Mid-engined conversions for muscle cars are all the rage these days. And this 1992 Chevrolet Camaro follows the recipe, albeit with a little twist. The ‘Maro keeps its front-engined layout, but borrows the full interior from a C8 Corvette!
This seems to be the first C8 interior swap out there, but, looking past that, there are many reasons why it’s a big deal. 1980s icons like the third-gen Camaro are awesome, marking the start of what we call the modern classic era these days.
Alas, the memorable exteriors of such American machines were matched with somewhat vague-looking interiors. And this transformation doesn’t just fix that by introducing a new car cabin. That’s because the C8 features an avant-garde cabin.
Given that the engine sits behind the occupants in the current ‘Vette, the designers could take advantage of the lower cowl. So they created a dash that’s as low and thin as possible. And since the midship layout gives the Chevy halo car a supercar aroma, the dynamic, driver-centric design adds to the said setup.
It all fits and works perfectly
Returning to this 1992 Camaro, everything inside the vehicle seems to fit perfectly. Heck, our car guy brains still get a bit confused when zooming in on the cabin and noticing the obvious third-gen Camaro traits, such as the rear seats, which feature a center console, or the targa tops. By the way, the latter get their dedicated holder in the trunk.
Then there’s the fully functional nature of the project. All the quirky, tiny C8 buttons work. From the digital instrument cluster to the Apple CarPlay infotainment with custom graphics, the gearshift buttons controlling the automatic tranny, and the power front seats—it’s all at your fingertips.
The climate control buttons on the center console strip have been retired. But don’t expect this Camaro to leave things solely to the central touchscreen, as so many production cars do. Instead, there are three AC control knobs on the driver’s side of the center console.
A craftsman built this for his SO
GM built the third-gen Camaro between 1981 and 1992. And this example started life as a ’92 RS. That was the base model fitted with a V6, but the car came with the optional 302 ci (5L) V8. That engine is gone, though, having been replaced by an LS3, with the modern 376 ci (6.2L) V8 being here in N/A form. Still, the engine bay sports a clean look, while featuring rose gold details.
The said accent color is also used for the white exterior, albeit with the Maui Blue hue used for the interior leather and suede also being present on the outside. While we’re at it, we should also mention the 22-inch Forgiato wheels fitted to the car.
South-Carolina-based Rico Montgomery (aka Stiched by Slick) put this Camaro together for his wife Takeila. And while he showcases the new form of the Chevy in the first YouTube clip below, you can see her giving us a quick walkaround of the vehicle in its original shape via the second clip below.
The couple has given all sorts of nicknames to the machine. The driver seems to prefer Hilary Banks (a Prince of Bel-Air reference). As for the builder, he put the IROC-Z06 labeling on the doors, mixing the IROC-Z top dog version the Camaro offered back in the day with the Corvette’s Z06 derivative. Then there’s the Z28 trim mentioned on that custom infotainment—feel free to pick your favorite.
This is just the beginning of C8-borrowing builds
Smack dab in the middle of the 3rd-gen Camaro era, GM offered the mid-engined Pontiac Fiero. And while that is mostly regarded as a flop (poor reliability and performance), it continues to serve as the go-to basis for attention-grabbing builds like supercar/hypercar replicas.
Sure, the C8 has already established a stellar reputation, but this only means the aftermarket has to play in a totally different league when using the midship Chevy for standout projects. So you can expect this ’92 Camaro to be followed by waves of machines building on the mid-engined Corvette in all the possible ways.
