ELEGANT PERFORMANCE

Sean Smith Designs and Driven Speed Shop create an award-winning 1969 Camaro SS.

- GREG EMMERSON & JORGE NUÑEZ

One of the stars of the 2023 Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, California, was the stunning 1969 Camaro belonging to Phoenix resident Michael Shields. The story began at SEMA 2019 when Shields was inspired by a Camaro unveiling and decided to contact the man responsible for it, Sean Smith at Sean Smith Designs.

Shortly after agreeing on a design direction, Smith put pen to paper while Shields delivered the donor vehicle to Mikey Dascoli at Driven Speed Shop in Gilbert, Arizona. The car was already bare metal and sitting on a Roadster Shop chassis, providing a sound foundation for the build.

A 20-year design veteran, Smith graduated from ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California, before joining American Honda. He later worked with Saleen Automotive and Rockstar Games, as well as leading muscle car luminaries such as Ringbrothers, SpeedKore, and, more recently, Salvaggio Auto Design. His work has taken center stage in the Fast and Furious franchise as well as grabbing headlines at the SEMA show, Goodguys events, the Grand National Roadster Show, and more.

The design direction for the Camaro, nicknamed "Fenix," was inspired by vehicles from Bentley, Aston Martin, and Porsche. The '69 Camaro SS would perfectly blend elegance with performance by combining the highest levels of luxury with the spine-tingling performance of a supercharged 1,300hp Chevrolet 427 LS7 V8 engine.

"I like my designs to tell a story," Smith explained. "Sometimes it's overt, like the Halloween themes on Kevin Hart's 'Mike Myers' Plymouth Roadrunner, and other times it's more subtle. The Camaro leans toward the latter, with a Top Gun theme apparent in its aero winglets as well as some of the colors and finishes, for example."

Driven Speed Shop spent approximately two years building the car, "Which is considered relatively fast, in the greater scheme of things," Dascoli said.