GTcarz - Automotive forums for cars & trucks. - ’69 Camaro

Sometimes you’ll hear us preach brand loyalty to your car’s drivetrain. Even if a super-clean GTO totally captivates our attention at a show, our admiration often ends in a hurry if we spot a Chevy motor under the hood. But there’s an exception to the rule. When a car crafter puts together such an unconventional marriage of body and engine that we can’t stop smiling when we look it over. It’s like Tony Bennett fronting Iron Maiden—both are heroes to their respective audiences, but the combination sounds pretty goofy. But if Bennett could play the part, look the look, and learn the lyrics, he just might do OK, provided you didn’t expect him to sound anything like Bruce Dickinson.

So, if you can, forget everything you know about ’69 Camaros, and have a look at Ron Evans’ green machine. Appreciate the mile-deep paint and the countless hours of work spent reviving a cancerous Midwest first-gen patient to show quality. Notice how appropriate the modern 16-inch Boyd’s wheels look against the car’s 33-year-old steel flanks and Baldwin-Motion style rear spoiler. A closer look at the chassis reveals a Dana 60 rear, four-wheel Wilwood discs, and 3-inch exhaust—serious equipment for a street car. A twist of the wrist and you’re treated to the unmistakable bellow of a big-cube motor.

Pop the hood. We dare ya. See, Ron’s built himself a 509ci Cadillac motor. It’s no longer in ’70 Eldorado tune, though. A mild performance build has the 509 pushing 500 hp, and a pavement-buckling 625 lb-ft of torque. The torque peaks at 2,500 rpm. Yes, it develops 625 lb-ft at 2,500 rpm. Hence the dire need for the Dana rear.

Admit it; before you knew this Camaro was Cadillac-powered, it was probably pretty close to your vision of the ultimate ’69. And since the Cad motor’s more than capable of dealing with most street-driven big-blocks, Ron’s ’69 runs as well as it looks. The Cadillac heritage adds uniqueness and a quirky charm to a platform that’s become borderline cliché. And it sure works better than a lounge singer’s rendition of “Aces High.”