The customer gets what he wants. In this case, a comprehensively modernized and plenty performance-enhanced Camaro, in which no sheet was left on the other.
Michael Shields loves his 1969 Camaro. Nevertheless, the muscle car should be technically more modern and, above all, more powerful. He found the right partner for his dream in Sean Smith with his design studio and the Driven Speed Shop for the hardware adjustments. The Fenix-baptized Restomod-Camaro was presented in early February 2023 at the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, California.
Smith, who has already proven his design skills at Honda, Saleen and the restomod giants Ringbrothers, SpeedKore or Salvaggio Design and has also drawn cars for actor Kevin Hart or the "Fast and Furious" franchise, let himself be don't ask long. The Fenix was intended to retain the Camaro's original flair, but with more modern lines and plenty of modern technology.
Body cleaned, performance increased immensely
Smith drew a new apron with an integrated spoiler on the front of the Camaro. The standard headlights replace horizontal three-part LED lights that grip a new aluminum radiator grille. The rear is enhanced by a new apron with diffuser insert, newly designed 3D LED lights and a rear spoiler from the 3D printer. The rest of the body was freed from ventilation openings, cleaned extensively and trimmed to minimal gap dimensions. A total operation was decided on for the landing gear. A tubular steel chassis from the Roadster Shop Fast Track moves under the actually self-supporting body. The front axle was donated by a Corvette C7, the rigid rear axle works together with modern suspensions. A six-piston system from Baer guarantees plenty of braking power. 9x18 inch alloy wheels with 255/35 Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires at the front ensure full road contact. At the rear, 325/30 rollers rotate on 12x19 inch rims.
The latter face the rush of 1,196 hp, coming from a supercharged LS7 V8. The seven-litre eight-cylinder from Wegner Motorsports was tuned for performance. A reinforced six-speed Tremec T56 manual transmission from RPM Transmissions was used for power transmission.
The overall package is wrapped in a Liquid Champagne paint finish with satin black accents.
Bentley-style cockpit
The cockpit design is based on European sports car models. Smith packs a digital instrument cluster into the basic forms designed using a 3D printer. All other controls are bundled in the center console along with the multimedia display. Black and cream-colored leather upholstery ensure the luxurious ambience, and not just on the integral sports seats. The diamond quilting pays homage to Bentley. The seat belts were taken over solely from the original Camaro. And even those had to give way to new copies from the spare parts shelf.
Conclusion
Not much was left of the 1969 Camaro during Sean Smith's Fenix conversion. But this is exactly how client Michael Shields wanted his Camaro to be transformed. And who doesn't enjoy 1,200 hp under the hood?
