Lately we've had a real run on incredible, freshly-constructed Pro-Touring Camaros coming through the shop with virtually zero miles on them. First it was a killer silver '67, then a beautiful Viper Red '69, and now this absolutely stunning '71, which started as a real Z27 SS car. With only 62 miles since it was completed, consider it a brand-new vehicle, one that will accelerate, brake, and corner with the best of today's high-performance machinery, all wrapped in that timeless Gen-2 Camaro sheet-metal.

Boasting a trendy long-hood/short-deck profile, the Gen-2 Camaro had a protruding front end with a recessed egg-crate grille. Between the headlights and grille, RS models carried smaller round parking lights. Doors were unusually long, and, despite the lack of quarter windows, overall glass area grew by 10 percent. A smooth, low tail held a Kamm-style flat rear panel. Dimensions were little changed—just two inches longer, a tad wider, an inch lower, on the same 108-inch wheelbase as before.

None of that is lost on this modern take on muscle car performance. Everything that makes the Gen-2 Camaros so great-looking is still here, only magnified. The first thing you notice when you approach this car is the incredible paint and bodywork. Reflecting top-quality work, the body on this car was shaved, smoothed, and polished until it was flawless, then covered in a spectacular 3-tone paint scheme. Once the graphics were dry, it was all buried under several coats of clear and buffed to perfection. This is a show-car caliber paint job, and it's only a matter of time before this car wins a "best paint" award at a show. People see it in the shop and stop dead to marvel at it—it really is that nice.

Of course, that paint is only part of the equation. It also features dark tinted windows all around, a cowl-induction hood, shaved emblems, marker lights and door handles, and that low, mean stance. The Billet Specialties Fast Lane wheels accentuate the car's lines and put a modern footprint on the ground, with 17x8s up front and 18x10s out back, all wrapped in BFGoodrich G-Force T/A KDW tires. If you want to sneak around unnoticed, don't buy this car.

As for engineering, this car has the hardware to put modern supercars to shame, and that's the essence of the Pro-Touring movement. The engine is a balanced and blueprinted 454 Chevy V8 bored .030" over and stuffed full of goodies like a Comp Camps camshaft and pushrods, Total Seal piston rings, and Speed Pro pistons hanging on a factory 427 crank. It features a set of 781 GM oval port heads with stainless valves actuated by Scorpion roller rockers. Keeping it all lubricated is a high volume oil pump with a 7-quart oil pan. It's all topped with an Edelbrock Airgap intake and Holley HP carburetor fed by a MagnaFuel pressure control unit. If you glance under that carburetor, you'll also see the ZEX 200 horsepower nitrous oxide injection system that features a Jacobs Nitrous Mastermind controller mounted in the cockpit, just in case the car isn't scary fast enough for you without the giggle gas. An MSD ignition system lights the fires. The engine is bathed in more of the Sunset Orange Metallic paint that matches the upper portions of the body, and it's all dressed in polished and brushed aluminum, stainless, and chrome for a drop-dead show-car look. Engine bling includes the Billet Specialties accessory drive system with a polished remote power steering fluid reservoir. Dig the way the A/C and heater lines are routed out of sight for a super-sanitary look.

Real Pro-Touring cars don't use automatics, so that engine is backed by a durable Tremec TKO 600 5-speed manual transmission and tough Centerforce clutch. These heavy-duty gearboxes are some of the nicest-shifting transmissions on the market today, and this one is more than up to the challenge of the big block's power. Line this car up against anybody, from kids in noisy imports to a Ferrari F430, slot the beefy shifter into gear, and rev the engine. When it's time to go, dump the clutch and hammer the throttle. Go ahead, grab second, then third, without lifting, and listen to the tires bark as the guy next to you watches those four round Camaro taillights get smaller and smaller in the distance. By the time you're in fourth, you're going so fast they'll need aircraft to catch you. Do not underestimate this car's abilities.

Underneath, you'll not only find a highly detailed show chassis, but a very functional one as well. Up front, there's an Air Ride suspension system with tubular control arms and a fat anti-roll bar. In back, a slide link traction system augments the stock leaf spring suspension and solid rear axle, and again, there's another large anti-roll bar for cornering stability. Braking is handled by SSBC Force 10 vented and slotted rotors with aluminum two-piston calipers up front, single-piston units in back. And while you're under there, you'll probably notice the stainless steel gas tank, braided stainless fuel lines, and ceramic coated exhaust system, too.

Use the remote key fob to pop open the doors and inside, you'll find an awesome black interior with a few modern tricks to enhance the Pro-Touring look. It's a darkly sinister place to do business, which is wholly appropriate for this land-based missile. The leather racing seats feature 5-point harnesses from G-Force for both driver and passenger, secured to a cross bar on the 4-point roll hoop that is removable for rear seat access. There are trick Autometer gauges in a Corvan instrument panel insert, while Vintage Air handles the climate control. A traditional-looking shifter pokes out of the stock console, which still shows the original 4-speed shift pattern. Finally, there's a high-end DVD/audio system with components from JVC and a Rockford Fosgate amp mounted in the fully upholstered trunk.
And for all-day comfort, the entire interior has been lined with Dynamat to control noise and heat.

There's a ton of documentation included with this car in a 3-inch thick binder filled with receipts and instruction manuals for all the various components on the car. If you need a detailed road map to all the pieces that went into this build, it's included here.

Look at again at the photos of this car and then call us. There's just no way anyone could duplicate this machine for the asking price, which is often the case with these over-the-top builds. This car has not been driven or shown yet, so it's primed to take some trophies home at the next show. And with all that horsepower, a 5-speed manual, and maybe a shot of nitrous, you'll be grinning like a mental patient every time you get behind the wheel. Isn't that what these cars are supposed to do?