Velocity at Barrett Jackson

Velocity at Barrett Jackson

No, this is not a dream. The car you have been drooling over is now going to Barret Jackson to be auctioned off at Scottsdale on January 22, 2011 (lot #1278).

The Velocity Camaro has been RideTech’s premier car for the past two years and has been featured in numerious magazines and car shows. The car is equiped with the most powerful aftermarket parts and has undergone much hand crafted body work. Now is your chance to own one of the most popular musclar cars on the street.

The Build-Up
This car started off as an incredibly straight survivor car. The six cylinder has been replaced by a new LS2 engine that is dyno proven for 650HP.

It has a set of newly developed 2″ tube headers from Dynatech and the just released Front Runner drive system from Vintage Air. The fuel, ignition, and transmission electronics are controlled by a Big Stuff 3 EFI system and MSD electronic ignition.

The transmission is a ZF 6 Speed .

The wheels are a 3 piece “classic” series from CCW in a 18×11 with a 6.75 backspace on the rear and a 18×8 with a 5.5” backspace on the front. The tires are 335/30-18 on the rear and 245/40-18 on the front.

Bear supplied the disc brake system consisting of 13” diameter rotors and 6 piston calipers on the front and a 12” rotor with a 4 piston caliper and an internal park brake on the rear. The rear axle is a 9” Ford with a 3:70 gear.

Controlling this beast will be a IDIDIT Column connected to a 12.7:1 steering box from Detroit Speed. The complete wiring system was supplied by American Autowire.

On the interior there is a RacePak IQ3 dash, custom Cerullo Seats, Detroit Speed 7 speed wiper system and a complete Kicker Stereo system with a 5 channel amp and 8 speakers. Air conditioning is handled by Vintage Air.

The color is Hot Hues Velocity Orange, that was specifically mixed for this car. The bare metal stripes were accomplished by the craftsmen at Precision Coachworks.

The suspension is the complete Street Challenge air suspension package from RideTech. The front system consists of the StrongArm, DA ShockWaves, Musclebar, PosiLinks, and billet tie rod adjusters. The rear system uses the AirBar and DA ShockWaves in conjunction with the Detroit Speed mini tubs to allow the larger 335 series rear tire. The 4100 series AirPod with the LevelPro sensors controls the air system.

Lot Number: 1278

Auction: SCOTTSDALE 2011
Sale Price:
Year: 1968
Make: CHEVROLET
Model: CAMARO
Style: CUSTOM COUPE
VIN: 123378L340261
Exterior Color: ORANGE
Interior Color: BLACK
Cylinders: V8
Engine Size: 427
Transmission: 6-SPEED MANUAL
Summary: Finished in 2008, this 1968 Camaro is powered by a 630hp LSX engine backed by a Corvette ZR1 6-speed transmission and a 9″ Ford rear end. Velocity was built to develop and showcase the RideTech suspension products and has done so for the last 3 years.
Details: Finished in 2008, this 1968 Camaro is powered by a 630hp LSX engine backed by a Corvette ZR1 6-speed transmission and a 9″ Ford rear end. It started life as a completely rust and damage free California car and in 4,000 manhours was transformed into this stunning piece of rolling art by the craftsmen at RideTech in Jasper, Indiana. It is one of few cars in the world that have been built with real bare metal stripes. The stripes are not a paint treatment, they are the real metal of the car under that clear. The suspension is, of course, all RideTech, featuring the Titanium Series Shockwaves, StrongArm tubular control arms and the AirBar bolt-in 4-link. 6-piston Baer brakes, 18″ CCW wheels and BFG tires make this Camaro turn and stop beautifully, as proven at several races around the country over the past 3 years. The interior features custom leather Cerullo seats, hand-formed dash and console panels, RacePack instrumentation, Vintage Air air conditioning, Kicker stereo with satellite radio and RideTech’s very first prototype stainless TigerCage bolt-in roll cage system wearing serial #0001. Velocity was built to develop and showcase the RideTech suspension products and has done so for the last 3 years in fine fashion. It has been driven and raced all over the country in numerous autocross and road course events, including the Optima Ultimate Street Car Challenge in 2008 and 2009, against the very finest Pro-tour type cars in the world. Velocity has been featured in 7 national racing and Hot Rodding magazines, appearing on the cover of 4 of those magazines. It has been featured in countless print advertisements, product videos and catalogs for not only RideTech but other high profile companies such as Vintage Air, Goodguys, and VISA. Velocity is not just another pretty car that gets hauled around in a trailer, it has been thoroughly tuned and refined to be the finest high performance vehicle of its kind. After 2 1/2 years of street and race success, the car was taken apart this winter for a thorough freshening. It is now tuned, tight, fresh and ready for its new owner to drive it home.

Barrett Jackson – Final Installment

$155,000

That is just fun to say no matter how fast or how slow you say it!
I have a million thoughts running through my head about last week, so I will attempt to present them on some understandable format…

• Was the price what I was expecting? Just about…I had refused to discuss it prior to the sale but had written down $180k earlier in the week on the back of my business card. I also knew that there was a large player who would go wherever he needed to get the car, but didn’t know if anyone would take him there or not. I directly talked to 17 other people who were specifically interested enough that I gave them a hardcover build book. I’m glad to see Velocity go to someone who will appreciate and use the car as it was meant to be. I couldn’t tell for sure in all the confusion, but I think the buyer was the same guy who bought our 56 F100 a few years ago…great guy…appreciates and drives his hotrods.

• The entire Barrett Jackson staff are such professionals. There was no question that was unanswered or deflected. Steve Davis went out of his way to get our video on their big screen and said some really nice stuff about me, the car and the company…he is definitely the man! Unfortunately we were covered up on Speed by an interview with Bret Michaels, who was also selling a car there for charity.

• I thought this year’s auction was a direct reflection of the economy overall. The “silly” money is still gone. The intelligent money is back looking for a good deal before the prices go up. After looking at the cars and their sale prices all week, most sold for a reasonable discount to their likely construction cost…just like a regular used car. With a few exceptions, the prices were reflective of the build quality and/or rarity of the car.

• The social experience of Barrett Jackson is still hugely important. The artwork…the ride and drive test track…the high end patio furniture, motorhomes, airplanes, RC cars, bronze sculptures, liquor, and toolboxes are all a large part of the week.

• The Barrett Jackson week is much better enjoyed with friends. Greg Schneider and Scott Mehringer hauled Velocity to Scottsdale and worked our display booth all week. Dennis Neihaus and Kurt Blackgrove, who built most of Velocity, came out for their initial Barrett visit. We rented a really nice house on the north side of Scottsdale so we could all hang out together. Jimi Day and Wally Olziak from FM3 Marketing, as well as Albert and Linda Melchoir from Carbon Customs shared the house with us. Our wives flew in for the weekend as well. We worked, we cooked, we drank, we shopped…and have vowed to do it again next year!

Thank you all for your collective support of the Velocity project and for enduring my rantings this past week. I promise to not clog your inbox for at least another few weeks! I may try this update thing again later this year for a couple of selected worthy events. Till then!