Building a widebody 1969 Chevy Camaro is a sure way to get some attention. Not only does the model have a huge, loyal following, but they’re all dying to see some custom-fabricated wide wings, which is exactly what Born Vintage Hot Rods has done with this car, built for a guy named Josh Hodges.
There are many ways to customize a first-gen Camaro. Some keep it close to the original design, as was the case with Joe Rogan’s car, while others go full-crazy, like that widebody 67 Camaro with Lambo doors.
This 69 widebody Camaro is sure to have some critics, but the fabrication is top-class. Even though this just now popped up on AutotopiaLA’s radar, we’ve known about it for some time and remember seeing it in the all-metal, unpainted configuration some five years ago.
Big horsepower was one of the main requirements of this build. The Camaro uses a modern LS7 engine, built by ERL Performance, which uses a Magnuson supercharger to push air to the custom Trick Flow heads. She’s making 730 horsepower at the wheels, so about 800 hp at the crank. And with a 3-inch exhaust system, the Chevy sounds as crazy as it looks.
The engine bay features a lot of custom metal to make the LS7 feel comfortable, but it’s the hood that screams “new boy” as it’s got modern ZR1 vibes with that massive vent.
Widebody cars are pretty common, but you have to understand this Camaro is all-metal. Its new fenders were rolled out by hand, and even the chin spoiler or rear diffuser appears to be metal. From what we understand, the widebody adds exactly 2.5 inches to either side, while the wheels were brought up 2.5 inches. So it’s 5 inches wider and 5 inches lower than a normal 1969 Camaro.
A Detroit Speed front, witchcraft at the back
As you probably guessed, the car isn’t stock in the chassis department either. The Bakersfield shop used a complete Detroit Speed subframe with JRi coilovers up from. But the back end is even crazier, featuring 1:1 cantilever suspension in the trunk. How to AutotopiaLA always find muscle cars with onboard suspension?!
The wheels they went for were a set of staggered Forgeline CV3C wheels and Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires to match. These are a massive 19×12-inch with 345/35R19 at the back, which means the frame of the Camaro had to be much narrower. And, of course, no expensive build is complete without giant 14-inch Wilwood discs.