It takes a lot to raise our eyebrows at a first-generation Camaro. We’re not haters of the pony car icon, we’re just a little burned out, ok? That makes this car all the more special. Because it’s not only a first-gen-‘er, it’s a 1969 model–the most done, then re-done Camaro on the planet. Yet, against all odds, we looked, and then couldn’t stop looking.
The team at Detroit Speed, Inc. did it again. They created a car the bridges the gap between timeless Chevy muscle and late-model elegance, and does it in a way that would have the most expensive and sophisticated autobahn missiles green with envy.
The latest creation from the suspension-specialists-turned-hot-rod-house is called Tux. Built for Stuart Adams, the team was given three words and one guiding statement to inspire the build. The words were, “1969, Performance, and Eloquent,” and Adams’ words of wisdom were “Build a Camaro like you’ve always wanted.”
The project began with a green 1969 Camaro powered by Chevy’s debatably-worst small-block engine ever, a lowly 307 backed by a Powerglide transmission–truly the essence of slow. It was accented, according to Tucker, by the “ugliest hubcaps you could pick as an option.” However, despite its laundry list of colors, smells, and weirdo options, it was a survivor car that hadn’t been modified and was in need of–if not deserving of– a high caliber build.
Adams did a few burnouts and made a few dragstrip passes at Mooresville dragstrip before the car was towed back to Detroit Speed headquarters and torn down.
The car was disassembled to its smallest bits and reborn from the ashes with styling nods and mechanical updates pulled from Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, and even–Ford. Countless hours were spent with hammer, dolly, and welder modifying just about every body panel, beginning with a hand-fabricated sheetmetal floor and transmission tunnel to hold the T56 transmission. The ironwork continued on to a belly pan, rocker panels with integrated jacking posts, then outward to the front and rear spoilers and bumpers, narrowed and peaked to fit the body lines. When the team ran out of things to smooth and perfect by hand, they let the digitized touch of a CNC machine hog out custom bezels for headlights, taillights, and many other aesthetic interior bits. When the relentless reshaping and bodywork was finished, the car was sprayed in flawless PPG Black paint.
What you can see of the car is breathtaking. What you can’t see, even more so. The car’s roofline is a sleek 47 inches, which in itself doesn’t seem that impossible. However, Detroit Speed doesn’t build cars that don’t handle. With that short of a ride height, full suspension travel was still obligatory. Suddenly, that 47 inches sounds borderline subterranean. This meant, many, many changes were made to the body, such as reshaping the rear window glass and mechanicals to accommodate the larger, raised inner fenders which, of course, were hand made. An easier solution would have been fixing the window in place, but easy is– well–too easy, and that was quickly ruled out.
The level of fanatical attention to detail even carries into the most minute aspects of the car, such as the fasteners which are all custom, polished,stainless steel by ARP. Hundreds of custom bolts were made to keep a consistent look to the car. The trim is also 100 percent custom handmade, of course. Unlike the slip-together brightwork of a factory Camaro, which blends aluminum, stainless, and chrome, TUX has a continuous cladding of one-piece chrome trim, built by Detroit Speed and dipped by Advanced Plating. The drip rails bolt on to the car, and the windshield is framed with one-piece fabricated aluminum trim.
Aesthetically it’s unreal, but function is what really elevates this Camaro beyond resto-mod normalcy. Close the door and BMW power door pull latches clamp down, sealing the weatherstripping like a Swiss vault. The car is awash in bespoke engineering and hand-crafted subtlety, and the theme continues under hood.
The engine is a supercharged, LS–keep reading it gets better–built by Kurt Urban Performance that’s been treated to a masterful vintage-‘ification. It’s not so much playing the “new-dressed-as old” card as it is gently nudging onlookers to imagine what if the first gen Camaro never faded out. What sort of orange and chrome clad muscle mill would be under the hood if it was still rolling off assembly lines today? It would look like this.
Polished fasteners and stainless accents continue to abound while the engine is framed by custom headers built in-house. Again, what draws the eye is just as impressive as what doesn’t. Hidden hood hinges tucked behind a false firewall gently lift and lower the hood while a machined air intake routes air to the engine, its subtle, factory-esque appearance not detracting from the engines’ palpable draw.
Building a pony car to go toe-to-toe with the best of Bavaria requires performance hardware as equally jaw-dropping as the car’s curb appeal. Up front is a Detroit Speed sub-frame with hydro-formed rails, while the back was treated to a Quadra-link suspension system with a 9-inch–style rear end. Braking is handled by Baer mono-block 6R calipers clamping giant, 15-inch rotors. Rolling stock consists of custom Forgeline wheels measuring 19×10-inches front and 20×12-inches in the rear. Michelin Pilot Sport rubber with shaved sidewalls measures 275mm wide in the front and a massive 335mm in the rear.
The next-level experience continues on the inside as well. A one-off center console is flanked by Porsche grab handles and a custom interior by M&M Hot Rod interiors incorporates Recaro seats, Classic Instruments gauges and roll-cage wrapped seamlessly throughout.
The car has racked up a series of wins already, including a Goodguys 2018 Street Machine of the Year award, Street Rodders’ Triple Crown, a Battle of the Builders trophy, and most recently, a Masters of Motors Best Appearing award. All the trophies, fanfare, and turned heads are a mounting pile of evidence that there are new ways, ideas, and executions to prolong the coolness of the unsinkable ’69 Camaro. Tux is proof positive.
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