Although still active on the custom car scene, Chip Foose seems to presently be less visible than he was a couple of decades ago, despite the still recent success of the Overhaulin’ show. Even so, every time a car connected to the man pops up people start paying attention.Coincidentally, a couple of decades ago was when the show was born, but also when the car series this 1969 Chevrolet Camaro is part of came to be.
Back in 2005, during a Goodguys event in Columbus, Ohio, Foose and Unique Performance presented the first model in a limited series of modified Camaros, whose build was documented on another show called Rides.
The car you’re looking at here is part of that series, a wonderful piece of American engineering that has barely been driven since it was completed: its odometer shows only 324 miles (521 km) of use.
A blend of orange with Pewter accents on most of the body, black-grey on the scooped hood and trunk lid, and chrome on the 18-inch wheels of Foose provenance, the Camaro looks like everything true enthusiasts need to get their blood flowing.
The exterior, still classic in terms of lines, has been updated with the inclusion of orange bumpers that seem to melt into the body, chrome mirrors to shine new light on the muscle car’s beautiful stance, and discreet exhaust tips to either side of the imposing behind.
Open the doors and you’re hit by sport seats drowned in leather, just like the door panels. A Lecarra steering wheel sits in front of the driver’s seat, and behind that a set of Autometer gauges can be seen. The center of the dashboard is where an LCD screen has been installed, and from behind the front seats the shape of a four-point roll bar makes its presence felt.
The car is powered by a monstrous 572ci Chevrolet big block engine, tuned to develop 620 horsepower. The unit is tied to a 5-speed manual transmission, and sends its power to the ground by means of a 9-inch Positraction differential. Stopping power is supplied by Wilwood hardware installed on all four corners of the car.