There are a few things we can count on each year at the SEMA Show: monorail cars with attendees packed like sardines, being exhausted by the second day, and a car debut from the Roadster Shop that will have people talking all week. It was SEMA 2016 in Las Vegas where the Roadster Shop debuted the 1969 Camaro they call “Inferno”—a project three years in the making.
John Wilcus approached the Roadster Shop to build his Camaro into a show-stopping machine with custom bodywork, supercar power, and the road-holding capability of a modern sports car. The ultimate goal for the Roadster Shop was to distill the essence of the 1969 Camaro and remove the trappings of mass production. It’s the same sort of philosophy applied to street rods and customs, but unlike a lace-painted custom or fairground-cruising street rod, this car had to bring plenty of performance potential to respect the Camaro’s road-race heritage. The Roadster Shop has developed a number of different chassis upgrades for all manner of cars, and Camaros are right in the company’s wheelhouse. The build began with one of the Roadster Shop’s Fast Track IRS chassis that uses proprietary suspension geometry based around C6 Corvette spindles and a Strange 9-inch IRS centersection with 3.90:1 gears and a Wave-Trac limited-slip differential. The full-length frame replaces the factory front and rear subframes, bolting into the car after the factory rear rails are removed and the floorpan is notched for clearance.
Inferno was among the first to receive a Chevrolet Performance LT1 engine. Texas Speed & Performance used it as the foundation for a 416ci stroker built with 12:1 compression using Mahle pistons. The stroker short-block was topped with the LT1 heads after they were given a thorough CNC porting. LS engines have a reputation for leaving the factory with conservative camshafts, and the Gen V LT-series of small-blocks are no different. Even at 6.2L, LT1s can pick up serious power with additional cam duration, but add 10 percent more displacement along with extra intake and exhaust airflow, and a bigger cam is a must. Texas Speed & Performance stabbed in one of its custom-ground LT1 cams to better match the new 416ci V8, and the Roadster Shop fabricated a dual 3-inch exhaust that begins at a set of headers with 1-7/8-inch primaries and ends at custom-machined tips.
While the engine was being assembled, the Roadster Shop team was immersed in extensive bodywork. John’s 1969 Camaro proved to be a clean donor, with solid sheetmetal except for one quarter-panel that was replaced with a stamping from Auto Medal Direct. Once the car was stripped and repaired, it was a blank canvas for all manner of fabrication, from old-fashioned metal shaping to CNC machining and cutting. Much of the car’s modified bodywork was handbuilt from scratch, including the valence, hood, cowl, rockers, tailpanel, and spoiler. The bodywork was carried out by a team led by Alan Palmer, who also sprayed the PPG Volcano Yellow paint that was a factory color for McLaren in 2015. One of the major styling changes took place in the roof and rear window, where the Roadster Shop team planned to incorporate recesses similar to a sixth-generation Camaro. A new roof skin was fabricated and a new window opening was mocked up to make a plug for a new rear window with the intention of carrying the roof recesses into the glass. After a lot of trial and error, that plan was abandoned and the solution appeared just down the road from the Roadster Shop. Piper Plastics had the tools needed to mold an acrylic rear window that matched the contour perfectly and mounted flush with the C-pillars.
With its custom four-wheel independent suspension and 500-plus wheel horsepower, this Camaro is now tearing up tracks in the Chicago area and competing in Goodguys racing events. John plans to keep it up each year as long as the snow is at bay.
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