Inferno Orange Metallic. Inferno. The word itself invokes visions of dancing flames and intense heat. With an exterior treatment as wild as an uncontrolled blaze, this Camaro’s exterior gives new meaning to a car looking “hot”. (insert your own Italian-Car-on-Fire/Electric-Car-on-Fire/Recall joke here) This particular 2010 Camaro SS boasts a slew of upgrades both interior and exterior. Built by Chris B of Vengeance Graphics, this car has the visual impact that fits a graphic artist.
Some of the exterior looks factory, and it sort of is – sort of being the operative word there. Though not ordered with it, this Camaro sports a GM Performance Parts full body kit, with a front and rear lip and contoured side skirts – where this Inferno differs from a car ordered with the ground effects is that they’re actually been painted in IOM to match the bodywork.
If there’s one thing Camaro has in spades, it’s heritage and history. This particular example plays that to the extreme, the hockey-stick stripe on the front fender harkens to similar graphics/stripe packages for the 1967-69 1st Generation Camaro, the stripes matte-black providing contrast along the hip lines of the fenders and along the flanks of the “power bulge” on the hood to give it a little more definition.
But how did we get here?
This particular model started out as the photo above – a far cry from what it is today. Having driven a 2010 Camaro SS at the absolute limit of what the car can do stock, at 150+, I can tell you that the 5th Generation Camaro definitely could use some aerodynamic help – the front end stacks up air and makes all kinds of noise – early 2010 Bonneville Salt Flats racers found that the edges of the bumper surrounding the headlights were suffering from stress cracks. The “Flowtie” we all made fun of on the ZL1 actually makes sense when you get the car up to any sort of speed. And the bowties here aren’t stock either, instead the classic Chevrolet icon appears clad in Carbon Fiber, adding to the aggressive looks.
Today the VIS AMS Racing Hood keeps the engine bay ventilated and cool and a few choice upgrades to the bodywork make it breathe even easier. The front grille has been fitted with a GM Performance Parts Heritage Grille and vented 3d Carbon Front Fenders let the brakes cool a little easier. Already basically a show-car, it was time for some new wheels for Camaro. Vengeance Graphics reached out to the Mod Experts to put the 5th gen onto a new set of shoes. A set of Forgestar F14 wheels for Camaro was in order, in 20″ diameter. The Mod Experts recommended a fitment of 20×9 in the front and 20×10 in the rear – the 20in wheels fill out the massive fender arches of the Camaro beautifully, and wrapped in 275-40-ZR20 front and 295-35-ZR20 rear Nitto Tires Invos to keep the power of the SS going to the ground. A set of Carbon Fiber centercaps finishes off the look.
A glimpse of those meaty Nitto Invos before they were mounted. I know I use the word meat a lot, but come on, can you think of a more fitting word than “Beefy” or “Meaty”? Can’t be done.
Black accents help continue the look – the sidemarkers have ben tinted, the “CAMARO” name letter emblems on each fender have been plastidipped black and the fender vents have been highlighted with vinyl to make them stand out that much more. Out back a set of rear quarter grille inserts give the car a bit more personality.
Of course, a show car is just that, a show car, without some some extra beef under the hood to back it up. The Camaro’s LS3 underhood can breathe a whole hell of a lot easier thanks to a set of Kook’s 1-7/8″ long tube headers for Camaro with High Flow catalytic converters. Considering what a source of restriction most cats are, those Long Tubes definitely freed a few ponies, and paired with a Borla ATAK Axle-Back exhaust system – the version designed to work with the GM Performance rear ground effects, matched up with a set of MBRP Square Exhaust tips from a now-wrecked Camaro from the forums, giving a piece of that car a way to live on.
Feeding that LS3 is a Roto-Fab Cold Air Intake system for V8 Camaro, naturally, painted to match in Inferno Orange Metallic, and air is channeled into the intake via a custom air scoop. Before that air charge hits the motor, it passes through a VMAX CNC Spiral Ported throttle body, smoothing the flow of air into the intake manifold for greater power output. Of course, these things can only yield the most benefit with a tune to match, so a custom tune by Rob Kats was in order – a set of NGK TR55 plugs and a 160*f low-temp thermostat were needed to keep the car running cool with the more aggressive tuning.
The engine bay isn’t exactly stock either – as you might’ve guessed, the engine cover, CAI tube, plenum cover and fusebox were all painted with colorshift, with the GM Strut Tower brace also painted Inferno Orange too (what other color could it be?)
As with any car hitting the show circuit, this Camaro is still something of a work in progress. Chris already has further plans, including Oracle LED sidemarkers, a set of Lowering Springs (no idea which brand yet), an MPD1 Spoiler, and to really set off those new Forgestar wheels, Chris plans to paint the calipers Inferno Orange Metallic as well with the rotor hubs painted black for a clean, crisp look.
Huge thanks to Chris B of Vengeance Graphics for sharing his car and his passion with us. If the car’s current state is any indication, we can expect big things from him in the future.
Interested in modifying your Camaro? Or even Mustang? Talk tothe Mod Experts – call us at 714-582-3330 or email us at Sales@ModBargains.com to get your carbuilding advice from Show-Winning Modification Experts on our staff. We’re here for your questions, so drop us a line today!
Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you next time.
Story by Nick Gregson
Photos Courtesy Chris B, Vengeance Graphics