GRAHAM LAITY

1969 CHEVROLET CAMARO RS

JANUARY 2016

DESPITE having lusted after a Camaro since 1968, Graham Laity skipped traditional muscle car dynamics in lieu of a textbook pro touring supercar.

The pro touring movement is all about bulk power, improved suspension, enormous brakes and the ability to eat up highway miles, and after several false starts and some poor workmanship, Graham is now able to say he’s achieved that goal.

To prove it, he road-tripped his HOK Brandywine ’69 RS Camaro from Bendigo to Sydney for MotorEx 2015. The 427ci LS7 is a factory race motor – it was standard fitment for the Corvette Z06 and HSV W427 after all – yet the Camaro munched the miles like a boss. Andrew Wadsworth of GM Performance fitted the forged crank, titanium rods, friction-coated forged pistons, CNC-ported heads and factory dry sump to the unique six-bolt block.

Graham’s crate motor may be a factory GM item, albeit a special one, but not much else on the Camaro fits that category. The front suspension is all TCI and features lightweight tubular construction, CAD-designed uprights, a power steering rack and double-adjustable coil-overs. TCI also sorted the rear suspension, while the brakes are all Wilwood, including monster 345mm front rotors and six-pot calipers, stopping a beautiful set of Rushforth alloys.

Pro touring also means the interior has to be practical, comfortable and awesome, not a sweaty metal box full of fumes and noise. Graham’s Camaro features plenty of the former: a smoothed dash, billet door handles, central locking, fast glass and a one-piece hoodlining. The innards were a team effort; The Trim Shop created the custom centre console while Dantrim in Bendigo handled the rest, slathering the interior with enough Bridge of Weir leather and English wool to secure the Interior Silver Medal of Excellence at MotorEx!