Well, she’s back and who better to give her the proper hooning she deserves than the guys at Big Muscle?
Of course, we’re talking about Blu Balz, the 1968 super Camaro built by Cris Gonzalez and his guys at JCG Restorations & Customs in Oxnard, California. We’ve seen a lot of old Blu here at Chevy Hardcore, between her feature back in 2012 and her original appearance on Big Muscle last year, but there’s just something about this car that we can’t get enough of. The guys at Big Muscle couldn’t agree more, so for the first time in Big Muscle history, Mike Musto is revisiting a car from a previous season, just in time for the fourth season’s first episode above. Of course, plenty of hooning will commence in Three….Two…..One…..
Blu Balz is one of those cars that’s hard to forget. OK- it’s impossible to forget, and that’s because of how much work went into making this car completely brand new style-wise, technology-wise and power-wise while maintaining a classic air about it. Of course, all of the credit for this goes to Gonzalaz, who told us back in 2012 that he was basically allowed to create the car of his dreams out of Dunn’s classic Chevy. For that much trust and leeway, Dunn takes the trophy.
Just looking at Blu Balz, you’ll notice finite details that set the car apart from even the most well-known pro-touring cars in the industry. Things like the custom spoiler, billet grill, flush-mount taillights, custom tail piece and heafty tow hooks all send this Camaro into its own realm- one inspired by the Penske Trans Am cars of years past. But Blu Balz- aptly named for its Corvette Z06 Jet Stream blue paint scheme and the pair it takes to drive the car- is more than just an aggressive looking shell.
Giving Blu Balz the “grunt” that Musto calls out is a QMP Racing Engines-built LS7 complete with a JCG dry sump and accessory drive system pumping out 540rwhp and 525 lb-ft of torque. Backing that is a T56 transmission, Advance Clutch Technology clutch, complete Detroit Speed Engineering suspension system with newly added JRi shocks, a Moser 9-inch rearend and 4.10 gears.
And if that’s not enough to make your mind melt, watching the incredibly sticky 305 front and 345 rear tires grip at every inch of Buttonwillow Raceway’s track just might. Add that to the car’s 50/50 weight distribution, incredible sound and Trans Am Racing-esque interior and you have a car that is sure to be on virtually every gearhead’s wish list.
Blu Balz is an incredible car and with a few recent tweaks, we can’t wait to see what the car ends up doing at autocross competitions and road course outings all across the country this season! With that being said, we really hope someone takes Musto up on his challenge this year to face their Ferrari against one of the coolest and most well built classic Camaros we’ve ever seen!