How can one model car have such an impact on America’s youth? Usually it stems from crossing paths during one’s influential teenage years. You know, there’s that guy down the street with a cool Camaro.
He uses the sound of a beefed-up V-8 to grab your attention as he drives by—almost tauntingly it would seem. And maybe he is, but the exhaust note is nearly impossible to forget, like a song with a catchy hook. You just can’t get it out of your head.
A popular scenario for many musclecar owners, that particular story line would be a little late for Danel Wyatt. She’s had aspirations of owning an F-body since the tender age of 4—one like the ’94 Z28 Hot Wheels she was attached to as a child. Having recently joined the world of 20-something’s, not much has changed.
Well, except for the fact that the Camaro she now plays with isn’t just a toy, and instead of buying a ’94 Z28, she’s a very proud owner of a very clean, Pewter ’99 Z28.
As Camaro people know firsthand, leaving a ride in stock trim is generally out of the question. Danel fits that bill perfectly, and her first bit of business was to get rid of the stock wheels and tires in favor of American Racing Torque Thrust II’s—17x9s up front and 17x11s out back. BFGoodrich’s G-force T/As reside in the rear, while Sumitomo HTR Z IIs take residence up front.
“The first thing I did after I ditched the wheels was put in a call to Matt Murphy at GMMG. I had to have a set of headers and their chambered-exhaust system installed.” Explains Danel, “I’ve always wanted a car with a bad-ass sounding exhaust, and GMMG’s ‘ring-tones’ are the best.”
Now Danel has become the taunter from down the street, perhaps having an impact on the kids in her suburban neighborhood. Future Camaro owners? Let’s hope so.
For today, the young Miss Wyatt is content to live with the car’s great sound and performance, but she admits a head and cam swap is not far off.
In just over two years, she’s made major contributions to the odometer reading of 130,800 (probably a lot more at the time of this reading) and has no plans of slowing down any time soon.
“One of the best experiences driving my Camaro was making a trip to Florida from my home town of Colbert, Georgia,” Danel recalls. “But I have to say, making the drive to the 2008 Camaro Nationals in Carlisle (Pennsylvania) was awesome as well!” n