Specialty File
From the August 2011 Issue of Car and Driver
We’re visiting an odd spot in the universe where level-headed civility doesn’t pertain. This is a dream destination where the unlikely is the norm and the preposterous is the rule. Here, the ride of choice is a vintage Chevy Camaro packing Corvette ZR1 speed and handling.
True believers call this sect of the car faith Pro Touring (PT). On the sacred tree of motoring, the PT branch thrives several limbs up from hot rods and a couple over from restomods. The essential ingredients are outrageous power, 1.0-g cornering and braking capabilities, and stock sheetmetal. The “Red Devil” Camaro constructed by GM engineer Mark Stielow is a PT track star masquerading as a street-legal F-body.
In case your subscription to Car Craft has expired: The ’69 Camaro is now and forever the most cherished muscle car ever made. This model year’s combination of classic beauty, tidy size, and ample underhood space makes it a favorite starting point for tuners and collectors. GM vice-president of global design Ed Welburn not only owns one, he all but cloned the ’69 Camaro to renew Chevy’s fight with the immortal Ford Mustang.
The Red Devil is No. 11 in a series of ’69 Camaros massaged by Stielow over the past 23 years. To the casual observer, it’s a survivor that rolled off a GM assembly line the year mankind made its giant leap to the moon. But don’t be fooled: This Camaro packs double the ammo provided by the General back in the day, along with the chassis fortifications needed to taunt the bluebloods from Stuttgart and Maranello.
Proving that he’s seriously hooked on speed, Stielow loaded the Devil’s engine bay with a sinful combination of LS7, LS9, and aftermarket power parts. His 7.0-liter Corvette Z06 block is topped with a ZR1’s cylinder heads, valvetrain, and supercharger. Inside, the best catalog parts money can buy are force-fed 12 psi of boost by an Eaton TVS supercharger spinning 30 percent faster than stock. A Tremec six-speed transmission sends an estimated 756 horsepower back to a 3.25:1, nine-inch solid axle fitted with a Truetrac limited-slip differential and located by a Detroit Speed suspension system. That same vendor also supplied the hydroformed subframe, the front suspension, rack-and-pinion steering gear, and coil-over dampers fitted at all four corners.
The surprise is how calmly the Red Devil behaves. The engine fires instantly and settles into a polite 750-rpm idle, temporarily suppressing its wild side. The clutch is light, progressive in its takeup, and easy to sync with the throttle for a composed creepaway. The pedals are ideally positioned for heel-and-toe footwork, and Stielow’s shifter knows the quick way through the fortified T-56 gearbox.
To dial in the steering to his liking, Stielow trial-fitted three rack-and-pinion units before settling on one with low friction and decent feedback. A similar procedure was used for tires. Testing on a Michigan race circuit, he trimmed precious seconds of lap time moving from BFGoodrich to Michelin radials before installing the final set of Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar G:2 rubber. These 18- and 19-inch run-flats team the standard Corvette Z06 sizes with next-generation construction.
