Super Chevy – September 2019

18 SUPER CHEVY SEPTEMBER^2019

One of the most notable aspects

of this build is the killer interior,

which has been executed to perfection

by Wayne and Pam McGriff of

M&M Hot Rod Interiors in Holly

Pond, Alabama.

“The hardest part of the vision was

the interior, so we gave somewhat free

rein to M&M. They nailed the interior

and the transitions from the custom

NASCAR seats to the Shelby-style

rollbar, and then DSE tied the top into

the interior with a custom tonneau

cover,” says Hardee.

The seats are custom pieces from

The Joie of Seating and are covered

in black leather, as is the rest of the

interior. Speedhut gauges and a Billet

Specialties Formula 14 steering wheel

feed the engine’s vitals and road feel

to the driver. Killer tunes on-demand

are provided via the Detroit Speed-

installed Rockford Fosgate digital

media receiver, Focal K2 front and

rear speakers, a pair of Focal amps, and

Focal subwoofers.

The car rolls on a set of—what else,

but custom—18x10 front and 18x

Forgeline Rebel Heritage series wheels,

which are covered in body-color PPG

White paint with a custom stripe and

wrapped in BFGoodrich Rival S tires

measuring 275/35R18 in the front and

335/30R18 in the rear.

The hood is a custom unit manu-

factured by Detroit Speed, and DSE

employees Michael Neighbors and

Austin Moore were tasked with ensur-

ing all of the body panels were straight

and true. Once the body panels were

perfect—including the custom door

handles, which Hardee says are “to die

for”—Neighbors tuned them up with

the PPG White pigment, then applied

the one-of-a-kind custom stripes to fin-

ish off the car’s exterior appearance.

Finally, the car was complete and

ready for the show circuit, where it

debuted in the DSE booth at SEMA

in 2018. It was selected to compete

in the Battle of the Builders, and

although it did not make the cut of

the final three cars in the competition,

the experience provided Craig with

memories of a lifetime. He says one of

the most memorable experiences of the

build was working with the people at

Detroit Speed & Engineering. “They

are artisans at what they do, and the

professionalism is second to none,”

sums up Hardee.

Ultimately, the four-year-plus build

has given the world a truly custom

Camaro convertible, which displays

some of the nicest craftsmanship

around. And in the process, given

Craig Hardee the Camaro he wanted,

with the Mustang lineage.

AN UNLIKELY MARRIAGE

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