If Dom Toretto were a Chevy guy, he’d probably be driving this Camaro. The “murdered-out” flat black ’67 is the product of more than six years of work. While the owner spared no attention to detail, this land beast takes the understated approach, rather than slathering on the candy paint and chrome.
Behind the car’s all-business RS grill — which is surrounded by some of the ‘67’s only brightwork — is a 6.2 liter LSA crate engine capable of producing 550+ horsepower and lb-ft of torque. Even as practically the entire automotive universe has transitioned to overhead cam designs, the LS soldiers on, power-dense and compact.
Making the Family Proud
While it might not be the first-ever flat black ’67 Camaro, this LSA-equipped car is a fitting tribute to the first year of Chevy’s entry into the pony car wars. Before the road-racer Z28 was launched in 1968, a car with the combination Rally Sport (RS) and Super Sport (SS) packages was the most desirable offering in the proverbial stable.
With its low-profile grill and pop-up headlights, this LSA car has the looks, and there’s no shortage of power to back it up. A small-block V8 is exactly the power plant that would have come in the RS/SS car, granted it would have been a few hundred ponies short of this particular specimen. Perhaps the addition of a racing stripe or two could give it some period-correct character and set it apart from other matte black cars.
Putting all that muscle to the ground is one of the muscle-car world’s proven manual transmissions, the Tremec T-56 Magnum. You’ll be glad to learn that even with its tubbed-out chassis and low-profile tires, Ridetech level 2 air suspension keeps the Camaro from riding too harshly.
It’s been half a century since the first Camaros and Mustangs rolled off production lots to do battle in the Boulevard Gran-Prix. Shiny new cars are nice, but every once in a while, you need something like this flat-black monster to remind you where your roots are.
Author: Scott Huntington