Famed V12 Camaro to appear at Carlisle Chevrolet Nationals in June

Published Feb. 19, 2017 1:10 p.m. ET

Samuel Reiman

A custom V12-powered 1967 Camaro will be one of the many cool cars on hand at the Carlisle Chevrolet Nationals in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, from June 23-25.

The Camaro is owned by Mike Heim of Pennsylvania. Heim, who works for Quality Custom Rides, bought the Camaro as his first car almost 30 years ago. In the Fall of 2016, it debuted at the SEMA show with a V12 engine designed by Matt and Shane Corish of V12LS.com.

While a 1967 Camaro is enough to turn heads on its own, what grabs everyone’s attention about this particular automobile is its engine. To make it fit, Heim had to have the engine bay modified. He also had the car chopped, its rockers shortened and floor moved up. Additionally, Heim added suicide doors and took and inch out of the roof to give it an even more unique look.

Both Heim and the Camaro will be on hand all weekend at the indoor Building T display during the Carlisle Chevrolet Nationals. As unique as the car is, a production/short block version of the V12 will be made available starting this year for around $35,000. Pricing for a turn-key version would be determined by the build requests of the customer.

“I was approached by the V12LS guys looking for a car to put a V12LS motor in for a test mule,” explains Heim. “The only car I had was my own Camaro that I was working on and, since I own a shop, I don't get a lot of time to work on my own projects.

“The design that went into this project was one I drew up in 1991, but never had time to actually work on. This motor was the push I needed to get my butt in gear and finish it,” added Heim. “They came to my shop and saw the car and asked if we could get it to SEMA. That was December 2015 and we got it there by October 2016. Showing it to the public at Carlisle would be great during the 50th anniversary of the Camaro. I am a first-generation nut and the timing couldn't be more perfect!”

The Carlisle Chevrolet Nationals runs from June 23-25 in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Visit www.CarlisleEvents.com for more information.

Photo credit: Carlisle Events