That’s how it all started.

What followed was a lifelong love affair with Detroit muscle–Pontiacs early on, followed up with Camaros and Chevelles. Rob spent his early post-college days working at Burlingame Auto Parts in California, slinging parts from a tired 1964 Ford Econoline van, while on the side he was parting out early Pontiac Firebirds and shipping rust-free West Coast sheetmetal back East. It was a hustle fueled by passion and profit.

By the late ’70s and into the ’80s, Rob was banging gears at Fremont Drag Strip in a rowdy 1970 Firebird, and like a lot of us, the obsession with speed and style never really let up. So, decades and multiple projects later, he set his sights on building a 1969 Camaro–one with big power and a sleeper demeanor.

Enter Tom Van Steyn, co-owner of Full Circle Restorations, who Rob happened to meet at a Goodguys event in Pleasanton back in 2012. “He had this killer patina Chevy truck that really caught my eye,” Rob says. “We got to talking, and when I found out he ran a hot rod shop, I asked if he knew anyone with a plain-Jane ’69 Camaro. I wanted something I could build with tons of horsepower but keep it looking lowkey.”

Van Steyn delivered—in more ways than one. He had a line on a ’69 Camaro that a friend owned that had been sitting since 1982, purchased out of a Stockton, California, police impound yard. The backstory was that it had been stolen from an older woman in L.A. years prior, recovered, then forgotten. Though it was tagged as a COPO, no one knows exactly what Central Office Production Orders it originally carried. Still, the body was in surprisingly solid condition—even if it was missing fenders and a hood. It also had no engine or trans, but there was enough for Rob to take the plunge.

Over the next three years, the crew at Full Circle Restorations transformed the once-humble Camaro into a purpose-built machine with muscle to back the menace. At the heart of the beast is a junkyard-sourced LS3—a modern 376ci bruiser fed by a Holley Sniper EFI system tuned by Autotrend EFI. With ported aluminum heads, a Brian Tooley NA Stage 2 cam, and an Edelbrock intake CNC-matched by West Coast Cylinder Heads, the mill punches out a stout 580 hp and 480 lb-ft of torque.

A 6L90E automatic with a GM ZL1 converter and paddle shifters from Zero Gravity Performance handles gear swaps, and Detroit Speed’s hydroformed subframe paired with their QUADRALink rear suspension gives the car legit corner-carving capabilities. The 9-inch rearend houses an Eaton Truetrac posi with 3.31 gears—perfect for freeway sprints, backroad blasts, and track day shenanigans.

Stopping power comes from massive Baer 14-inch rotors with six-piston calipers at all four corners, and JRi coilovers ensure the ride is just as dialed as the stance. Speaking of stance, the Forgeline CR3 wheels—18×10 up front and 18×12 out back—are wrapped in sticky BFGoodrich g-Force Rival rubber, filling out the Detroit Speed mini-tubs.

Despite all the upgrades, there’s something refreshingly honest about this build. The stock grille and bumpers remain. The original taillight housings now glow with Dapper sequential LEDs, and even the side mirrors are borrowed from a 1970 Pontiac Trans Am—a subtle nod to Rob’s Firebird past. The body was treated to a smooth firewall and shaved emblems before getting laid out in Nissan GTR Blue Pearl by Jeff at Full Circle. It’s a brilliant hue that brings out the best of this Camaro. Not originally what Rob had planned but a look he’s incredibly proud of.