Drivetrain
The Ju 87, or Stuka, was an early dive-bomber imbued with distinguishing characteristics. It carried two Luftwaffe snots, its wings were gull-shaped, and its fixed landing gear was fitted with sirens designed to unnerve the eventual recipients as the Stuka made its rapid decent. It has been said that once you heard a plunging Ju 87, you never forgot its hellish wail. Even the bombs it carried adapted the scare-the-crap-outta-you sirens. This is our fantasy. Bret's '68 Camaro, while designed as a dive-bomber of more benign ethos, has no connection to the Stuka other than its prebent order for the annihilation of road-bound chumps. Bret replaced the Stovebolt 6 with a World Products Warhawk 427ci all-alloy LS7X engine dyno-proven at 614 hp, which screams in a different way, but screams nonetheless. No less than 575 lb-ft of pavement-rippling torque is full-on at 5,700 rpm. An MSD throttle body sits squarely on the Edelbrock intake manifold, and a John Meaney Big Stuff 3 sequential EFI colludes with MSD coil packs. A Rick's Hot Rod Shop stainless steel tank using a submerged Aeromotive fuel pump and filters pushes pump 93 through Earls 650 Proflex plumbing. Bret thought long about making the exhaust headers unique and brought his idea to neighboring Dynatech, who reciprocated with monstrous 2-inch primary pipe headers, obviously prototyped on the Velocity 427 (12-degree valve-angle cylinder heads). Dynatech plumbed the system through 3-inch-diameter pipes. ART finished off the piece with Vintage Air's Frontrunner accessory drive. Since this was a total high-tech rendition, Bret eschewed the presumed clutch transmission and amended the gear with CompuShift electronics directing the Bowler 4L60E overdrive transmission fastened securely to a Bowler tubular crossmember package. Ancillary help is in the form of an Earl's engine oil and transmission fluid cooler. Torque ropes copiously down a carbon driveshaft from Precision Shaft Technologies to a Ford 9-inch with 3.70:1 gears, a Detroit Locker, and 31-spline Moser axles. Engine cooling, breathing, and inspection fall to a custom-machined ART radiator cap, breather caps, oil cap, and oil and transmission dipstick caps. At the forefront of all this mechanical finesse is the essential Afco LS1 double-pass aluminum core.
Superstructure
What, you expected something ordinary and usual under here? Ol' Bret applied all his magic to Velocity's chassis, beginning with a complete Street Challenge ART air suspension package. Components up front are founded on Ridetech tall spindles, StrongArm tubular control arms, dual-action ShockWaves, Musclebars, and a PosiLink antisway bar, as well as billet tie rod adjusters. The rear combination uses the AirBar and dual-action ShockWaves. The back tires are large to say the least, and to make sure they'd be able to rock and roll without swiping any of the sheetmetal, ART tunneled them in Detroit Speed mini-tubs. Air control, and therefore the stance, are the province of ART's 4100-series AirPod with the LevelPro sensors. Like the highly maneuverable Stuka, the Camaro jukes with a 12.7:1 Detroit Speed steering box joined with a Turn One power steering pump.