But really what makes the engine stand out visually is the contrast among the various parts. The engine, including all the alloy pieces bolted to it, is the same burnt orange as the hood inset. But instead of polishing or plating certain pieces like the Billet Specialties True Track accessory drive system, the Ring Brothers billet hinges, and other engine components, Killer bead blasted them and had them anodized. It distinguishes the engine compartment while giving everything within it an understated, purposeful look.
To us a sports car has no fewer than three pedals, and to Mike, no fewer than six forward gears. So Killer backed the engine with a Tremec T56 gearbox. Between the two is a hydroformed bell housing and Centerforce dual-friction clutch. Stainless Works’ 1 3/4-inch-diameter primary headers running alongside the tranny dump into 3-inch-diameter pipes with an X-pipe and Magnaflow mufflers.
If there’s one thing that defines most G-machines, it’s their relative lack of body modifications. Not this one. But what set it apart aren’t the shaved handles and quarter gills, or even the third-gen mirrors. No, it’s the subtle-yet-labor intensive modifications like the cowl-induction hood that might surprise you. When Killer shaved the cowl vents, it brought the recessed area up to the rest of the cowl’s height, which required filling the pockets in the hood. The way the cowl induction hangs over the cowl itself isn’t tremendously elegant from the factory, so Killer rounded its edges.
The shop also shaved the drip rails entirely, thereby eliminating a visual speed bump and a source for wind noise. The handmade license plate surround/exhaust outlet and the split rear bumper are fairly obvious, but most people don’t notice that the bumper is now part of the body. In fact, most people assume that the front spoiler and rear wing are factory items. They’re not. Not by a long shot, even; however, the PPG-formulated metallic-black makes them look a bit more stealthy.
In fact, the car’s full of little gotchas. Recognize that dash? Unless you’re into ’59 Chevrolets, then probably not. But even if you knew those cars, this one still might fool you on account of the gauge cluster. Kevin Gray at 343 Custom machined it from aluminum stock, and Auto Meter screened the gauge faces specifically for the application. The Marquez taillights withstanding, every piece of machined aluminum on the car—the fender grills, the fuel filler, the nacelle around the B&M shifter, and speaker grille rings, just to name a few—is one of Kevin’s one-offs.
Mark Reid at Mark’s Upholstery in Langley dressed the cockpit. It consists of Recaro buckets clad in black leather. Following the European supercar theme, Mark’s perforated the seat inserts to reveal orange backing leather. Between those seats is a hand-crafted but OEM-inspired center console. Flipping its lid reveals a control center for every function of the car, including the start button. The remainder of the interior includes a Budnik Four-Thirty tiller on an ididit Inc. column, Billet Specialties vents for the Hot Rod Air climate control, and Painless Wiring.
The audio system hasn’t many peers. First off, an advanced Alpine F#1 Status DVD-based head unit and an Alpine PXI-H990 signal processor commands it. But what that duo feeds is truly exceptional. It’s a Brax Platinum-Series six-channel amplifier, one of a very limited number that the German company Audiotec Fischer produces, and you could buy a fairly recent modest compact car for what it costs. That, in turn, powers Focal speakers placed strategically throughout the car.
Of all the gotchas throughout Mike Williams’ car, the one that got us was timeline: Killer Customs took the car from a basket case to a badass in 10 months. “Bear in mind this transpired in 2005, and the outrageous Camaro pro touring scene was still in its infancy, when few cars other than the Baldwin Camaro stood out,” Blake Foster observed.
Imagine that—a car built to go fast built fast. Surely a jaded guy like Mike Williams can appreciate that.