For some guys, the change from hanging with cars to hanging with girls often generates a battle of wills – the need for a house, family, and other expenses, push the love of performance cars to normally take a back seat for most guys. Derel Latta’s wife, Jessica, was well aware of her husband’s love of cars right from the start.

There was no denying that it was a big part of who he was, and clearly something she wanted him to continue to enjoy. The result of that merger was not only the ’69 Chevrolet Camaro shown here, but also their business, Undercover Innovations, where Derel gets to build the cars of his dreams on a daily basis. In no uncertain terms, Derel has neatly found room for both red heads in his life.

Derel’s first-gen Camaro is affectionately called “the other red head” for its high impact Mars Red PPG acrylic enamel paint that drapes the smoothly-prepared body panels. From bumper to bumper, Derel has reworked the Camaro, which has been re-engineered several times during the 17 years the car has been in the family. But as good as the overall package looks, it is the small details that make this classic a true one-of-a-kind.

Up front, Derel was looking for a cleaner appearance than the original factory design offered, so he positioned a pair of driving/fog lights into the previous turn signal-occupied openings in the lower fascia. Don’t worry though, the turn signals were tucked into the factory grill, and the original Rally Sport headlight washers were removed to clean up the headlight openings. The fiberglass L88 style VFN hood has been modified by the inclusion of an SLP grille system that allows hot air to escape from under the hood.

Do the rear-view mirrors look a little strange? They should, the top half was taken from a Pontiac Fiero, and were added to Corvette rearview mirror bases that were installed on both sides of the car, adding a more aerodynamic and clean look.

The original Camaro rear fenderwell chrome has been painted body color, and the rear spoiler has been massaged and reworked with the addition of a slight dip added to the center. This “dip” allows for better rear visibility. A fiberglass, body color VFN rear bumper finishes of the rear styling of this highly-apportioned ride.

Under the hood is where things really get interesting. The engine is one of the last creations of Jim Barnes of Barnes Racing Engines in Bakersfield, California. The 496 cubic-inch engine, was born from a 454 cubic-inch big-block and powers this red head, passing an insane amount of torque through the TCI-prepared Turbo 400 Street Fighter transmission. The shift points are deftly handled by a set of steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters by Master Shift, putting shift changes literally at your fingertips. With a torque converter displacing a stall speed of 2,000 rpm, the Camaro can be easily driven on the street, all the way to the local dragstrip — the legendary Famoso Raceway.

The highlight of this potent, pavement-pounding big-block is the Edelbrock electronic fuel injection unit that allows for complete tuning of the engine, depending on the conditions or the needs of the engine. According to Derel, “It’s very streetable. The fuel injection has fixed the problems most associated with a performance camshaft. It idles well, (sets the idle up when the air conditioner is on), and even cruises smoothly. The torque curve starts at 1,000 rpm so it’s very responsive and easy on the gas mileage.”

Fuel is worthless if you can’t light the fire, so MSD ignition parts keep the engine firing on all cylinders. The engine itself features a cast-steel crankshaft, and Eagle forged I-beam connecting rods that measure 6.385 inches. When the engine is spinning, the final compression ratio is a modest 10.0:1.

To reduce front-end weight and help with building power, a pair of Edelbrock aluminum cylinder heads are assembled around a host of Comp Cams parts, including its best valve springs and rocker arms. All of these parts are activated by a Comp’s Thumpr hydraulic-roller camshaft with an intake lift of .552-inch, and exhaust lift of .542-inch. The advertised duration is 291 degrees on the intake valve, and 311 degrees on the exhaust valve. It definitely earns the name Thumpr.

Directing exhaust flow out of the hearty big-block are a set of Patriot exhaust headers, with 1 7/8-inch diameter primary tubing, that are coated to retain the shiny silver appearance. These shorty headers are connected to a stainless steel exhaust, and flow through Dynomax and Magnaflow mufflers. Together, the mufflers struggle to keep the Camaro sounding street legal. Finally, the gasses flow through multi-vented exhaust tips mounted in the center of the rear valance to create a race car look.

