"The power is unbelievable," he said. "I've had Big-Blocks, I've had L88s, I've had a couple of Camaros and race cars, a drag bike, so I'm into horsepower … It's a great motor, I wouldn't think of using anything else."

A second-generation Camaro isn't new to Figliozzi; he once owned a brand-new 1973 model. When he bought his current car, though, he actually was looking for a first-gen. However, he often passed by a pinstriping customer of his who happened to have a purple 1973 Motion Camaro clone with white graphics and Cragar wheels sitting outside his shop.

Figliozzi eventually asked the shop owner the story, who said it belonged to a widow who was looking to sell it. The price was right, and Figliozzi bought the Camaro, storing it in a friend's warehouse for a year and a half until he cleared room to start on the project. 

The friend was a Detroit Speed dealer, who helped Figliozzi acquire a Detroit Speed suspension and subframe, along with other suspension components.

"It all comes all preset; you don't even have to align the front end," Figliozzi said. "They'll align it for the weight of your motor. It's great."

Figliozzi knew he wanted an LS engine for its lightweight aluminum block, modern technology, and reliability, and chose the LS376/525 for its high horsepower rating. The engine is based on the standard 6.2L LS3*, but features an aggressive ASA hydraulic roller camshaft. 

The cam features .525-inch lift on both sides, as well as 226 degrees duration on the intake side and 236 degrees on the exhaust side. It also utilizes a tight 110-degree lobe separation angle. According to the team at Chevrolet Performance, the camshaft helps to provide excellent throttle response and enhanced performance at high rpm. In addition, the engine uses higher-rate valve springs for enhanced durability over the standard LS option.

"To me, everything fits right with the motor, it's a fantastic motor, especially for the money," Figliozzi said.

The car's exhaust system utilizes custom stainless steel headers from American Racing Headers, with the company using Figliozzi's car as the prototype to build the LS pattern for a second-gen Camaro. Another friend, a welder by trade, built the three-inch stainless steel exhaust front to back with Magnaflow mufflers.

The engine is backed by a T56 double-overdrive transmission originally out of a Viper and which Figliozzi adapted with a Quick Time bellhousing. The rebuilt transmission is connected to a driveshaft that spins 3.73 rear gears in a Ford nine-inch rear end.

Meanwhile, the exterior of the vehicle is almost entirely new.

"We sandblasted, glass-beaded the car," Figliozzi said. "It needed quarters, it needed floors. The only panel that's old on the outside of the car is the roof panel. Everything else is brand new. I did it all, I put the quarters on, I hung the doors, I did everything. You have to build these cars two or three times to be able to make them right, set the gaps right." 

The eye-popping white paint is PPG base tint, one of purest whites available. In addition, it will always match. Under the car, Figliozzi used an SEM metallic gray bed liner to create a hammertone look. A custom adjustable spoiler built by Figliozzi is another of the Camaro's custom exterior elements.

The car rides on Formula 43 wheels measuring 18 x1 0 in the front and 18 x 12 in the rear. The BF Goodrich tires that wrap up around them measure 275/35R18 in front and 335/30R18 out back.

In addition to his work as a pinstriper, Figliozzi also makes signs, and he used his tools to create a custom graphic on the interior door panels out of the letter "R." He then painted the graphics black, utilized carbon-fiber inserts and had a friend upholster them in leather. Among the vehicle's other interior elements are Corbeaus seats, chrome-faced American Muscle Autometer gauges and a Detroit Speed roll cage for his autocross endeavors.