Bought fresh off the showroom floor in 2013, Gary Coyne’s 2013 Chevy Camaro ZL1 is just as intense in how it drives as the bright red pigments sprawled across its externals. At the time, Gary merely wanted something “a little different than a regular Camaro” and was completely satisfied with what the nearly decade-old platform had to provide. Fast forward nine years and this Vengeance Racing built ZL1 has taken on its third iteration that lives up to its license plate.
At 56 years old, it’s safe to say that Gary was raised in an era where things were done a bit differently. He grew up in a time when lap belts were the only safety feature on a vehicle, ashtrays were still being integrated into door cards, and bumpers were built from massive slabs of chromed steel.
It was a magical time, especially when young Gary was on a road trip with his father. Apparently, Gary’s old man always insisted on taking road trip vacations and intentionally booked small motels in rural towns along the way. This way, both father and son could sit on the front porch of the roadside motel and name all the different makes and models of vehicles driving by as they sipped soda pop and soaked in the scenery.
Fired Up And Pushing For More Power
As Gary grew, so did his need for speed. This addiction to performance was further amplified by his attendance at a local technical college. There he dove head-first into the school’s automotive program. Around that time, he also got into road racing motorcycles, which quickly evolved into drag racing bikes. The young Mr. Coyne soon found this fast-paced form of adrenaline infinitely addicting.
While the string of automobiles that followed would provide various levels of exhilaration, frustration, and financial investment, it was not until Gary took possession of his 2013 Camaro ZL1 that things really got heated.
Many years and multiple builds later, Gary Coyne’s Camaro is now holstering over 2,063 horsepower at the wheels on just 25-pounds of boost. Built by none other than Georgia-based Vengeance Racing and powered by a boosted Late Model Engines built LS, Gary and the guys down at Vengeance feel that a whopping 3,000 rwhp is entirely feasible.
However, this isn’t the first time that Vengeance Racing has put this ZL1 under the knife. Back in 2019, LSX Mag covered Gary Coyne’s record-holding Camaro. At the time, it sported a very different engine configuration. This latest incarnation retains many of the previous build’s worthier engine mods, with the 427 block from LME retaining its place as the cornerstone of the project.
Everything north of the block (which did receive a bump in compression) has been updated or completely overhauled. Beefier snails in new locations, a Vengeance Racing/Late Model Engines custom solid roller camshaft setup, and LS7 heads are all new to the vehicle. The old air-to-air intercooler setup was also dumped for a 3,000 horsepower rated air-to-water unit from No Corners Cut. A Holley Dominator PCM tackles the tuning side of things. Naturally, a lot more went into this ZL1 3.0 build from Vengeance Racing (third times the charm, right?), which has been encapsulated within the spec sheet below for the sake of time and space.
From a performance standpoint, this has translated to a best quarter-mile time of 8.0 seconds at 178.9 miles per hour, with word of there quickly being low 7s in the car’s future once the boost gets turned up a dash more. So naturally, these bowel-shaking figures are accompanied by a near-equal amount of torque, with a reported 2,000 lb/ft of the membrane melting stuff on tap.
As mentioned previously, Coyne’s ZL1 held the half-mile record for a fifth gen Camaro before its latest rebuild. Needless to say, it is a title that Gary hopes to retake during his next half-mile event. The goal? 220 mph or better.
Hold On To What We’ve Got!
When asked how something so virile handles and what form of driving technique must be implemented to keep everything safely under control, Coyne nods nonchalantly and merely says that his Camaro “…handles like it’s on rails most of the time.”
Scoff if you must, but a quick glance at the spec sheet below proves that Vengeance Racing took a plethora of additional steps to make this monster feel as planted as possible, regardless of what speed the Holley Dash gauge cluster proclaims at that particular moment. Vengeance Racing’s attention to detail and dedication to its craft is second to none. They have recently produced everything from LSR-swapped Pontiac Firehawk T/A sleeper builds to Late Model Engines (LME) V8-powered Cadillac CTS-V street sweepers.
It goes without saying, Gary is a highly focused driver. When there is a soon-to-be max total of 3,000 horsepower readying for wheels-up action, you freakin’ better be!
This leads us to our closure on this build and one hell of a humorous side story. Apparently, during one of its earlier incarnations, Gary’s then 1,000 horsepower Camaro ZL1 served as the morning shuttle to school for his youngest. Both classmates and teachers alike would stop and gawk as the Coyne kid came peeling into the school parking lot, his mama grinning ear-to-ear from behind the wheel.
