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Images courtesy Roadster Shop
The 1970-1973 Camaro doesn’t get nearly as much love as it ought to, since it’s a potent performer and more available than its predecessor. The wise minds at Roadster Shop were aware of this potential when they began building what is arguably the most incredible second-gen ever to grace this planet. Going to the nines in every conceivable department, the Rampage Camaro embodies the insanity and high standards of Pro Touring - never before have I seen anything Camaro-shaped that is this remarkable.
Though some might assume this build started as something already spectacular, Rampage began this stage of life as a bare-bones ‘Maro. Tarnished but clean, a rust-free chassis served as the start. It’s hard to believe it would evolve into the streetable road racer it is today.
With the shell being prepped, Roadster Shop’s Jeremy pulled out the blue pencils and sketched a body shape that would make the purists cringe and the racers salivate. They wanted wide and extreme, and started thinking about fender flares that would resemble an ALMS racer and make it nigh-impossible to take it into a McDonald’s drive-thru. To continue on the bonafide racer theme and fit some incredibly fat tires, they went with onboard suspension and pricey Penske shocks. Incredibly, although the suspension is pretty trick and the body widened, it’s composed of all the components Roadster Shop use on their production cars.
Next, Roadster Shop built the floor, transmission tunnel and some of the narrowest tubs in existence. With the firewall smoothened and the gusseted cage in place, Rampage was starting to look like a genuine road racer. However, big tires are part of the package, and to house them properly, Roadster Shop crafted a set of massive overfenders to accommodate some gargantuan rubber and allow for enough suspension articulation. Plus, it had to be light, so they made them in carbon after pumping some one-to-one expanding polyurethane foam into the desired shape and having them 3D scanned.
At the back end, Roadster Shop fabbed up another set of widebody fenders and cut away at the tail end to set the foundation for a massive diffuser and similarly huge wing supports. Next, a little Ferrari-inspired style with a set of taillights reminiscent of the iconic F40, or perhaps the F355.
To feed the snarling V8 up front, they cut into their one-off carbon hood to feed two massive intake plenums. Thomson Racing Engines supplied the tuned LS7 that, on pump gas, produced an impressive 740 hp. The 427ci V8 was mounted 5 inches farther back in the chassis for improved weight distribution; it also boasts a Dailey dry sump system and a Harrop individual throttle-body cross-ram intake manifold.
With all the weight reduction and carbon goodies, they were able to trim a bit of heft from the big ol’ girl, but mass is mass and at 3,100 pounds dry, they’d need a sizable set of stoppers to bring this powerful Camaro to a rest quickly. For this purpose, they opted for a set of ducted Performance Friction Brakes - the kind occasionally used on Porsche Cup Cars.
Heading underneath Rampage, they wrapped the exhaust and applied some gold heat shield to the fuel cell. Between the gold reflectors, the tidy packaging and the cleanliness of it all, it’s hard not to salivate slightly when glimpsing this creation.
Just as tasty: the interior. A set of Recaro buckets, Sparco harnesses, a hydraulic handbrake, a custom dash with Road Atlanta’s track map etched onto it, a Motec dash and aluminum door skins leave nobody curious about this car’s purpose. It’s meant to be driven - though it does have miniature carpets and functional windows for a hint of civility.
With the GoPro livery and a set of gold wheels, there’s an undeniable mix of seventies SCCA racer and current track toy.
It’s been a SEMA sensation, but most importantly, it’s been used to turn some fairly frightening laps. Watch as Mike Skeen rifles through this beauty’s Jerico five-speed gearbox on and beyond the limit at Virginia International Raceway:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80fEH9femOs
I can’t imagine how nervous the owner was when handing this work of art over to a callous racing driver, but seeing as Skeen is an incredible talent with decades of experience, chances are Rampage would return in one piece. It would be the first set of hard laps this car would see and there would be plenty more in its future. After all, this machine is meant to drive and not just look pretty - though it does that well, too.
