Florida’s most-blinged Camaro ZL1 brings out the haters in force

To paraphrase Rene Magritte, this is not a car. Yes, it is a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 convertible, and it has an engine which can turn those 30-inch Forgiato gold saucers into forward motion. But the transformation by a Tampa tuning shop into what it calls the King ZL1 has placed the Camaro into the kind of debate heard around avant-garde galleries: Is it a piece of art, or a piece of garbage?

Built and shown by 813 Customs, the King ZL1 follows a similar effort on a less-powerful King Camaro unveiled earlier this year. Both required a near-complete teardown and reassembly, with bespoke fiberglass dash and door pieces to handle a Radio Shack's worth of speakers and monitors, including the three 23-inch TVs that pop up from the back seat. The outside gets a gold-chrome vinyl wrap, and the 6.2-liter V-8 also gets a brace of upgrades, such as a Whipple supercharger, that can never be used in anger thanks to custom-painted 30-inch Forgiato Maschili wheels that make the Camaro like Lolo Jones running hurdles in spike heels.

As someone who spends a lot of time reading what people say on the Internet about cars, I can safely say the King ZL1 has stirred a more heated reaction than any other vehicle I've seen in quite a spell. Camaro fans take their cars seriously, and the idea of turning a ZL1 into a slow-rolling rec room enrages many; one commenter called it "the murder of this American muscle car." The Facebook page of 813 Customs was so filled with invective, including some blatant racism, that the company's owner had to respond, noting that he's paid to build cars even when they're not to his personal taste (...)

full story HERE

U can't drive this car. Look at the clearence on the wheels.

Graycap23 said:

U can't drive this car. Look at the clearence on the wheels.

Look at the second pic...there's still clearance for the wheels to turn.

PurpleJedi said:

Graycap23 said:

U can't drive this car. Look at the clearence on the wheels.

Look at the second pic...there's still clearance for the wheels to turn.

I'l talking about hitting bumps. Those tires would get shredded in the back by the fender.

Graycap23 said:

PurpleJedi said:

Look at the second pic...there's still clearance for the wheels to turn.

I'l talking about hitting bumps. Those tires would get shredded in the back by the fender.

Ahh...I see.

Believe it or not, I actually saw a pick-up truck with huge tires like that on the expressway. My first thought was; "How can he turn the wheels"? But he did just fine.

My buddy is into low-riders and he told me that back in Arizona, there's a trend to have the tires mounted at an angle inwards (so that they're not completely vertical). It's horrible on the tires and they wear so fast that it's an expensive habit since they need constant replacing.

...and yet they still do them like that...

that is totally shiny

Dat shit is tricked out.

It looks totally natural parked in front of a used furniture store.

More proof that money cannot buy class. I guess a gold grille in the mouth ain't enough these days.

Reminds me of the drug dealer who was propped up in the funeral home behind the wheel of a sports car.

Hi cousin Camaro, it's me Caprice! How ya doin'?

[img:$uid]http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/6606/1108incrediblehulkcareg.jpg[/img:$uid]

It's just a ghetto thang.

MajesticOne89 said:

Hey you!
How's school?

The Puerto Rican in me says YES, I would drive this car ... but ONLY if I had the music bumping really loud so the bass rattled the windows of people's homes while I drove through leaned back in a mostly Puritanical predominantly upper middle class trendy neighborhood. Its too shiny for a working class neighborhood... too many potholes.

I am still looking for a Puerto Rican flag to be somewhere on that car.....you do know this car is perfect for the woman who doesn't like bitches sitting on the car because assprints would definately show up on that model.

ugh

on top of that, I bet it also smells funky...

UncleGrandpa said:

Hi cousin Camaro, it's me Caprice! How ya doin'?

[img:$uid]http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/6606/1108incrediblehulkcareg.jpg[/img:$uid]

It's just a ghetto thang.

Ghetto fabulous

babynoz said:

More proof that money cannot buy class. I guess a gold grille in the mouth ain't enough these days.

Reminds me of the drug dealer who was propped up in the funeral home behind the wheel of a sports car.

paintedlady said:

The Puerto Rican in me says YES, I would drive this car ... but ONLY if I had the music bumping really loud so the bass rattled the windows of people's homes while I drove through leaned back in a mostly Puritanical predominantly upper middle class trendy neighborhood. Its too shiny for a working class neighborhood... too many potholes.

I am still looking for a Puerto Rican flag to be somewhere on that car.....you do know this car is perfect for the woman who doesn't like bitches sitting on the car because assprints would definately show up on that model.

babynoz said:

More proof that money cannot buy class. I guess a gold grille in the mouth ain't enough these days.

Reminds me of the drug dealer who was propped up in the funeral home behind the wheel of a sports car.

Oh Lawd, I remember that! There was a write up about it in Jet magazine years ago. I thought it was the drug dealer's son. Anyway, it was tacky and bamma as hell...nuccah was propped up in a mammy-made Rolls Royce casket holding a fan of $100 bills.

Shyra said:

babynoz said:

More proof that money cannot buy class. I guess a gold grille in the mouth ain't enough these days.

Reminds me of the drug dealer who was propped up in the funeral home behind the wheel of a sports car.

Oh Lawd, I remember that! There was a write up about it in Jet magazine years ago. I thought it was the drug dealer's son. Anyway, it was tacky and bamma as hell...nuccah was propped up in a mammy-made Rolls Royce casket holding a fan of $100 bills.

I'm tellin ya, I bet the fool who owns this car will do the same thing,