Epic 1971 Chevrolet Camaro Restomod Is a Bespoke Wonder, Hides Killer Engine Under Hood

These cars were nicknamed “Super Huggers”, because of their increased handling and grip, as opposed to their predecessor.

For the 1971 model year, Chevy bestowed only minor styling changes on the Camaro, both inside and out, although plenty of engine modifications were carried out as GM wanted them to run on lower-octane, regular-leaded or unleaded gasoline. Horsepower figures started to drop and, well, you know the rest of the story.

With that in mind, we’ve just gotten reacquainted with a hell of a cheat code as far as second-gen Camaros are concerned. Prepare to be astounded.

This 1971 Camaro has been modified beyond belief, earning the nickname ‘Split Decision’. This also happens to be an award-winning car, earning the Goodguys Builder’s Choice Award back in 2019. And yes, it’s been on sale before.

Let's revisit the visuals: You’re looking at a metallic blue exterior with matte silver accents (stripe, tail panel, rocker panels), a custom hood and front splitter, a late model ZL1-style integrated grille, recessed split bumpers, flared wheel arches, shaved door handles, billet 1969 Camaro-style taillights, custom headlights, quad exhausts, and a set of staggered Boze Forged Clutch wheels with 275/35/18 tires out front and 345/30/19 ones at the rear.

The car also packs a custom suspension setup with tubular control arms, a Detroit Speed subframe, large sway bar, power-assisted rack and pinion steering, adjustable JRI coilovers, Wilwood calipers and more.

The interior is mighty special too, with custom bolstered bucket seats, a Vintage Air climate control system, custom center console, Lokar shifter (for the Nicholls Performance 4L80E four-speed auto gearbox), power windows, a custom rear package tray with Hertz speakers, a Pioneer touchscreen infotainment system, and a three-spoke Billet Specialties steering wheel.

Enough chatter, right? I know you’re just dying to learn about the engine and as promised (in the title), it was worth the wait.

We’re dealing with a custom 6.2-liter LS3 V8 unit with a shaved TSP Hi-Ram intake manifold, Comp Cams camshaft, air-to-air intercooler, custom valve covers, an aluminum radiator with dual electric fans, and... wait for it, dual Precision Turbo 62 mm turbochargers. That’s right, this baby is twin-turbocharged and not to be messed with.

As for how much power it’s putting down, last we heard it was 681 horsepower and 578 lb-ft of torque, which is obviously way more than your run-of-the-mill 6.2L LS3 crate engine can muster when stock, specifically 430 hp. Frankly, I'm a little surprised this isn't some 1,000 horsepower monster, but nearly 700 should do the trick just fine.