Seeing a high-dollar, mega-horsepower, ultra-custom build at a car show is one thing, but climbing behind the wheel and driving it around on the street is something else entirely. Luckily, some folks are well-positioned to enjoy these eye-popping machines firsthand, including former Tonight Show host and beloved car fanatic Jay Leno. Now, we’re watching as Leno drives the 1,010-horsepower, Ringbrothers-built Chevy Camaro known as “Strode” in the following episode of Jay Leno’s Garage.
If you’re unfamiliar with Strode, the folks at Ringbrothers took inspiration from the Halloween franchise, giving a nod to Laurie Strode, the protagonist in the films. Based on a 1969 Chevy Camaro and introduced at SEMA in 2022, Strode is the result of more than 6,500 build hours, and presents as nothing less than a one-off carbon-fiber masterpiece dripping in bespoke touches.
One of the most labor-intensive aspects of the build is the composite wide body treatment, which adds five inches in overall width, while retaining familiar aspects of the original factory design. The rocker panels were lowered, the hood was lengthened, and the roof was recessed, while tucked bumpers and custom fender scoops were added as well. There’s also a full aero treatment with a diffuser, valance, and spoiler, while a set of custom HRE wheels roll in the corners. On top of those gorgeous body panels, Ringbrothers laid on BASF Glasurit Ghost White paint.
Notably, the heavy use of carbon fiber contributes to a considerable overall weight reduction. However, this Chevy Camaro isn’t exactly lacking on power, as under the hood, we find an LS3-based 6.2L V8 engine topped by a Whipple supercharger. The engine was built by Wegner Motorsports, and throws down with more than 1,000 horsepower at full send. A T56 six-speed manual transmission handles the cog swaps, feeding a John Industries nine-inch rear end.
The interior matches the rest of the car with a fully custom layout, complete with Upholstery Unlimited finery, a JL Audio system, Dakota Digital gauges, and a hand-crafted roll cage that’s seamlessly integrated with the cabin.
Check it out fr yourself, plus what it’s like to drive, by hitting play on the video below:
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Comments
Beautiful car! Not the colors I’d choose for this one, but the Ring Bros make some great rides.
i dig it incl the color
While I can appreciate the 1969 Camaro in many various ways, from a stock late 1960’s Icon to a modified vehicles for the ages…I’m getting burned out looking at this particular year of Camaro, it seems that everyone whose into this particular year of Camaro has managed to “do it all”, give me a break and go find another year of Camaro to literally go nuts with!
I love Jay Leno’s Garage Series, he is amazing and his collection, which I’ve personally visited a few times over the years and like everyone else, am absolutely awe struck at his collection of amazing vehicles, both in two and four wheel configuration, it’s nothing short of incredible…but another 1969 Camaro, built to perfection, costing a “Kings Ransom” and made to such a high standard that the average car nut (probably like you and I) will never see a car like this let alone own one, unless you’ve got some deep pockets, just seems to be another form of “overkill”! What else can a person do to this iconic platform that has not already been done? Every drivetrain combination, from a base six cylinder to a 12 cylinder engine, and with horsepower rating from one-fifty to over a few thousand have been tried and built, from drag cars to road cars, from track cars to show queens, from piles of junk to a half a million dollar “one off” vehicle that boggels the mind! It’s all been done in one configuration of another over the years, and while I can admire what Jay is showing off to the public this week, to me, it’s just another exotic 1969 Camaro so highly modified and of course amazingly well configured (lots of talent and a bottomless amount of cash can do this!) vehicle to show off to the public.
Oh well, I’m sure there will be those who can never get enough of this Iconic 1960’s Chevy Camaro, in any configuration, and to those who feel this way, I say “good for you, keep up the interest in this car and enjoy your choice of vehicles”, but for some of us who’ve grown tired of seeing another 1969 Camaro, no matter how amazing it might be, I’m going to pass on getting excited this week at Jay Leno’s Garage like I usually do every Monday morning. Again, I can apprecite all of the amazing work, talent and technology and an endless supply of money that goes into vehicles like this…it’s just that once again, it’s a highly modified, one off ’69 Camaro body built to the extreme that I’m going to take a pass on, and will be looking forward to next weeks Jay Leno’s Garage where hopefully he’ll once again be driving ANYTHING but another 1969 Camaro in any configuration! Okay, ‘Nuff said…let the hate mail come, I’m only expressing my boredom with the 1969 Camaro, done and redone over and over and over add nauseum over the years since this car came out! Sheesh!
PS…for almost forty years I’ve enjoyed working for and driving all sorts of GM products, from Corvette’s and Camaro’s to Buick’s, Pontiac’s and Oldsmobiles, I’ve restored them, and also enjoy all forms of various manufacture’s vehicles. I’ve owned a 1969 Camaro SS 396 back in the early 1970’s, pretty much stock, it was a daily driver, but well maintained, always driven in SoCal and yes even taken to a dragstrip “back in the day” when we had race tracks in SoCal and I enjoyed this car but like a lot of other folks, moved onto other forms of interesting GM products though the years and currently drive a late model Corvette as a daily driver.
PPSS…I worked at the GM Van Nuys (Los Angeles) Assembly Plant from 1966 to it’s closing in 1992, and retired out in 2004 and yes, helped build, test drive and evaluate the 1969 Camaro in every configuration possible, and have an appreciation for this car…but also enjoyed and appreciated the earlier and later body style Camaro’s too.
These are the Deuces of the hot rodding world. It’s all love.