The Camaro’s skin required...
The Camaro’s skin required no bodywork whatsoever. All the body panels, glass, and trim were in perfect shape, and only the bumpers have been replaced. Fabrication work was limited to the installation of a Detroit Speed and Engineering mini-tub kit.
In a car that was built under such severe time constraints, you’d expect a package that’s no frills and all business. Wrong. Surprisingly, the 48 Hour Camaro not only trounces the competition on the track, but it boasts a full list of luxuries that makes driving it to and from those events as comfortable as possible. The interior features Recaro seats, a Vintage Air A/C system, an iPod hookup, carbon-fiber gauge pods, and trick-looking billet window cranks. To cut down on road noise and installation time, the entire cabin has been lined with a Dynamat kit that comes in precut sections. For a car that was built on such an abbreviated schedule, the attention to detail is simply superb.
As if completing the 48 Hour Camaro two hours ahead of schedule wasn’t impressive enough, Bret figures the crew could have finished 10 hours sooner if they didn’t document everything on camera. Despite that delay, it’s hard to imagine someone building a car that can even come close to the 48 Hour Camaro in overall execution in a shorter duration of build time. Considering that it’s possible to build a car like this in 48 hours, there’s really no excuse for projects that drag out for months or years and never get finished. It’s a car that makes us all feel like slackers, so perhaps we should all bust out the wrenches and get to work.
Not long after the 48 Hour Camaro hit the road, the automotive industry suffered the loss of Todd Gartshore of Baer Brakes, who was the earliest supporter of the project. A man who was loved and respected by everyone in the industry, Todd has been a fixture in the aftermarket since the early ’80s, working for companies such as Quickor Engineering, CarTech, HKS, and Vortech. Alongside Hal Baer, Todd cofounded Baer Brakes in 1994 and served as the company’s vice president of marketing until his sudden death on June 26. We offer our sincere condolences to Todd’s family and friends.
One of the most affable people in the business, Todd was instrumental in bringing countless high-caliber projects to fruition. Coincidentally, the 48 Hour Camaro was the last big project Todd participated in. “Todd’s been an integral part of several cars we’ve built here at RideTech. One reason I’m not very well versed on braking systems is because whenever I needed help with anything, I just gave Todd a call,” Bret Voelkel says. “He was the first person we talked to about the project, and the first one to commit his time to come to our shop to help out. Within three minutes of talking to him about this car, he had a game plan lined out and parts on the way. His passing is a huge loss on a personal level to everyone at RideTech.”
" “This car has exceeded all my expectations. We’ve run the heck out of it already, and it even gets 20 mpg.” —Bret Voelkel
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Instead of working for two...
Instead of working for two days straight, RideTech conceived a much more practical schedule of 16-hour work shifts, spread over three days, from May 16-18. Despite the demands of the filming schedule, the crew finished two hours ahead of schedule.
Suspending each corner of...
Suspending each corner of the 48 Hour Camaro is RideTech’s new triple-adjustable coilover system. In addition to offering rebound adjustment, both the low- and high-speed valving can be tweaked on the compression. According to RideTech, this allows isolating the ride quality tuning from high-speed handling adjustments.
First-gen Camaros are usually...
First-gen Camaros are usually limited to 235mm-wide front tires, but RideTech has solved that problem with its new TruTurn suspension system. It includes a revised spindle design, relocated drag link and tie rods, and new steering arms. In addition to providing clearance for 275mm-wide tires, the TruTurn system minimizes bumpsteer to .050 inch through the full 5 inches of suspension travel.