LS7-Powered 1969 Camaro SS Pace Car Restomod Will Steal Your Heart
Classic 1969 Camaro looks original, drives like a modern supercar.
The video above comes to us from The Drive YouTube channel and it features an original 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible Pace Car that has received the full restomod treatment. Matthew Figliola, owner and founder of the automotive customization studio AI Design in Metro New York, gives us a full tour of the car, touching on all of the unique items that went into creating a historic muscle car that runs, drives and feels like a modern supercar.
The Introduction
The video begins with Figliola introducing himself, his shop and the project at hand. That project is, of course, the white-and-orange 1969 Camaro SS Convertible Pace Car shown here, which came to AI Design after having been subject to a poor-quality restomod reconstruction. The current owner gave Figliola and his team a list of demands and they went to work transforming this first generation Chevy muscle car into a modern masterpiece.
Inside, outside, under the car and under the hood, this 1969 Camaro SS has been fully upgraded while maintaining the classic look of this legendary pace car package.
Modern Performance
Like all good restomod projects, the heart of this 1969 Camaro SS is under the hood. Powering this beautiful beast is a built LS7 from Mast Motorsports, worked to 650 horsepower and 560 lb-ft of torque thanks in part to a custom air intake setup and a set of Detroit Speed headers. AI Design added a flat firewall and a unique engine cover that was modified with parts crafted on a 3D printer.
The power from the built LS7 travels through a 6-speed manual transmission controlled by a Ring Brothers custom shifter to big, fat rear tires. The shop performed a mini-tub to this classic Chevy, making room for the 335-millimeter wide Toyo Proxies mounted on the American Racing 18-inch wheels.
The owner didn’t just want a straight-line machine or a dyno warrior, so the shop installed complete front and rear suspension setups from Detroit Speed. As a result, this car handles like a modern sports car without compromising ride quality, giving the owner the best of both worlds when he hits the open road. Figliola goes so far as to state that the difference between the stock setup and the current setup is so different that there is truly no comparing the two, pointing out that the new suspension components yield a ride that is tight, safe and confident on the road.
Classic Design, Modernized
The owner wanted to retain the classic look of his 1969 Camaro SS Convertible Pace Car, but he wanted some changes to bring about a more modern feel inside and out.
The exterior is nearly identical to stock, with a few simple exceptions. As pointed out, this car rides on modern 18-inch wheels, but the owner also had the shop swap to an LED-style taillight design as well as an exhaust setup that vents through the lower valance. Every other aspect of the exterior looks original.
On the inside, this Camaro retains the original look, but it does so with all new components. Replacing the original orange-and-houndstooth-clad seats is a set of modified buckets from the Cadillac CTS.
AI Design reworked the seat-back to create a continuous one-piece seat that feels as great as it looks. Next, the entire dashboard and center shift column were created from scratch, maintaining the basic shape of the original while introducing new classic-look gauges, switches, the shifter and the custom sound system featuring a Pioneer head unit and JL Audio subwoofers.
Finally, the team finished the trunk with custom carpeted panels and custom billet hinges from the Ring Brothers.
It’s a sweet ride, and, if cost were no concern, would quickly jump to the top of our shortlist of dream rides. How do you feel about this revived restomod Camaro?
Join the LS1tech forums today!
