Written by Dave Pankew / Photography by BP Imaging
If you have been followingPAS over the last few years, you will know about Team ETC. The Elite Tuners of Canada program builds graced the pages of the PAS SEMA issue for three years in a row. As the team transitions into building domestic V8s, we wanted to take a closer look at their latest creation, a new Camaro SS. Now this isn’t your average Camaro and owner. Serge Leger is quick to point out that it is more than a multi-layer paint job and deep dish wheels.
Like all of their creations, Team ETC opted to go with turbo power to get their project noticed. The big LSX 454ci crate motor was introduced late last year but has had more jam put into it courtesy of a massive Turbonetics 91mm hybrid turbo. This snail is good for over 1000 ponies and has the supporting mods to do it. The turbo is fed by custom tubular exhaust manifolds along with a pair of Turbonetics 45mm wastegates to regulate the boost. From there, the 5-inch custom stainless steel downpipes lead into dual exhausts that exit on both sides from custom oval tips. On the chilled side, air is hauled into custom piping that heads to a polished twin front mount, which is fused together. The charge air is vented with a pair of Turbonetics Duo 35mm blow-off valves when the throttle plate attached to the massive sheet metal intake slams shut. The fuel is delivered courtesy of twin Aeromotive A1000 pumps pushing race gas through Earl’s SS lines and regulated by an Aeromotive FPR then dispensed through eight 2150cc injectors.
Leger took his time perfecting the engine bay by hiding or removing everything he could. A massive wire tuck put all of the factory wiring out of sight. Leger relocated the fuse box, ignition coils, ABS unit, air bag sensor and all of the reservoirs were either concealed or taken out. All you can see is an engine capable of producing quadruple-digit numbers. As with the Cadillac he built in 2008, Leger estimates the power to be 1,400whp with 900lb-ft of torque when the car is completed.
Putting that kind of power to the ground was not an easy road. With more than triple the factory horsepower, the driveline and chassis needed extensive work. The car has been back halved with a custom carbon fiber tub while the factory rails were extended and strengthened. In order for the Moser 9-inch rear end to work with the new suspension it had to be modified. An all custom multi-link suspension was crafted underneath the Camaro, using QA1 coilovers. From there the attention turned to the driveline where a custom driveshaft was fabricated and Moser axles were installed.
The driveline was ready to handle all of that torque, but the wheel and tire selection would determine if it could be put down. At first glance, the dark wheels don’t really display their features but under the lights it is obvious the massive lip is made of dry carbon fiber. These custom Strut wheels measure 22x10-inch in the front and a whopping 24x15-inch rear, which the Camaro bodywork does accommodate. Finding rubber for this custom setup was not easy. In fact it is the only one type of rubber in the world that could be used in the rear. The front tire is a common 265/35R22 Pirelli P Zero but the rear tire is a shocking 405/25R24. You don’t see tubbed out setups running a tread tire like this. Peeking from behind the spokes is a custom spec set of Baer 6-piston brakes gripping 2-piece rotors.
The style of the ETC Camaro this time around may be more subdued than what we have seen before, but then again the car had did have a valid registration sticker on it. The front bumper was customized to accommodate the massive front mounted intercooler. The rear bumper was also modified and the sideskirts are designed to visually level out the tires and feature an opening for the exhaust tips. A Strut carbon fiber grille was added to the front along with a striking ‘Strut’ emblem to replace the Chevy “bow-tie.” The entire body had been shaved and smoothed before being hit in several layers of PPG Nexa Black Cherry, an innovated water-based paint.
Step inside the interior and there is barely anything recognizably GM. The seats were custom fabricated as were the rear seats before being recovered in imported Italian leather. The fiery red hide is also covering the dash which features a battery of Auto Meter gauges including fuel, boost, wideband and oil pressure. The rest of the interior panels are all custom, including the headliner, door cards, rear quarters as well as the center console.
Pioneer Electronics then stepped into address the multimedia components of the build with their Premier line. At the heart of the system is the AVIC-Z110BT, the flagship in dash navigation, Bluetooth and DVD system. The signals are fed to a TS-PRSD2000SPL Premier mono amp which drives the single 12-inch shallow mount TS-SW1201S2 Premier sub. The mids and highs are amped up by a PRS-A900 4-channel Premier amp powering up four TS-C720PRS 6.75-inch Premier components. To cap off the system a back up cam was added in addition to an Apple Mac Mini with WiFi and 3G internet connectivity.
