1971 Ford Pantera, 1974 Nova, And 1969 Chevy Z28 Camaro - Under Construction

'71 Pantera
Domestic Blend
The DeTomaso Pantera story is a long one, but we'll give you the condensed version. Argentina-born Alejandro DeTomaso ventured to Italy to work on Maserati race cars and quickly found himself in the driver seat. That's where he got the inspiration to found his own company called DeTomaso Automobili in 1959.

He loved American V-8s and Italian mid-engine sports cars. This would prove to be a brilliant recipe. He went to GM and Ford to see if they had any interest in working with him on a car. Ford bit, so they went straight to work on the Pantera project, which went from design to production in eleven months, a time frame unheard of. DeTomaso ended up feeling like more of an employee than a partner, so he decided to sell his share to Ford in 1973. Through Ford's '74 downsizing, they sold the entire company to DeTomaso and he regained control.

The funny thing about the Pantera is that its history is very hard to trace. The numbering system was often misleading, making it really challenging for collectors to know exactly what they were getting. The upside of this was that all original cars weren't any more valuable than cleanly modified cars. This helped Gary Walker, owner of this '71 Pantera, to go ahead and let loose and modify without guilt. The car seemed to have been modified by Hall Pantera back in the '70s with a widened stance. This company would have been to Pantera as Yenko is to Camaro.

Gary didn't want this to be a simple buff-and-tune restoration. He stripped the car down and had it soda blasted. Unfortunately, this process didn't remove enough of the rust for Gary's taste, so he spent the next three months going over the car with a hobby-sized sand blaster.

The style of this car has a huge impact on its appeal, but so does the big American V-8 power under the back glass. He had Tim Meyer of Fairmount, Maryland, build him a de-stroked 351M. He has put a few 460s in, but their long dimensions forced the axles to be at a less-than-desirable angle.

Even with all the meticulous details and bare metal bodywork, this was meant to be a race car. Gary has been working on the project for three years now and is about to put the paint on and start assembly.

By The Numbers
1971 Ford Pantera
Gary Walker * Elberfeld, IN
494 hp and 534 lb-ft of torque

'74 Nova
First Time For Everything
When builder Bob Alford was only 8 years old, he spent much of his spare time helping his SoCal neighbor clean, polish, and wax his '29 Model T Roadster. After staring point-blank at old-school sheetmetal for six more years, Bob was ready to get into the business. When he was 14, he got his first job prepping cars for paintwork at the local body shop. It wasn't a glamorous job, but it helped get him where he is today.

He moved from the hustle and bustle of Southern California and made his way across the country. He ultimately landed in Orlando, Florida, where his current shop and family reside. Now 58 years old, he's got quite a client base and always has more work than he and his three employees can handle in their 11,000-square-foot shop. The shop is appropriately called Pro Street Customs, not because they are all drag-inspired cars, but because their projects can all live on the street. He builds a little of everything and doesn't claim to specialize in any particular car or style build. Most of his clients are bringing him muscle cars with plans for big straight-line or cornering performance.

Neil Thomas of Orlando, has been growing his plumbing business over the years and wanted to reward himself with a new, old car. He didn't need it to be brutally fast, but comfortable, and easy to drive. This was his first venture in the custom car world, and he wanted to do it right. When Neil brought this '74 Nova to Pro Street Customs, it didn't need a lot of bodywork, but he requested a new paintjob anyway. This was good news for Bob because painting is his specialty and he's got his own paint booth. Neil wanted a retro look with the reliability of a modern-day car, so Bob gave it a nice clean paintjob and a GMPP ZZ4 crate motor. These engines are known for their ready-to-go power and factory warranty, which is nice for the casual cruiser. Neil plans to visit all the car shows he can to show off his new Nova. Proud owner Neil already carries pictures of the car's progress in his wallet.

By The Numbers
1974 Nova
Neil Thomas * Orlando, FL
400 hp

'69 Camaro Z28
No Resto
Chris Gibbs of Oak View, California, had been whining to his wife for years about wanting a '69 Camaro. The repetition got to her and she told Chris to go find one. He searched the classifieds in the newspaper, browsed though eBay auctions, and posted on the automotive forums looking for the '69 Camaro of his dreams. He finally found one that was in the midst of a frame-off restoration. He thought this was a great opportunity because he wanted to take it completely apart anyway; here someone had done half the work for him. Since this car was all matching-numbers and the owner had the build sheet, it was worth going over the car with a fine-tooth comb.

After the car came home, in hundreds of pieces, he saw the restoration job being done was not up to par with what he had in mind. He took the car and its pieces to JCG Restoration and Customs of Ventura County, California. JCG is well-known for their work on first-generation Camaros, so Chris knew he went to the right place. He wanted to restore the car but give it a little more performance in the engine, suspension, and braking categories. The main focus was to be able to do this without cutting anything, allowing him to return it to stock if need be. While hanging out at the shop, Chris got a ride in another customer's Camaro that had a lot of modifications, much more surgery than Chris originally planned for. Instead of installing the 406ci small-block Chevy and a five-speed, Chris wanted to take a closer look at an LS7 motor. He wanted his Camaro to outperform this other customer's car. Chris decided it would be better to build it how he wanted, not the restoration that proper society expected of an all-original car. The chopping started in the rear by adding mini-tubs and stretching the quarter-panels 2 inches on each side to fit 345mm tires. The interior wasn't left alone either. It's getting a custom dash and '05 GTO seats to go with the modern feel.

It's inevitable that people will give Chris a really hard time about chopping up a fresh '69 Z28. What's important is to have a car you enjoy driving, not one you're trying to protect from the world of modification and mileage.

By The Numbers
1969 Z28 Camaro
Chris Gibbs, 45 * Oak View, CA