The Record-Seeking 2016 Camaro that Steve Built
It was "supposed" to be a daily driver. 1,400hp and a lot of R&D later, it's still getting faster!
The Funny Idea
Steve owns a motorsports shop. Steve likes cars. Steve is known for the road annihilators he builds. And then one day Steve builds a Camaro. (See where we're going, yet?) Steve's Mooresville, North Carolina shop is renowned for the stuff he does, so when he sets out to make something happen, it's usually bound to happen. But how do you exactly "MAKE" the fastest sixth-gen Camaro?
[All photos courtesy of Super Chevy]
The 1,238hp Daily Driver
"It was supposed to be a daily driver," confesses Steve. "It was our first sixth-gen Camaro build...we feel like we went a bit wild, right off the bat." (A "BIT" wild, Steve?) Clearly, the man is insane (but the good kind)! The car is supposed to be stock, and it's aiming to be the fastest stock sixth-gen Camaro in the world! Currently, Steve is in third. (Third, in this case, happens to still be deadly fast!) But how do you get 1,238hp out of a "daily driver?" Something doesn't add up here...
>>Join the conversation about the not-so-stock Camaro that Steve built right here in LS1tech.com.
A "Stock" Camaro
8.8 seconds at 157mph is far from stock - miles from it, in fact. But the distinctions between this monster Mustang mutilator and a "racecar" happen to be fuzzier than you may have thought. That G1Pro air-to-water intake popping out of the hood - stock. The seamless integration of the Haltech ECU with the car's onboard logic systems - stock. ProCharger compressor (sucking that v-belt all the way up the face of the engine block) - still stock. Dry shot of nitrous oxide - Wait! What???
>>Join the conversation about the not-so-stock Camaro that Steve built right here in LS1tech.com.
Not-So-Stock Camaro
Yessir! A 50hp dry-shot, compensated for by an array of auxiliary port injectors because, although the LT1's direct injection system can support 600hp, that was only half of the Camaro's "target" number. Eight 1,300cc injectors supplement the LT1 injection system from Injector Dynamics. The stock fuel pump now feeds a surge tank, producing 30% higher volume without the "load" of the high-pressure fuel system hindering it. Dual Walbro pumps currently supply the greedy LT1 with all the E85 she can drink, for a total capacity of 900 liters per hour. Steve claims all of this is enough to send him screaming down the road, in quarter-mile intervals, at wide-open-throttle - without starving for fuel at all.
>>Join the conversation about the not-so-stock Camaro that Steve built right here in LS1tech.com.
Wrath of the Shepherd's Staff
By now, it's blatantly clear that this is no ordinary Camaro. Steve can run low-1.3-second 60-foot times, a credit he attributes to the induction cooling. According to Super Chevy, intake temperatures are below-ambient outside temperature, pre-burnout; after a hard pull, it's still just 20° F warmer. All that goes into this, as you've noticed, is nowhere near what you could call a "stock" Camaro. But the distinction is in the details. The '16 Camaro, as ravenous as it is, uses a stock LT1 crank; it has a full interior (with both front seats); it runs on pump gas - the intake ports are only 2% larger than factory. That 8.8-second run at 157mph didn't happen overnight. "We've pushed the limits of the car a lot... it's been a real test of engineering," says the owner, Eric, who took an entire season to get everything dialed in.
>>Join the conversation about the not-so-stock Camaro that Steve built right here in LS1tech.com.
The Balancing Act
The cornerstone of the entire build rests upon its ability to remain as stock as possible. Although that's a debatable topic as you stare into the engine bay, it becomes easier to reason with as you step around the door, and have a look at the interior; it's completely intact. All the trim, carpet, factory accessories, and even the air conditioning are all functional. Deviate as it may from propriety in the streets, the ride inside never felt better. Until you turn around and look behind you...
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A Dose of Reality
It's hard to forget what you're sliding into, as you position your body into the firm Corbeau racing seat. There can be little doubt that you're harnessing your body to a flat-out machine as you secure each of the four buckles into the clasp of the five-point harness. It may be a little bit more of a hassle than sliding the shoulder harness over your torso like a traditional "sports" car, but this is no ordinary sports car.
>>Join the conversation about the not-so-stock Camaro that Steve built right here in LS1tech.com.
Nothing Untampered
By now, the association with this car and a "stock" Camaro should be crystal-clear, albeit nothing alike. Still, the efforts to seamlessly blend performance with a factory Camaro are not for naught; the car happily finds a comfortable place between road driver and race hammer. Half of me almost wants to call it a "sleeper," although that wouldn't be entirely correct.
>>Join the conversation about the not-so-stock Camaro that Steve built right here in LS1tech.com.
The Next Phase
The car is just fast, and it's as simple as that. It's been a massive undertaking, and the team shows no signs of letting off the competition. A key element of the Camaro moving forward will be the development of the transmission; they aren't ruling out bigger blowers and higher compression ratios, either. Will it be enough to push this "stock" Camaro above all the rest? I guess we'll just have to wait and see, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't look promising!
>>Join the conversation about the not-so-stock Camaro that Steve built right here in LS1tech.com.
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