Sizzling Wheels chosen a 1981 Chevrolet Camaro as a finalist in the 2023 Legends Tour, and the judging panel’s selection makes plenty of sense. Extensively modified, this one-off convertible appears to be like just about like a life-sized Sizzling Wheels automobile thanks largely to a custom-made physique.
Michael Scire of Myrtle Seashore, South Carolina, introduced his Camaro to the Legends Tour’s cease in Atlanta, Georgia. He bought the automobile when he was 15 years outdated and spent about 18 years turning it right into a one-of-a-kind roadster with the assistance of a buddy and his father. Whereas all tasks require an amazing quantity of labor, Scire’s was tougher than most as a result of he suffered a backbone harm throughout the construct.
As an alternative of falling by the wayside, Scire pressed on. He created a particular new entrance finish characterised by a giant grille, spherical headlights, and open entrance wheels. There aren’t any doorways, so the passengers want to leap in. The massive pods on both facet home the mirrors, and the again finish options six spherical lights on both facet of a center-mounted gas filler door. Nothing means that this inexperienced roadster relies on a Camaro. It is shorter than a regular-production Camaro, too: Scire explains he shortened the donor automobile by roughly 18 inches to suit the physique.
The inside acquired a full makeover full with a three-spoke steering wheel, an instrument cluster from a more recent automobile, a extra modern-looking gear selector, and a Pioneer head unit. Scire additionally added specially-made seats to alleviate stress from his backbone.
Energy comes from a hand-built, 350-cubic-inch (5.7-liter) V8. It is a part of the favored Small Block household of engines, so it is comparatively straightforward to tune, and it exhales by means of a custom-made exhaust system with side-mounted shops. Scire stored the Camaro’s computerized transmission. Sizzling Wheels hasn’t launched efficiency specs, however we’re betting this roadster is significantly sooner than an unmodified 1981 Camaro.
Scire’s Camaro already appears to be like prefer it was beamed from the Sizzling Wheels catalog; is that sufficient for it to win the 2023 Legends Tour? We’ll know in November, when the automobile participates in one of many two semifinal rounds. To hitch the model’s catalog of 1/64-scale automobiles, it might want to fend off competitors from a rising checklist of semifinalists that features a turbodiesel-powered 2015 Chevrolet Colorado rock crawler.
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