GMP 1969 Chevrolet

So, what do you do when you’ve got one heck of a cool mold set of a ’69 Camaro — a Trans­Am one, at that — and you’re looking to push the tin? Well, if you’re GMP, you get a little creative, maybe bring in a customizer or two, and then grab a big name aftermarket manufacturer — like Billet Specialties, for example — to round out a new take on a neat package.

In the case of GMP’s "Street Fighter" Camaro, that recipe has resulted in a slick, beautifully built model with a ton of retro­modern flavor and a taste of modern bling. The Camaro’s basic shape — augmented by widened rear fender wells, a tall trunk spoiler, and a cowl­induction hood — has been hit with a bucket of basic badass black offset with a red stripe and not­so­discreet "572" badges at the prow. Rolling on Billet Specialties’ SLC85s (as per the GMP web site) the build and polish of the thing are awesome (even more so, once it’s been waxed and buffed a bit) and the shut lines of the doors, trunk, and lift­off hood are dead­on even. Like the hood on the ’68 "Drag Camaro" we saw a couple months ago, that hood’s been deco’d with faux Dzus fasteners all around its edge.

The overall look of the car echoes the work being done by Chip Foose, Will Castro and other artists who balance modern motive themes with old-school muscle. I’m not a fan of bling, but the combination — even for a guy like me — looks pretty danged tough, given the model’s slammed stance, wide haunches, and to­die­for paint job.

Motor wise, it’s that hellacious GMP­favorite crate 572 pushing up the ponies. Wired and piped to a good, if not utterly complete, degree, the red and silver of the engine proper, and the anodized/plated/metallized go-fast hardware hanging all around, set the tone for this tourer’s mountainous amount of twist. My favorite bit is the photoetch radiator face; at the right angle, it reflects back the engine’s front. The assembly is top shelf, and even though the spark plug leads run below the headers, I think the model actually looks better with the hood off than on while on display.

The cabin features a billet tiller from the aforementioned aftermarket supplier, as well as cast and painted custom race seats with red fabric safety harnesses installed. The back bench has been tossed, and a bottle of squeeze bolted to the hump joins the fire can strapped to the rear bulkhead. Aside from that, two­tined gray and black door panels are the only decoration. Caged, gauged, and stripped of any creature comforts, this cabin’s all about the thrills, not the frills.

It took a minute or two, but this one has grown on me. Like I said, bangin’ bling rims aren’t my thing. But when a model car makes a statement — as this one certainly does — I have to admire the effort. I’d be kicking back with a grin if I had a monster like this in my garage; I’m knocked out by the brakes on display behind the open architecture of the wheels, the two­into­one­into­two exhaust system slung beneath, and that black and red paint scheme. The fact that it’s a high­end, high­quality piece only adds to the model’s visual heft and its desirability.

Did I say that GMP was creative? Man, I’m starting to think they’re geniuses.