Nestled in the heart of McMinn County, Tennessee lies the peaceful town of Athens. Located in the Ridge-and-Valley area of the Appalachian Mountain range, things are usually pretty quiet and peaceful in these parts. But lurking in Athens is a dark and sinister beast just waiting to be released; and no one knows more about it than Mike Woods. You see its Mike’s ’69 Camaro that IS the pavement-shaking monstrosity.  Taking just one glance at the deep black paint is enough to send shivers up your spine out of both fear and excitement. But what is today one of the most beautiful first-gen Camaros in existence, actually started off as a rough unfinished project.

It all began when Mike decided he wanted to build an immaculate and flawless first generation Camaro. He began looking high and low for the perfect ’69 body. Time passed and he finally came across a half-finished restoration. After checking out the body and frame, Mike paid for the unfinished project and brought it home with him. Mike decided on a theme. If it wasn’t black, silver, chrome, or black chrome, it wasn’t going on the car. To help him along with his plans were the crew over at Total Cost Involved.

When you see the car, one of the first things you notice is the stance and ride height. This wicked demeanor was achieved via Ridetech’s Shockwave Air Ride Suspension on all four wheels. Another eye-grabbing feature of the Camaro is the custom one-off Foose wheels. These were specially designed by the Foose team and provided to Mike in an 18”x8” size up front and massive 20”x11” in the rear for traction. Even the Dupont black paint and custom flames that were laid down by Gary Stroud look deep enough to fall in. But I know what you’re thinking: while it may look good; how good does it perform?

The Camaro is designed to be a muscle car. A car of power. It’s not a real Camaro if it can’t melt the rear tires into a burning black pile of rubber left on the tarmac. And you’re right. The current trend at major car shows is to show up with a car that’s been modified to look good, but the performance just isn’t there.  Well, to put it simply: this ‘69 performs well… VERY well. It all begins under the hood, where a Mast Motorsports 427 rests in the fully shaved engine bay with a Billet front runner setup and more of Gary Stroud’s hypnotizing flamework.

The headers are polished stainless pieces from Fesler. When the engine hits peak horsepower, it lays down a massive 720 horses.  With all that power, you need something strong to handle it all and this car doesn’t disappoint. The transmission is a T56 Tremec 6 speed with a Textralia clutch. The rear end is a Moser 12 bolt with a 4.10 gear set. Even the body of the Camaro its self has been modified to handle the power and torque load. TCI took it upon themselves to build a custom full tube chassis to lighten and strengthen the body and keep it straight.

So it looks good on the outside and has plenty of power, but how does the driver feel in the seat? Most higher horsepower cars are often times cramped inside with switches, bars, and lots of noise. This was another part that was important to Mike. He had to be comfortable in the Camaro when he drives it. When you look inside, you notice the completely custom interior. This was done by Fully Loaded Interiors. The materials consist of lots of custom colored leather and just enough carbon fiber to fit the theme perfectly. The entire console is made of carbon fiber.

The sound system consists of Pioneer’s best speakers and a touchscreen navigation system. The steering column is an IDIDIT polished stainless piece. Climate control is provided courtesy of a Vintage AC and Heat system. Mike even went so far as to have custom billet pieces made for all of the A/C vents, pedals, shifter, and door jamb vents, followed up with a healthy dose of black chrome plating.

When it comes to driver and passenger safety, there’s no skipping out on that either.

The interior has a polished stainless steel Tiger Cage roll cage with extra low door bars for ease in and out of the car. Even the dash with its hidden diagnostics screen and gauges got Gary’s flame treatment. All in all, it took Mike a little over two years to build this amazing piece of rolling art.

However, without the support of his wife Sheila, step-son Jeff Davis, and friend David Wilkey; none of this would have been possible. So what’s in the future for this dark Camaro? According to Mike “I’d like to take it to SEMA, or maybe Barrett Jackson. That way, people who truly appreciate the detailed work and attention to detail can enjoy the car.”