When you hear the words Pro Street Camaro, one of the first images that may come to mind is a ’69 SS with 18-inch-wide slicks tucked into the rear quarter-panels, and a 6-71 supercharger peeking out from the hood. Back in the ’80s these were the kinds of cars that Casey Scranton of CGS Motorsports admired as a kid and inspired him and his dad, Ron, to build using a late-model Camaro body and drivetrain as the basis for their company’s project vehicle.
But before you start thinking that the Scrantons were crazy to cut up a perfectly good ’10 Camaro, you need to realize that these guys are serious about the cars they build. Their creative nature has earned them a shelf full of manufacturer’s design awards from Ford, GM, and Chrysler for past project cars they’ve built out of their shop in Chino, California.
Creating a Pro Street version of a ’10 Camaro wasn’t an easy task, but it started with a collaboration of the Scrantons’ ideas and knowledge, with the artistic design skills from automotive designer Luis Tanahara. Tanahara sketched the critical proportions and graphics that the CGS car should have, along with incorporating new aftermarket parts that would inspire other Camaro owners to use in their own vehicles. Once the final design was completed, the car was completely torn down, and the Scrantons had the task of putting the new theme to the body, chassis, and drivetrain.
For their effort and long hours of work, Casey and Ron had to create additional space on their shelf for yet another GM Design award, which was given to them at the 2010 SEMA show in Las Vegas. Not a bad result for what’s probably the only ’10 Pro Street Camaro in existence. While the CGS Camaro has the aggressive DNA from the Pro Street era, it’s great to see how enthusiasts like the Scrantons have the skill and talent to tap into the core of what really inspires Chevy enthusiasts; all in an effort to carry on a tradition of performance and speed.
Since all Pro Street street machines have a supercharged, high-performance engine, the LS powerplant was removed and taken to PPC Customs in Clovis, California. There, a series of upgrades were done, including the addition of a polished Whipple supercharger for added horsepower without major engine modifications. While the Whipple blower significantly pushes more air and fuel into the engine, PPC Customs decided it would be great to mimic the “choppy” idle that many Pro Street cars had back in the day. To do this, the original camshaft was replaced with a COMP Thumper camshaft, which works with modern engine management systems, and provides an idle that’s characteristic of a long-duration camshaft without sacrificing power or fuel efficiency. New COMP lifters and valvesprings were also added, as were ARP fasteners to secure it all in place. With the engine reassembled and generating in excess of 700 hp, a set of MSD ignition coils were added to increase the spark under the extra cylinder pressure, and a set of Hedman Hedders were used to expel the exhaust gases. Because there’s no off-the-shelf exhaust system for a Pro Street fifth-gen, it had to be fabricated from scratch. But for CGS, an exhaust manufacturer, it was probably one of the easier tasks of the entire project. In went a set of the company’s high-flow mufflers to decrease backpressure while delivering a menacing but without an overly obnoxious exhaust tone. The engine’s factory air intake was also replaced with CGS’ air intake system.
When it came to the suspension modifications, the Scrantons started by lowering the front of the vehicle with Eibach springs and added a Hotchkis strut tower brace to keep that portion of the unibody chassis rigid. At the rear, the factory axle was removed and large portions of the rear floor pan were cut away to make room for a Chris Alston’s Chassisworks Canted Billet four-bar suspension system and Fab9 rearend housing. Strange Engineering S/T Series axles were used along with a Strange ring-and-pinion centersection with a Detroit Locker. New upper and lower control arm braces were installed and a set of Chris Alston’s Chassisworks’ VariShock coilover and adjustable shocks are used to set the ride height and control the damping. With a new rear axle in place, the factory driveshaft was also upgraded to an aluminum single-piece shaft from ReelDriveline.com. The factory fuel tank also had to be replaced so the Scrantons had Devious Customs in Riverside fabricate an aluminum fuel tank to fit between the new framerails.
Once the Camaro’s rear was finally installed, Casey fabricated new wheelwell tubs to house a set of 405/25R24 Pirelli tires mounted on 24x15 Boyd polished aluminum wheels. The 15-inch-wide rubber fits with plenty of room to spare and tucks nicely under the factory fenders. To keep the ride consistent from front to rear, a set of 265/30R22 Pirellis are used on 22x8.5 Boyd wheels for the front, which gives the Camaro a low stance with a slight forward rake; an essential look for any Pro Street vehicle. Considering that the CGS Camaro has lots of horsepower and plenty of rubber to scoot it down the road in rapid time, the factory brake system could be easily overwhelmed. So a Baer Brakes 6S system was used and incorporates front and rear six-piston calipers with 15-inch diameter brake rotors to quickly stop the vehicle in any situation.
While yesteryears Pro Street cars typically had a gutted interior with a rollcage and racing seats, Casey decided the sporty yet plush factory seats should remain. But to enhance it further, he had them recovered with red leather to match the exterior graphics. Pecca Leather stitched up new upholstery to cover the front and rear bucket seats. Casey removed some of the padding on the rear seat so that it lays flush over the larger wheelwells that effectively conceal them from sight. The shift knob and steering wheel were also covered in matching leather and was stitched by DSV Customs who also covered the center console and trim around the dash and door panels.
The exterior of the Camaro had to retain the vehicle’s original lines, while still capturing the aggressive style of the Pro Street look. This was easily accomplished using an aftermarket cowl hood and front bumper from Advanced Composite Specialties. The hood features an aggressive cowl with a Corvette ZR1-style window in the center where the polished Whipple supercharger can be seen through the hood. A set of new side skirts, rear wing, and rear bumper diffuser also add to the Camaro’s modern approach to a Pro Street appearance. But it’s the factory black paint with red graphics that, although simplistic in design, dramatically draw out the lines of the vehicle and make it look incredibly clean and aggressive. Although the Camaro has a distinct theme to it, it doesn’t lose its modern identity and style. More importantly, unlike the Pro Street vehicles of the past that overheated, didn’t ride smooth, or were almost uncontrollable at high speeds, the CGS Camaro rides just like any other ’10 Camaro and probably has the same or more horsepower and stopping power than some of the most radical vehicles of the past. Advanced Composite Specialties supplied the hood, which features a cowl design with a Lexan window in the center to show off the polished Whipple supercharger. The rear diffuser, wing, and side skirts were manufactured by Innovative Vehicle Solutions and added to the CGS Camaro’s distinctive style.