Roselle Camaro owner restores a rare RS beauty

One of the worst fears of a hot-rodder is blending in. Owners will go to great lengths to ensure their ride is different from the next in the car show or cruise night lot. It's a safe bet to say owner Tommy Denic of Roselle never has that worry with his number's matching, 1969 Chevrolet Camaro RS.

From its bright, electric paint job to the massive chrome wheels, to say it turns heads would be a bit of an understatement. It has more of a 'snap your neck, yank your attention' street appearance that every hot-rodder craves.

"I really wanted a car that stands out and gets noticed. Something that looks completely different from all the other classic cars out there," Denic said.

The first, and perhaps most important, characteristic that sets this Chevy apart can be determined with a quick look to the grill.

"One of the unique features is that it is an original 'Endura bumper car'," Denic explains. Only 5 percent of the 243,085 Camaros produced in 1969 rolled off the assembly line with the Endura bumper as an original option. "The majority of cars built that year came with protruding, front chrome bumpers. With the Endura, the front bumper blends into the front clip, giving it a smoother, seamless look. Finding one is quite rare, so I knew I had to snap this one up."

That 'snapping up' happened several years ago when Denic found the car sitting neglected in a corner of a North Carolina garage. While the original Garnet Red paint was long gone (covered over in a dull and fading black), it did possess all of its original body panels, one more thing that adding to its desirability. The car was promptly trailered back to Illinois and taken to Palatine hot rod shop American Muscle Cars, where all the panels were removed, sanded and sprayed in 2008 Dodge Viper Blue paint.

Two Cortez Silver stripes were added, and then the whole vehicle was slathered in multiple coats of clear coat for that pearlescent shine.

When asked about the new hue and its Mopar origin, Denic responds with a smile, "Blue is the best color in the world for a muscle car. Even if it is a Dodge color on a Chevrolet." The worn, red vinyl covering the seats was ripped out and replaced with Houndstooth fabric. New black carpeting, dash and interior panels were added to complete the look inside.

But this Camaro's beauty isn't only skin-deep. Denic wanted a daily driver that not only looks great but also performs. The dated, four-wheel drum brakes were tossed, and new disc brakes were bolted on. The stock 350 small-block was freshened up and returned to factory specs, but now breathes easier thanks to a Flowmaster exhaust. The original wheels were swapped out for massive Boss 338's - 18-inch upfront and 20-inch in the back, giving the car that slight rake that oozes hot rod coolness.

"Picking the right wheels was a big decision for me. They say so much about the car. In the end I determined the Boss's were the best for reflecting that old school look but in an updated and modern way. As for the big size, they really help to fill out the wheel wells and have the car sit lower visually," Denic said.

Despite all the radical changes, Denic is quick to point out that this still is a numbers matching vehicle. "The car is fully documented with a Chevrolet build sheet, which is basically a birth certificate for the car. It tells everything from where the car was built, what options it came with, and anything else you could possibly want to know," Denic said. In addition, he also possesses the original protecto-plate - a small 4-by-1-inch metal tag that told factory assembly workers what options to install on the vehicle.

"A lot of times dealerships wouldn't give the plate to new owners or it became lost as time passed, so to have the original tag is pretty special," Denic said.

Other original items include the window sticker and owner's manual. Both can be found tucked safely away in the glove box. Even though it's been over 40 years since this Chevy rolled off the assembly line at the Norwood, Ohio, factory, the odometer reads a barely broken-in 21,000 miles.

Denic does assert that this is a driver and he takes it out quite regularly. "The car gets huge looks everywhere I drive it. Whether I'm filling up at the gas station or at a local cruise night, everyone wants to come up and ask about the car." As if one classic wasn't enough, Denic recently purchased a 2010 Camaro SS and created what he calls a 'brother car' to match his '69.

After seeing the final results of Denic's pair of stunning Camaros, blending in and not being seen is one thing he never has to worry about.