These days, the restomod game is stronger than ever. And while many builds focus on the exterior, with their cabins coming in second, this 1969 Chevy Chevelle does things the other way around. After all, it would be quite difficult to come up with an exterior makeover that could rival the exuberance of the modern Camaro interior swap this classic muscle car features.
As you approach this ’69 Chevelle, the iconic silhouette of the machine, which is now covered in a gloddy shade of black, awaits you higher than you’d expect. That’s the result of the Chevrolet being fitted with super-sized wheels supplied by Forgiato. For one, the rear units come in a 22×12-inch size, while sporting 8-inch lips, which makes the modern disc brakes appear quite small.
Add the contemporary hardware occupying the retro headlight clusters, with the halo rings, and you’ll reach the end of the clues towards the Chevelle’s reinvented nature—if you’re looking for a more thorough transformation, perhaps Trans Am Worldwide’s Gen VI Camaro-based 1970 Chevelle SS retromod will float your boat…
Black Chevelle on the outside, red Camaro on the inside
The serious tint on the windows keeps the cabin away from prying eyes. However, open the door and you’ll find a dashboard borrowed from the Gen V Camaro, the one Chevy built between 2009 and 2015. Details include custom analog gauges, along with a bespoke central infotainment screen, a custom shifter for the automatic tranny and a Billet Specialties steering wheel.
The front seats appear to come from the current Gen VI Camaro, while the entire cabin is dripping in red. Now, the extensive use of a single shade might be an opinion splitter—it’s not just the dash, seats and the carpets, but also the suede headliner and even the ambient LED lighting.
Of course, the firepower was also upgraded, with the machine featuring a meaty LS swap. To be more precise, the Chevelle is now animated by a 5.7L V8 featuring a Stage Two cam setup, a Magnaflow exhaust and other goodies.
It’s worth noting that the Camaro influence has been with this second-gen Chevelle since the beginning. You see, when GM redesigned the hardtop coupe iteration for the 1968 model year, the OG Camaro, which had debuted just a year before, served as inspiration. And perhaps the most prominent shared feature is the semi-fastback roof line.
Returning to this ’69 example, the Camaro interior swap was done by South-Carolina-based Rico Montgomery (aka Stitched by Slick). And if the name sounds familiar, it could be thanks to the C8 Corvette cabin he placed inside a 1992 Camaro, a build the specialist completed for his wife Takeila.
