. From panelwork to fabrication to mechanical work, he can do the lot, and generally does so along with help from various mates. And since he’d developed the skills required to turn a car from a rust bucket to a race car, that’s exactly what he decided to do.

With help from fellow Wanganui Road Rodders member Dean Scott, the rusted-out floors were chopped out and new ones stitched in. Along with this came the replacement of both rear quarters, the rear valance panel and both doors. As if that wasn’t enough to put most people off, the panels that weren’t rusted out were dented, so not a single panel could be left untouched.  (more…)