It is safe to say that team ETC has definitely migrated from the Sport Compact scene and is now playing with old boys club at SEMA – the sort of club where builds take years to complete and have 6-figure budgets. Leger’s total investment in this build was 3800 man hours and $320,000, and it was our duty to show how that it was much more than skin deep.
THE ESSENTIALS
Owner: Serge Leger
Location: Shediac, NB
Vehicle: 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS
Power: 1400whp with 900lb-ft (est.)
Engine: GM 6.0L LSX V8
ENGINE MODIFICATIONS
Turbonetics hybrid 91mm
Twin Turbonetics Duo 35 Blow-off Valves
Twin Turbonetics RG 45 Wastegates
Twin Spearco cores with custom end tanks
Vibrant Piping used was all 304 stainless
Custom 5-inch downpipe
Custom 3-inch dual exhaust
Custom aluminum sheet metal intake manifold
Custom exhaust manifolds
Custom charge piping
Flex-A-Lite radiator and fan combo
Custom stainless coolant piping
Custom transmission and oil cooling radiators and lines
Injectors 2150cc Fuel injector clinic
Aeromotive A1000 (x2)
Aeromotive pro series EFI FPR
Aeromotive fuel controller
Earl’s SS lines
custom fab fuel rail
custom built aluminum fuel cell with scavenger built in
DRIVETRAIN
TCI custom built 4l80e Transmission and stall torque converter
custom back half Carbon Fiber tub
custom made 4 link trailing arms
factory unibody rails extended and strengthened
Moser 9-inch rear end fabricated to accommodate rear suspension parts
Moser axles
custom driveshaft
shaved holes and smoothed undercarriage ...all painted
QA1 coilovers
WHEELS / TIRES / BRAKES
STRUT 22x10-inch front with 3-inch
STRUT 24x15-inch rear with 7-inch
Pirelli P Zero 265/35R22 front
Pirelli P Zero 405/25R24 rear
Baer 6-piston 355mm all around
INTERIOR
Custom fabricated and reupholstered front seats
Custom fabricated rear seats
Reshaped door panels for speakers
Custom headliner
Custom rear inner quarter panels
Redesigned dash and center console (relocated factory heater and controls)
Auto Meter gauges: fuel, boost, wideband, oil pressure
Imported Italian leather with custom hand stitched (baseball stitch) interior
Custom integrated roll cage with seat belt inserts
Sparco 5-point front harnesses
Sparco 4-point rear seat belt
Carbon by design hood
Carbon by design trunk
Carbon by design radiator cover
Custom carbon panels in trunk, floor, rear tubs etc.
Custom carbon wing (pro stock style)
Custom carbon rear bumper diffuser
Custom Carbon Rear Tub
EXTERIOR
Custom side skirts dropped 1 1/2 front 3 1/2 rear (to accommodate difference in tire height)
Channelled rocker and floor to accommodate side exhaust
Redesigned custom front bumper
Redesigned custom rear bumper
STRUT Carbon fiber Camaro Front Grille
Shaved side markers front and back
Custom PPG Nexa water based black cherry paint
AUDIO & MULTIMEDIA
Pioneer AVIC-Z110BT - Flagship In-Dash Navigation AV Receiver with DVD Playback and Built-In Bluetooth
Pioneer Premier:
TS-C720PRS 6.75-inch Component Speaker Package
PRS-A900 4-Channel Bridgeable Amplifier
PRS-D2000SPL Competition-Level SPL Class D Mono Amplifier
TS-SW1201S2|S4 12-inch Shallow-Mount Subwoofer (x4)
ND-BC20PA Rear View Camera with Visual DSP
Apple Mac Mini with 3G and WiFi
SHOUT OUTS
Pierre LeBlanc: body, interior, carbon, audio
Christien LeBlanc: body
Mathieu Robillard: fabrication, wiring
Jean Pierre Boudreau: fabrication machining
Matt Boudreau: fabrication ,welding
Andre Bourque: research
Serge Leger: paint
Mike Poirier: body
And Top Tuner crew…
Edmund Manasan: media director
Tajai Das: project manager
Serge Leger: production and management
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