Custom Chevrolet Camaros are special in their own ways, but this one goes beyond custom. It’s certainly not because of its bodywork or wheels. Look under the hood.
Yes, this 2010 Camaro SS has a V8 in its engine bay. However, what flows through it isn’t high-octane gasoline. It’s diesel. That’s what the 6.6-liter Duramax that fabricator and mechanical badass Nathan Mueller shoehorned into this theft recovery of a sports car runs on. By dropping the subframe three inches, he was even able to allow the hood to close normally and hide the oil-burning secret harvested from a shuttle bus behind the bow tie up front.
When he puts the six-speed auto from an ambulance into gear and unleashes the tuned Duramax’s 516 horsepower and 896 lb-ft of torque, Mueller can’t disguise the smoke coming from the five-inch exhaust tips or the streaks of rubber he’s bound to leave behind. We’re guessing that he also can’t conceal the giant smile that’s sure to spread across his face as he leaves the drivers of gas-gulping rivals choking on their confusion.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
