Back in the height of my James Bond fandom in the mid-2000s, I wrote my own fan fiction. I liked several of the original and continuation novels, but I believed that some of them could have been better. Looking back on my writing, I see it as my way of saying to those responsible for publishing 007 canon, “This is what you should’ve made.”
Ralph Sotello’s 1994 Chevrolet Grand Sport Camaro is his version of that wishful literature, except it’s written with gasoline and oil. The Bow Tie brand has only made Corvettes with the blue body and red hash marks that pay homage to Chevy’s 1960s factory racers. Sotello had an Oxnard, California shop cover his creation in PPG Medium Quartz Blue Metallic, then finish it off with the familiar crimson stripes.
A stroked LT1 under the hood helps this GS lay down a couple of more stripes on the asphalt – those made out of Z-rated 245/50 Sumitomo rubber. Thanks in part to a 12:1 compression ratio, the V8 pumps out 520 hp and 510 lb-ft of torque. Here’s the big twist: the F-Body still manages to get “22-24 miles per gallon and is 100 percent emissions legal-even passing the California Republic sniffer test.”
To make sure the 4L60E transmission lasts long enough to get him to such an examination and back, Sotello had it fortified with stronger clutches, bearings and valve bodies. He put 3.42 slant gears and limited-slip hardware in the rear diff with his own hands.
For such an unknown (and unofficial) chapter in General Motors’ history, this Grand Sport Camaro sure is an interesting read. Too bad GM decided not to publish it.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
