Jack Rainbow’s slammed ’61 Impala Bubbletop must have been what the Beach Boys were talking about when they sang, “She’s real fine, my 409”.

Real muscle car power was brought to the people in the early ’60s, especially with the arrival of the 1961 Chevrolet Impala SS 409. Chevy built 491,000 Impalas that year. Only 453 had the SS (Super Sport) package, and of those just 142 got the 409ci engine.

Word spread quickly about a mainstream Chevy V8 with 409lb/ft (554Nm) of torque and the ability to do mid-15-second quarter miles with the standard 3.36:1 rear axle and four-speed manual. The Beach Boys even immortalised it in the song ‘409’ (She’s real fine/my 409).

Jack Rainbow’s 1961 Chevrolet Impala may not be an original SS 409, but with a 409 W series motor now resting between the front guards and an impeccable build quality, it’s “even better than the real thing” — thought I’d keep up with the song theme with that little U2 snippet.

But I’m getting way ahead of myself here, let’s go back to the beginning… (more…)

Purchased with no thoughts of modification, Pat Croul’s car is now the toughest-looking Camaro in the land.

I still have no idea what I was thinking,” says Pat Croul, reflecting on what happened to his once tidy, stock-as-a-rock Camaro.

“I purchased the car to just drive, and then I thought I would just tidy it up a little over the winter. I had three or so months of driving it and then apart she came for an engine check.” And so it begins.

“The question was,” continues Pat, warming to his story, “what little mods could be made to the 355ci small block to give it a little more life? It was decided that dropping in a blown big block should take care of it.”

That could have been the beginning of the end. It wasn’t. “The car was stripped, repainted in black and in went a 461ci big block complete with 8/71 supercharger and some other goodies. This took a few months, and then while out for the first test drive I found that there was a little traction problem at almost any stage of the throttle in any gear. The 245 BF Goodriches were just not working out.” (more…)

If it weren’t for some home detective work, this 9-second streeter may never have called New Zealand home.

You’ve heard of those scam stories. Well, I got sucked in,” says the owner of this seriously tough 9-second Street Camaro, Rick Baker.

The look of disbelief on my face probably showed my confusion, because to me the car looks pretty well perfect. And it is. Rick explained the situation by going on to say, “There’s a lot to be said for doodling and taking notes, ’cause if I hadn’t the Camaro wouldn’t be here today.”

“My son and I were on eBay having a look for our next project. It had to be a ’68 Camaro, and a big block. Not keen on a rebuild we searched for a turnkey beast. The advert said this one had a fresh engine and was in show condition, even if the pictures were a bit blurry.”

“That was it. The ‘buy now’ button was pressed. I asked for the seller’s number to talk with him. After a few hours we were talking and the seller, David, insisted on a 50% deposit as us Kiwis are apparently time wasters. I was placed on hold while he answered a call or two, and that turned out to be my saviour.”

After wiring across the 50% deposit, Rick decided he’d head to the States and pick the car up in person rather than sending a transporter as he’d said he would to David. Just six days later he was standing in front of the given pick up address dumbfounded. All that lay in front of him was a derelict house, with no one nearby knowing the seller and the house having sat empty for years. (more…)

Clarke Hopkins’s Torana blurs the line between show car and race car, but that doesn’t mean it’s all show and no go.

One of the driving factors (excuse the pun) behind car modification is that we are all looking for different things from our vehicles.

For some, the ultimate goal is for a car to be as fast as possible in a straight line. Others aim to turn as many heads as possible, while a select few attempt to defy the laws of physics by raising or lower their cars as much as possible.

Clarke Hopkins, however, was torn. As a result, he built a race car. He’s also ended up with a show car. It’s just that in Clarke’s case, both cars are in the one package.

Right Time, Right Place (more…)

Holden’s ute is celebrating its 60th anniversary and to mark the occasion the Thunder Ute is back for the Aussie market.

This new VE Series II take on the once popular ute looks sharp with some cosmetic additions and is set to go on sale across Australia from next week.

The new Thunder Ute will be available in SV6 and SS trim with plenty of extra kit included. Special features in both models include 19-inch alloy wheels, satellite navigation, leather seat bolsters and special-edition Thunder badging inside and out.

“It is a really bold, tough looking ute which we think will appeal to many of our traditional sports ute buyers,” Holden Australia Executive Director of Sales, Marketing and Aftersales John Elsworth said.

In terms of powertrains there is no additional grunt over the standard models with Thunder ute offered with Holden’s 210kW/350Nm 3.6 litre SIDI petrol V6 and 270kW/530Nm 6.0 litre petrol V8. (more…)

When the Pontiac brand was killed off in the States so was the Holden Commodore, but at that time financially desperate General Motors had no idea of the following that the Commodore/Pontiac G8 really had.

Now, after serious demand, the Commodore will likely return to the U.S market badged as a Chevrolet SS sedan. There is also a chance that the Commodore’s ute and wagon form will also be sold in the states, but they remain unapproved at this stage. The Commodore ute would likely receive the El Camino moniker and the long back car would keep the SportWagon name.

If the Commodores do make it to the States in Chevy trim it won’t likely be until early 2013 as GM is waiting for the next-generation “VF” Commodore to be developed by Holden. GM will be most interested in performance models for the American market so expect Holden’s exports to be mainly V8 powered. (more…)

We don’t see too many Chevrolet Camaro Convertible SS models here in NZ, in fact, we don’t see any at all. But if we did, it looks like a machine that most of us would totally enjoy. Over in the States it’s a different scene and for some the standard Camaro SS doesn’t quite pack the punch they desire.

When that’s the case, aftermarket tuners Hennessey is there to help out and to prove it, the company has just unveiled the first example of its HPE600 Camaro Convertible, complete with a walloping 602 horsepower. That’s a solid whack and a full 172 ponies more than the most powerful production example with the extra grunt coming from a TVS2300 supercharger and host of other upgrades designed to help the big V8 breathe a little easier.

Hennessey don’t just quit after the engine upgrades either and have done some serious work on the Camaro’s suspension. Buyers who opt for the muscle-bound droptop can expect to find a KW adjustable coilover suspension and wider 20-inch wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres.

In terms of performance Hennessey says that the topless beast can get to 100kph per hour in just 3.9 seconds and can cover the quarter mile run in 12 seconds flat. This isn’t some hairdresser’s car.

To see the HPE600 Camaro drop-top in action check out the video below. (more…)

Many of us spend hours fantasising about our dream car.Harley Douglas went and did something about it.

Harley Douglas knew exactly what he wanted in his dream car. “It had to be a ’68 Camaro SS, and it had to have all the Bs: black, blown and big blocked,” he says. Although that’s not quite what he ended up with, the Camaro he bought went close enough to satisfy his needs.

“It wasn’t supercharged,” Harley says, “but it ticked all the other boxes and was a great base to work with; the nitrous system helped, too.”

At the time of purchase, Harley was living and working in the UK, as he had been for 10 years, but finally he was due to come home and realise his big block dreams. “The closest I had come to a V8 In the UK was the odd trip down to Santa Pod dragway to watch the Euro finals. I missed my hobby immensely, so I was very glad to finally be able to shop for a car and come home.” (more…)