Garage-Built 427 Camaro SS Has a Stroked LS3 and Carbon Trim

Cosmetically, the build differs from a regular 1969 Camaro just enough to get your attention. It's got body-colored bumpers, large alloy wheels with fat tires, and a set of carbon fiber aero elements at the back.

But the first thing this review talks about is the engine, and for good reason. The "427 Camaro" designation makes you think of the COPO system. The Central Office Production Order was designed for non-standard orders such as police cars, taxis, or meter readers.

But some ambitious dealerships used this to install much larger engines in the Camaro that GM wouldn't normally allow. The most important was COPO 9561, which put the 427 cubic inch V8 into the engine bay. Those are pretty rare and hugely valuable, but we're not dealing with a blasphemous modified COPO here.

Instead, this is a modern LS3 crate motor that's been stroked to a 7.0-liter displacement. According to the owner, it makes about 630 horsepower. With a sports cam, it sounds just like one of those drag racing C6 Corvettes.

For the transmission, the T56 6-speed manual was installed. You can spot the custom suspension from a mile away because it's so much more modern than anything made in 1969. The first-gen Camaro is kind of a specialty of Speedtech Performance, and they sell everything from the front subframe with custom geometry to the spindles needed to match the 13.5-inch Wilwood brakes you see here.

While we didn't like the modern Dodge interior in that Cuda we just showed you, this Camaro has a nicer mix of old and new. The Recaro bucket seats tie in with the pro-touring theme, and you barely notice the 2016 Camaro center console.

Make no mistake; this is a very expensive build with top-shelf parts. But owner Rick did most of the work himself in his garage over four years. He's not a big talker, but you can tell this is a dream build for him. He's also had the 1967 model before and a couple of first-gen Camaros in high school.