This Chevelle-Bodied Camaro Looks Like it Came From Grand Theft Auto
Photo: Trans Am Worldwide
If you’ve played Grand Theft Auto in the past two decades, you’re well aware that the cars in the game series usually resemble a bunch of real-life vehicles mashed together. Sometimes, life mimics art, and a shop hammers out something that looks totally unreal. That’s what I see when I look at the Trans Am Worldwide 70/SS, a modern-day Camaro dressed up like a 1970 Chevelle SS.
Game developers often want to feature vehicles in their games that evoke the image of a real car, but they don’t want to license the likeness of the real deal. When that happens, they take a car they like and change it enough to avoid legal issues. A famous example is how Rockstar Games takes multiple real-life car models and smashes them together for their license-free digital versions.
Trans Am Worldwide is best known for taking brand-new Chevy Camaros and customizing them to look like modern-day Pontiac Firebirds and GTOs. Now, the shop has released photos of the 70/SS, inspired by the 1970 Chevelle and looking like a Grand Theft Auto rendering made real.
Photo: Trans Am Worldwide
The Chevrolet Chevelle ran from 1964 to 1977. It was available as a coupe, sedan, or station wagon, but the one that built the legend was the second-generation Chevelle SS. What if you want the look of a 1970 Chevelle paired with modern amenities and ridiculous amounts of power? That’s where the 70/SS comes in.
G/O Media may get a commission
31% Off
AstroAI Digital Tire Inflator
Top up your tires before you drive
Don’t risk heading out on the road with tires that are less than perfect. This digital tire inflator gives you an accurate read of your PSI, and lets you top up your tires from home.
Photo: Trans Am Worldwide
As Motor Authority reports, the 70/SS is a project seven years in the making. The proportions seem right from the side profile, but look at it from the front or rear, and you get the feeling it’s a video-game car. It’s certainly a striking tribute, for sure.
A rendering of the 70/SS. Note the factory Camaro windshield and convertible roof.Photo: Trans Am Worldwide
Things get properly bonkers when you pop open the hood. The 70/SS comes in three trim levels. The base model gets the 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 found in today’s Camaro SS, making 450 hp — the same power output GM claimed for the 1970 Chevelle SS, though that was gross horsepower, optimistic at best. Step up to the middle-rung 70/SS and you get a 6.5-liter supercharged V8 putting down 900 hp.
The mid-tier, 900-hp powerplant available in the 70/SS.Photo: Trans Am Worldwide
At the tippy-top of the food chain, and limited to just 25 units, is the 70/SS powered by a twin-turbo 7.4-liter big block LS6 claimed to put down 1,500 hp. Whichever variant you choose, you command your tribute car from an interior with some vintage touches and an automatic or manual transmission.
Photo: Trans Am Worldwide
Prices start at $150,000 and go up from there. If you just want the looks, a real Chevelle SS can be had for far cheaper. But being able to lay down 1,500-hp burnouts from a car that looks like it came out of a video game does sound like some silly fun.
