Barely Driven: Chevrolet Camaro Intimidator SS Leaves Us Wanting More
For the dictionary’s definition of “badass,” there should just be a picture of the Dale Earnhardt Sr. developed Camaro Intimidator SS.
The Camaro Intimidator SS ticks so many boxes as a collector car that when we saw one for sale on Bring a Trailer we stopped dead and stared. There may be a million fourth-generation Camaro’s out there, but there’s only 85 in existence with the Dale Earnhardt Sr. developed Intimidator package. Each model sold was supposed to have been signed by the legendary race car driver, however, only 33 actually have his personal signature on the dashboard due to his untimely death in 2001. This is not one of those 33 examples, but it doesn’t make the car any less fascinating.
The Camaro Intimidator SS was conceived with the noblest of intentions. It was designed and built to show its rear-end to any late-model Roush Mustang it came across. The story goes that Earnhardt Sr. and his crew would stay late at their workshop to work on their own cars. Across the street, the Roush guys were doing the same and Earnhardt Sr.’s son, Kerry Earnhardt, would joke about how mean those Mustangs looked as they drove by. Of course, that pushed Earnhardt Sr.’s button and he decided to build something to let those Mustangs know what’s really up.
The story does go a bit deeper than that for Earnhardt Sr. as his son just lit a fuse that had been waiting for a spark. Earnhardt Sr. had owned a Chevy dealership since 1986 and already aspired to tread in Don Yenko’s footsteps to make upgraded and limited edition Camaros. When Scott Settlemire from GM heard that Earnhardt was making plans, he put him in touch with Matt Murphy of GMMG Inc, a man with history and form modifying late-model Camaros. Between them, they came up with a late-model hot rod that had great road manners right up until the driver opened the taps and let it run riot.
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Looks-wise, Earnhardt Sr. insisted the Intimidator package had accurate styling cues of the first generation Camaro he worked on with his father when he was a teenager as well as references to the Trans-Am cars of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Power and sound wise, he got as much out of the LS1 as possible, including a healthy 381 horsepower.
The one we spotted for sale wasn’t ordered with the T-tops. The only other option was traction control and we don’t see it mentioned. With 3,200 miles on the clock, it’s deliciously well preserved with just the roof panel being repainted after the factory finish started bubbling. While the Camaro Intimidator SS was designed to get out on the road and embarrass Mustangs, we’re certainly pleased people have preserved them as the special piece of history they are.
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