Those among you who’ve always had a sweet spot for third-gen Camaros, the kind Chevy built for the 1982-1992 model years, are probably having a brilliant start of the year. Hoonigan is still putting the finishing touches on their SEMA-debuting Camaro Z/28 and now that we’re in the middle of Sick Week 2022, another Gen III ‘Maro is taking America by storm: welcome to the Uncle Sam Camaro.
While the Hoonigan Z/28 is a hyper-polished build done with Chevrolet Performance, using the latter’s ZZ632 10.4L N/A Big Block V8 crate engine, Uncle Sam comes from Indiana-based Mid America Kustoms. More importantly, the red, white, and blue Chevy Camaro, which also sports a big block, bets on the twin-turbo card for all-out drag strip numbers, while still retaining the street car status.
What are the specs of the Uncle Sam Third-Gen Chevrolet Camaro?
The Uncle Sam Camaro is also a Big Block bruiser, packing a GM 427ci (7.0L) unit, which, as mentioned above, slings a pair of Forced Performance 8082 billet turbos.
As shop leader Nick Taylor, who is manhandling Uncle Sam at the ongoing Sick Week 2022 drive and race even over in Florida, explains in the second clip below (lens tip tp 1320video), the list of tech goodies present on the slab of GM is rich. For one, we’re looking at high-flow cylinder heads, Holley electronic fuel injection with an Atom tune, a custom torque converter for the unnamed tranny, along with a wheelie bar that’s not at its first rodeo.
The Indiana shop handled quite a lot of fabrication work required to get the project rolling, a fast-paced process that kept the crew working around the clock to finish the vehicle in time for Sick Week. And, following heavy snowfall that reportedly turned Uncle Sam’s drive to the event into a 12-hour mayhem on back roads—it was supposed to be a 5-hour journey—the team’s efforts paid out.
On its first official Sick Week run, which took place on February 7 at the Bradenton Motorsports Park, the Camaro delivered a 7.195s quarter-mile run at 194.35 mph (312.9 km/h).
So, this is a six-second car currently impersonating as a 7s machine—in the Instagram post below, you’ll see Nick doing a slightly better job in the 1/4-mile, with a time of 7.10s and a trap speed of 195 mph (313.95 km/h). The adventure was delivered yesterday at the Gainesville Raceway, as it was the case with the 1,000+ hp Turtle Miata’s spin-start race.
Speaking of power, the Hoonigan build’s all-motor nature means it packs 1,000 horsepower and while the max muscle number of Uncle Sam remains unknown, its quarter-mile numbers mean such a Camaro should deliver at least double that output. Apple to Orange comparo over.
That’s an in-car view (remember to always wear your fire-proof gloves while racing, kids!), the first YouTube clip below delivers an exterior view of this Camaro’s fury—the footage comes from the channel of Sick Week organizer Tom Bayley, whose striving-for-a-5s-run 1969 Camaro “Sick Seconds” we’ve already covered.
Everybody has a goal for these ludicrous days of February and here’s to hoping we get to see these amazing mechanical beasts please their masters, along with the audience.
Update: The Uncle Sam Camaro is now into the sixes, with the run being shown in the Insta post at the bottom of the story (helmet tip to kcoxphoto for the footage).
