Travis Alford and GAP Industries Score the Goodguys 2024 Griot’s Garage Muscle Machine of the Year
Who knows where the road goes. For Travis Alford and his ’70 Camaro that was just named the Goodguys 2024 Griot’s Garage Muscle Machine of the Year, the journey started in the late-’90s when be bought his grandma’s ’80 Camaro for $500. The car served duty as his high school ride and the stage was set for his love of second-gen Camaros.
Like most high school cars, the Camaro has been long gone but far from forgotten. Fast forward to 2016 when Travis saw the 1971 Camaro known as Enigma that was built by GAP Industries (and was named the Goodguys 2017 Griot’s Garage Muscle Machine of the Year). That car stoked his fire for another Camaro and this time he had the resources, plan, and the right partners to bring his dream car to life.
A call was put into Tim Palazzolo at GAP Industries and Travis’ pal Brian Vastine located a clean, one-owner car in Georgia that was promptly torn down to its shell to be transformed into a modern-day muscle machine with push-you-back-in-the-seat performance wrapped in classic muscle car style.
The GAP team kept body modifications to the European-inspired gen-two Camaro form to a minimum. The factory bumpers were sunk in closer to the body, a Custom Works front nose was grafted in place and houses an Alumicraft grille, and of course all of the gaps were narrowed and perfected. Flush-mount glass was installed with a small seal to minimize the modern look, BBT’s sleek IntekOtto mirrors were mounted, and all the lighting was upgraded with Anvil lenses and lamps.
Once the metal work was deemed ready, Vastine’s Paint Garage applied a deep Spies/Heckler black shade adding a subtle and even a little covert style to the muscle machine. The Camaro becomes a fast-moving shadow with not a touch of chrome, though the 18/19-inch Forgeline wheels backed by massive StopTech rotors break up the mirror black paint nicely.
The muscle side of the equation comes from a 416-cubic inch LS-based engine built by Dedicated Motorsports. The aluminum block is topped with Frankenstein heads with a unique billet intake manifold and fuel injection system. The GAP team refined the entire engine compartment with fabricated inner fenders, radiator support, and cowl. The engine easily produces over 500 horsepower yet is smooth enough to take the family on a Sunday afternoon drive.
Today’s muscle machines are expected to handle just as good as they look, so GAP updated the entire suspension with Detroit Speed’s hydroformed front subframe and rack-and-pinion steering components, with their 4-link system in the rear. A Gear FX rearend assembly is fitted with 3.70 gears which is connected through Tremec six-speed transmission and McLeod clutch assembly.
Travis gets to stir through the gears from the comfort of custom-formed interior by Cato’s Custom Upholstery. The blue leather is based on GM’s Nightshift Blue which covers a pair of Recaro seats and a modified rear seat. GAP 3D scanned the entire dashboard to rework the assembly into a more contemporary design that was 3D printed before being covered in the subtle blue material.
The dash holds a unique instrument bezel filled with Dakota Digital gauges along with a Vintage Air climate system and carefully hidden American Autowire harness. An Ididit tilt column is topped with a Sparc Industries steering wheel and behind the front seats is a roll bar for extra safety.
The Camaro checks off all the boxes Travis ever dreamed possible, and then some. “It takes a team to get through a build like this,” Travis says, “and the guys at GAP, Cato’s, and Vastine’s worked together to accomplish my dream car.”
As if having his dream car wasn’t enough, he now holds the title of Goodguys 2024 Griot’s Garage Muscle Machine of the Year!
Photos by John Jackson and Damon Lee
