By Daniel Monson
In a garage in Spanish Fork, all daylight hours are burned into night as a team of 10 works nonstop, alternating turns to take four-hour naps, consumed to meet the deadline.
The boys at Retro Rides are going all out to create a fifth-generation Camaro that will debut Tuesday at the Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas.
It?s the culmination of years of work ? a prize piece they now intend to sell at the show. With a price tag of well over $100,000 per car, it?s easy to see why.
?Although we all appreciate and enjoy the car, people with money like Jay Leno are going to be buying them up,? said Justin Jochim, a 26-year-old BYU student who works with the all-Mormon crew on the car.
The show draws more than 100,000 auto industry bigwigs who are looking for vintage cars fused with modern comfort.
The 1969 Camaro they are zealously restoring will retain its vintage look, but under the hood, 21st-century technology drives these horses.
?People want the appeal of the older styles, but want the safety features and comfort of a new car,? Jochim said.
Transforming old muscle cars with new generation interior features is a market Bill Jeffries, Retro Rides? vice president of sales, is ready to tap.
?These cars have been built as daily drivers, not just Sunday cruisers,? Jeffries said.
Jeffries explained the shop has capacity to produce about 25 cars a year.
The patented process of restoring the car has many steps. Beginning with a 1969 Camaro, Retro Rides incorporates a new generation Camaro unibody, suspension and drive train.
Other features include sound-deadening material for a quieter ride, a rustproof undercarriage and increased legroom.
The transformation creates a new modern car with current features, comfort and reliability all packaged in the body of a 1969 Camaro.
They estimate more than 10,000 man-hours have been applied to plan, design and build the beautiful transport.
?The Camaro has been in the process of development for more than five years, and to see it finally finished makes me sit back and go, ?Wow,?? said Dennis Palombo, former BYU student and founder of Retro Rides.
