1979 Camaro Z28 With 755 HP LT5 Is Our Kind of Restomod
Roadster Shop’s 1979 Camaro Z28 is a ‘Survivor Series’ model that combines the best new gear with undeniable vintage style.
Restomods are all the rage these days, and for good reason – after all, who doesn’t enjoy a classically-styling vintage automobile that’s packing serious reliable heat under the hood, coupled with modern amenities and ride/handling characteristics? In that realm, however, some tend to take things too far, changing up the exterior styling of a classic far too much and ruining what makes it special in the first place. That isn’t the case with this gorgeous 1979 Camaro Z28 built by the folks at Roadster Shop and featured in this video from AutotopiaLA, however.
Best known for the modernized chassis setups that it offers – which make it incredibly simple to update vintage vehicles in that regard – Roadster Shop went all out with this 1979 Camaro Z28 build that’s part of its “Survivor Series” range. That means that it isn’t some wild, heavily customized show build, but rather, something that doesn’t cost an absolutely fortune, nor is it so perfect that the new owner is scared to actually drive it and use it.
In this case, the owner of this 1979 Camaro Z28 insisted on LT5 power, which required a bit of work to make fit under the car’s hood. After a little bit of digital scanning and fabrication, Roadster Shop was able to make a custom version of the Z28’s hood scoop that’s tall enough to shoehorn that modern supercharged powerplant in the engine bay without looking out of place. As for the powerplant itself, it’s making 750 horsepower right out of the box, which is plenty for its new owner, and it’s mated to a Tremec T56 manual gearbox, too.
As one might imagine, this isn’t just a second-gen Camaro with an engine swap – there are also plenty of upgraded mechanicals underneath, too. Those include big Baer brakes to help slow it down, which are mated with a full blown Roadster Shop SPEC chassis that transforms the way it handles and feels out on the road, which is pretty much a straight bolt-in and doesn’t require any sort of body modifications. What it does offer is the ability to fit some fat 345-series tires in the rear, however.
In spite of these mechanical upgrades, we must say, the interior of this 1979 Camaro Z28 is a masterpiece on its own accord. There, one will find a cabin that looks somewhat vintage, but features loads of modern updates such as digital instrumentation, a 7-inch screen for controlling things like the audio and HVAC system, and supple baby blue leather covering just about everything. Overall, it’s about as perfect as restomods get in our opinion, as well as a build that will quite simply never go out of style.
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