Just over a year ago Chevy unveiled the Camaro ZL1. And, most of us were impressed. It looked sharp and was the fastest Camaro ever made. That’s why I cringed a little when pictures surfaced of the self-proclaimed “King ZL1”.
This particular ZL1 was built and shown by a Tampa shop called 813 Customs. After essentially taking apart and rebuilding the stock model, the King Zl1 features everything from three 23-inch TVs that pop up from the back seat to custom-painted 30-inch Forgiato Maschili wheels. 813 also added bespoke fiberglass dash and door pieces to handle all of the speakers as well as gave the body a gold-chrome vinyl wrap. Finally, the 6.2-liter V-8 received a couple of upgrades, such as a Whipple supercharger.
Just over a year ago Chevy unveiled the Camaro ZL1. And, most of us were impressed. It looked sharp and was the fastest Camaro ever made. That’s why I cringed a little when pictures surfaced of the self-proclaimed “King ZL1”.
This particular ZL1 was built and shown by a Tampa shop called 813 Customs. After essentially taking apart and rebuilding the stock model, the King Zl1 features everything from three 23-inch TVs that pop up from the back seat to custom-painted 30-inch Forgiato Maschili wheels. 813 also added bespoke fiberglass dash and door pieces to handle all of the speakers as well as gave the body a gold-chrome vinyl wrap. Finally, the 6.2-liter V-8 received a couple of upgrades, such as a Whipple supercharger.
Just over a year ago Chevy unveiled the Camaro ZL1. And, most of us were impressed. It looked sharp and was the fastest Camaro ever made. That’s why I cringed a little when pictures surfaced of the self-proclaimed “King ZL1”.
This particular ZL1 was built and shown by a Tampa shop called 813 Customs. After essentially taking apart and rebuilding the stock model, the King Zl1 features everything from three 23-inch TVs that pop up from the back seat to custom-painted 30-inch Forgiato Maschili wheels. 813 also added bespoke fiberglass dash and door pieces to handle all of the speakers as well as gave the body a gold-chrome vinyl wrap. Finally, the 6.2-liter V-8 received a couple of upgrades, such as a Whipple supercharger.
the King ZL1 colors, and Bulls logo, are those of the University of South Florida. 813 actually put a lot of detail in transforming the ZL1 into the ultimate USF dream machine, and, the gold and green do go nicely together.
813 has been getting a lot of attention for their customized Camaro. However, most of it has been negative. Browse through any car or Camaro blogs or forums and you’ll come across titles likes “King ZL1 – Stud or Dud?” or “King ZL1 Disgrace of a Camaro”. That’s not even mentioning the racist and hateful comments left on 813’s Facebook page.
While we’re not necessarily fans of the King ZL1 either, that doesn’t mean we have to get bent out of shape about it, like the commenter who called it “the murder of this American muscle car.” The ZL1 was completely fine on its own, so yeah, we do get it. It’s kind of blasphemy to take it apart and reassemble it as Florida’s most blinged-out Camaro. But, if someone wants to buy a Camaro ZL1 and spend a ton of money customizing it, then that’s all on them. After all, as the owner of 813 pointed out in response to the Facebook comments, people have lifted trucks with mud tires, lifted cars with big wheels, lowered cars, and turned riding lawnmowers into racers. Everyone has their own preferences and styles. Can’t we just leave it at that?
So, what do you think about the King ZL1? Is it a disgrace? Or, is it a piece of art?
(source-Albert Costill amog.com)