The suspension is a marvel of modern engineering, as a Heidts independent rear suspension (IRS) is mounted in place, and features inboard brakes and high-strength half shafts to plant the big-block’s torque to the ground. The Heists system also uses a pair of good-looking-yet-functional chrome-plated coilover springs that are fully adjustable for any situation, be it racing or street driving. “I intend to take the car to Buttonwillow or maybe Willow Springs to run on the track. It handles so much nicer with the IRS, you can steer with the throttle, and it’s more predictable. Plus, it rides so much smoother than the leaf spring setup,” says Derel.

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The Heidts IRS uses custom A-arms that attach to the Heidts-designed spindles, which support the Bonspeed 10×18 wheels. There is also a lot of room for the IRS behind the wheel-mounted 315/30R18 Falken tires. The massive wheel and tire package didn’t just bolt into place though, Derel and his team installed wheel tubs and even modified the frame to make enough room. The result is a perfect blend of suspension, tire, wheel, and traction.

Inside the 9-inch-based Heidt’s rearend is a set of 3.73 ring-and-pinion gears. Mounted on both sides of the rearend are Wilwood four-piston disc-brake calipers with 12-inch diameter rotors. The inboard design of the braking system removes the brakes from the outer area of the suspension system, lessening the sprung weight of each axle for better overall handling.

Up front, Derel used the stock Camaro subframe, but reworked and enhanced its performance output with Global West A-arm mounts and Heidts spindles. For faster steering and better handling, an AGR quick-ratio steering box was installed, and a custom-made lower chassis panel was designed to aid cooling by directing air through the radiator rather than letting it fall out of the bottom of the car. Just like the rear, the front suspension was enhanced with additional Wilwood brake parts – in this case, a six-piston brake package for added stopping horsepower!

The interior of any car is where Derel spends most of his time with the Camaro, so it needs to be comfortable. In keeping with the other Camaro upgrades, the interior was heavily modified, starting with the installation of a pair of performance bucket seats, reworked by Art Ramirez, a local Bakersfield, upholstery artisan. The Sparco suede-covered steering wheel again sports the paddle shifter controls. Since Derel did plan from the beginning of the project to occasionally make a few passes down the dragstrip, a rollbar was bent and welded into place to protect the occupants in the event of a mishap. It is hard to notice the rollbar, as it is neatly integrated into the bodywork. The rear seat has been removed to eliminate weight.

The “family” Camaro is not only a winner with the Latta’s, but a winner at every car show where they have entered the Mars Red machine. Even as good as the car looks, Derel is not shy about driving the first-gen F-Body, having accumulated some 47,000 miles during his ownership.

He tells us, “We’ve put many miles on that car. I take her out on weekends when there isn’t a show, just because it’s fun to drive and turns a lot of heads. We enjoy the out-of-town shows more than local, just so we can stretch her legs.” But not every drive has been bliss. The change to the Heidts rear end was  a result of the original big-block Chevy rearend departing the chassis during a run to Los Angeles.

The most current hurdle for Derel was with in regards to overheating. With the air conditioning on, the car would constantly overheat. By accident, Derel noticed excessive heat emanating from the grille, and tracked down the problem to a pinhole leak in the radiator. At the time the car was photographed he was waiting for a new radiator to finally repair the cooling system so it can handle 100-plus degree days that are common in Bakersfield,

If you think the Latta collection is complete, guess again. The family’s 1969 Camaro has a new garage playmate, a heavily modified 2014 1LE Camaro. The new car sports a host of modifications, including some ’69 Camaro-type upgrades such as the rear spoiler and custom exhaust. The amazingly-powerful Camaro is just the latest red head to enter the Undercover Innovations stable. But no matter how many red head’s enter Derel’s life, we know who his favorite is – right?