“I’VE ALWAYS loved Hugger Orange and the unadorned simplicity of the base Camaro body just looked great,” says Tom Tomlinson, who recently retired as the president and CEO of Holley. “I wanted to build a car with that look, but with a modern LS7 engine, along with good brakes, air conditioning, and the other features that would make it an excellent driver.”
That summation perfectly encapsulates the growing popularity of the restomod and Pro-Touring trends, where owners are increasingly opting to have their vintage Detroit steel not only restored, but also updated with modern powertrains, suspensions, and more to balance classic, emotion-evoking style with contemporary driving dynamics.
“It’s the best of both worlds,” Matt Gurjack, founder of Sled Alley, says — his shop was tasked with turning Tom’s vision into reality. “There are plenty of great, 100-point restored muscle cars out there, but whether it’s because their intrinsic value makes it impractical to take them out for a cruise or the simple fact that cars with no air conditioning, no overdrive, and no disc brakes aren’t the easiest to drive on long distances, the move toward restomods and
