It’s been said that the Ohio-class nuclear missile submarines are so quiet that they’re actually like a “hole in the water,” detectable only by the absence of background sound. If there’s an automotive equivalent, it has to be Spectre’s 1970 Camaro – so deep black in glossy carbon fiber that looking at it is like gazing into a tear in the fabric of the universe. Your eye almost slides off it, unable to find any place to hold on. Concentrate, though, and your optic nerve begins to process the shape, like the outline of a cloud blotting out stars on a moonless night. That’s when you see that this Camaro is every bit as wide as it is deep.

The car started out in far less sinister form – bought from an Illinois police officer on eBay, the ’70 Camaro had seen better days, and was immediately consigned to duty as Spectre’s test mule. You might remember it in its former yellow-with-black-stripes incarnation. Used for parts development and generally thrashed on, the car was finally slated for a complete transformation, and went under the knife with Campbell Auto Restoration. The small-block Chevy came out, and in went an all-aluminum LS1, built with reworked heads, an LS6 intake manifold, a hot cam, headers, and of course Spectre’s ProFab LS swap dual intake with headlight funnels.

Backing the new engine is a T56 6-speed transmission, and a Hotchkis Total Vehicle System suspension firms up the Camaro’s ride, and their Handle Bar connectors tie the control arms to the cowl and firewall to eliminate flex. Enormous Forgeline 18 x 9 wheels in front and 19 x 11 in back are wrapped in equally enormous Kumho Ecsta XS 315/30 and 345/45 rubber. Baer 14-inch rotors turn inside, with 6-piston calipers providing the only color visible on the car.

Anvil Auto supplied the lightweight carbon fiber hood, nose piece, rear decklid and filler panel, and of course those enormous fender flares, while Spectre handled the sheetmetal fab in-house, including the rear spoiler, interior tin, and front air dam/splitter. The cockpit is all business, with Auto Meter Pro-Comp gauges laid out neatly on the dash and a roll bar in back for equal parts occupant protection and chassis reinforcement.

The odd thing about this project is that by Spectre standards, it’s a pretty mild build. Compared to their “Infidel” streamliner land speed car, it’s  practically a minivan. The Camaro was built as an all-around street, track, and dragstrip car, and next year Spectre will be showcasing it at GoodGuys events and on the Hot Rod Power Tour. You just might see it at one of those events in 2011, but then again, you might not, even if you’re looking right at it.