Reggie Jackson Camaro

Source - edmunds.com — Ed Hellwig

What is it?
Reggie Jackson Camaro

What's special about it?
When GM Performance Parts wanted to find a '69 Camaro to show off its very first LSX crate motor, it wasn't much of a surprise when baseball hall-of-famer Reggie Jackson, an avid muscle car collector, came calling. "He said he was looking for a new project and we just happened to be looking for a car to show off our new motor at SEMA. It was pretty much full steam ahead from there," said Jamie Meyer, product integration manager for GM Performance Parts.

The LSX is an all-new cast-iron racing block based on the LS7 engine used in the current Corvette Z06. It's designed with help from drag racing legend Warren Johnson and its goal was to offer weekend racers extreme capabilities at a price around $2,500. "We've tested this block in applications up to 2,500 horsepower so we know it's plenty strong," noted Meyer. Although it's based on GM's small-block design, the LSX offers a displacement range from 364 cubic inches to over 500 cubic inches.

In the case of Reggie's Camaro, the LSX displaces 454 cubes, and according to Meyer it develops 640 hp and 611 pound-feet of torque using pump gas and a Holley 850 cfm carburetor. All that power is sent through a heavy-duty T-56 six-speed and 3.91 gears. The original Camaro suspension wasn't going to keep up, so Jackson specified a Detroit Speed and Engineering setup that swaps in coil-overs and tubular A-arms up front and a four-link setup for the narrowed 12-bolt axle in back.

Why a narrowed rear axle? It was needed to fit the 12.5-inch-wide rear wheels and the 295/35 Goodyear Eagle F1 tires. Measuring 18 inches in diameter, the Budnik wheels are one-offs designed to mimic those used on the Camaro concept introduced earlier this year. In fact, the car's red paint is the same color used on the concept.

As good as it all looks, Reggie likes to own drivers, and this Camaro doesn't disappoint. According to Meyer it will run 10.80s in the quarter-mile, not to mention maintaining high speeds without flinching. "We've had it up to 140 mph at the proving grounds and it was just fine." Try to do that in the concept.