Written by independent automotive journalist Roger C. Johnson

Known as the “Velocity Camaro,” this 1968 custom will be crossing the Barrett-Jackson Northeast auction block at No Reserve.

The exterior design of Chevrolet’s original Camaro has evolved full circle. Today’s version is really a modern 1969. Yet some say it was the smoother, more pure lines of the 1968 Camaro that was the real trendsetter of style for sleek pony cars during that era. Even the Mustang of the same year couldn’t match the Camaro’s slippery fuselage profile. The suspension whizzes at RideTech thought so, too ‒ that’s why they were determined to create this utterly timeless 1968 Pro-Touring Camaro, call sign “Velocity.”

This beautiful and beastly machine has everything anyone would want when it comes to an ultra-high-performance road car. Completed in 2008, the Velocity Camaro made its presence known and felt throughout the industry the moment it appeared on the scene ‒ and has been featured numerous times in the enthusiast’s publications, as well as videos and national advertising campaigns for Vintage Air, Goodguys and VISA. This made-to-be-driven Camaro already had some street and racetrack action, and was recently updated, refined and freshly tuned, so the car is virtually brand-new all over again.

The classic Camaro here began its new life as a rust- and damage-free California car. It has been treated to 4,000 man-hours of talent in order to bring it to the state of perfection you see here today. This world-class machine was conceived with the performance capability to challenge any car in any circumstance.

This Camaro’s original Pro-Touring suspension system has been improved upon even more, thanks to No-Limit Engineering, with triple adjustable RideTech shocks and No-Limit Sniper front independent suspension components, along with a full-floating rear torque arm at the Ford 9-inch housing. This one’s packing 3.70 gears designed to keep the 6.2-liter 630-horsepower LSX engine playful and responsive. A Tremec T56 Magnum 6-speed manual transmission will help you to personally direct all this forward motion with ease, precision and authority.

A Baer brake setup was applied to all corners, which utilizes 13-inch diameter rotors with six-piston calipers up front and 12-inch rotors out back with four-piston calipers. The parking brake is incorporated into the rear units. The Velocity Camaro rolls on 18-inch Forgeline wheels and BFGoodrich rubber. Look how the car’s wheel wells so perfectly engulf that rolling stock. Its stance is indescribable. You just have to look at it and let the image sink in.

The new owner of this beauty will experience custom black leather Cerullo seats, a reimagined and hand-formed dash with console, and a Racepak digital-data display screen. Power steering, brakes and windows, as well as a complete Vintage Air system, all combine to give this 50-year-old machine a contemporary look and feel while immersing you in automotive history at the same time.

Further tribute to this Camaro’s wonderfully timeless exterior design is the fact it was left pretty much as-is throughout this fantastic build. Many people feel the standard exposed headlights on the ’68 version provided the smoother and more integrated-looking front end, as compared to the concealed light arrangement of the RS option that was supposed to be even cooler-looking.

Out back, not even a decklid spoiler is in sight. The car’s flowing lines are already perfect to the eye. Flush-mounted glass everywhere makes the look almost too good to be true. Notice those hood and trunk stripes. They are not just painted on ‒ they were actually painted around with Velocity Orange, leaving bare metal stripes protected by clear coat. The hand-formed front spoiler is for extra stability at higher speeds, and those air intakes help keep the front brake temperatures down.

The Velocity Camaro is a well-proven, one-of-a-kind road car that represents the American automotive performance industry at the highest level. The morphing of past, present and future technologies has always been part of the hot-rodder’s creed. Imagine 50 years from now when your grandchildren discover they can buy a compact anti-matter engine from Summit Racing that will bolt right in your Camaro. That’s why it always pays to have a well-engineered classic car to begin with. You just never know how many generations of your family will insist on driving it.

For up-to-date information on this vehicle, click HERE. For a look at all the vehicles on the 2019 Northeast Auction preview docket (with more cars being added daily), click HERE.