To this day, humorous memories such as these remind Gary and his wife that keeping their red-hot Chevy Camaro street legal for as long as possible was indeed a wise decision.
Build Sheet
ENGINE
Stock cid: 376
Current cid: 427
Bore/Stroke: 4.125 x 4.00
Crankshaft: Callies Ultra Billet Center Counterweight
Pistons: Diamond Custom
Connecting rods: BME 6.125″ x .990″ x 396 Forging 4,000 HP Connecting Rod
Compression ratio: 10:1
Engine built by (city/state): Late Model Engines of Houston, Texas
Machine work: Late Model Engines
Camshaft make: Vengeance Racing/Late Model Engines Custom Solid Roller 267/270 .781/.802 118 4
Cylinder heads make/type: MAST Motorsports LS7
Heads built by (city/state): Late Model Engines of Houston, Texas
Additional Engine Info
GM LSX Block
Trend .990″ H-13 .250″ Wall Tool Steel Wrist Pin
LME ARP 2000 1/2″ 6 Bolt Head Stud Kit For LSX
SCE Custom Copper 6 Bolt Head Gasket
VED Hoops Flame Hoops
PSI 424R Spring Kit Solid Roller
Titanium 2.200 x 5.450 x 5/16 Intake Valve
REV 1.600 x 5.47… REV Inconel 1.600″ x 5.475″ x 5/16″ x .300″ Tip Valves
T&D Shaft Mount Rocker Arms- STEEL
Dailey Engineering 3 Stage Billet Dry Sump
AIR and FUEL
PCM: Holley Dominator
Engine tuner: Jey Clegg/Vengeance Racing of (city/state): Cumming Georgia
Injector size: 2650 cc Primary/1600 cc Secondary
Pump(s): Aeromotive Fuel Cell/Pump- True Variable Speed, 16 Gal, Brushless Spur 10.0
Regulator: Aeromotive
Intake manifold: Late Model Engines Billet LS7
Throttle body make/size: Nick Williams 103 mm DBW
Headers: Holley Up & Forward Stainless Turbo Headers
Turbocharger Model: Precision GEN2 86/85 CEA Turbocharger -Ball Bearing Stainless V Band 1.15AR
Blow Off Valve: Tial Q
Wastegate: JGS 60mm Wastegates
Boost PSI: 30
Intercooler: No Corners Cut 3,000 HP Air to Water
Hot side piping size: 3″ from headers to turbos/4″ exhaust exiting hood/No mufflers
Cold side piping size: 3″ to intercooler/4″ from the intercooler to throttle body
Downpipe: 4″
TRANSMISSION
Type: RPM Transmissions Lock Up TH400 with internal & external dump valves
Clutch / Converter: Pro Torque EV Series LOCK UP
Flexplate / Flywheel: TCI SFI
Shifter: Precision with clean neutral
Cooler: Pro Fab External
Driveshaft size / material: PST Aluminum 3.5″
Safety loop: BMR
Trans built by: RPM Transmissions of Daleville, Indiana
REAR END
Type: G Force Performance Engineering 5th Gen Camaro 9″ IRS Kit
Gears: 3:70 Pro Gear
Axles: G Force Outlaw Axles
Spool: 35-spline Spool
CHASSIS
Front upper/lower control arms: PA Racing
Front shocks/struts: Menscer Coilovers
Steering box (manual/power): Strange Manual Rack
Sway bar: None
Other front suspension mods: PA Racing Tubular K Member
Rear shocks: Menscer
WHEELS
Front: WELD S76
Rear: WELD S76
Tires, front: M&H Front Runners 28 x 4.5 x18
Tires, rear: Mickey Thompson Drag Radials 275/60/15s
BRAKES
Front: Strange Race Brakes
Rear: Wilwood (15″ Conversion)
BODY
Original/Current color: Red
What condition was it in when you bought it? Brand New
Body modifications: Drag Wing
Hood: OEM
INTERIOR
Upholstery, color, material: OEM Black
Roll bar/cage: Vengeance Racing Custom Fabricated chromoly 10-point cage
Other safety equipment: Dual Parachutes/Window Net/Kirkey Seats/Harnesses
Gauges: Holley Dash
PERFORMANCE:
Best quarter mile ET: 8.0
MPH: 178.9
60ft. time: 1.4
Horsepower: 2,063 rwhp
Torque: 2,000 lb-ft