What's Old Is New Again

Heidts and Hawks Motorsports Modernize the Silver Streak Camaro

- Jason Reiss

Magazine project cars typically have a finite life; as each car is built to fulfill its project goals. They stick around for a little while, then the magazine staffer who owns the vehicle often sells it off to fund the cost of upgrades to a new project; their next victim so to speak. Such is the case with Silver Streak, the 1988 Camaro that was a Super Chevy project—and multi time cover car—back in 1999. It’s now owned by Bruce Hawkins of Hawks Motorsports, a shop that specializes in the F-body chassis.

“My company was started in 1999, which is the same year Super Chevy built this 1988 Camaro as one of their project cars. Since I had just started the business and it was an F-body focused company, I was glued to the build each month,” says Hawkins.

Project Silver Streak was cast aside not long after it was completed. A resurrection was likely out of the cards up until Hawkins came across it in an unlikely place. “Fast forward 15 years later while scanning through an auction list of some cars, I recognized the 1988 Camaro from years before. Once I verified this was the car from the Super Chevy magazine feature I made the purchase, no hesitation,” he says.

Then it was time to begin the rebuilding process, and Hawkins set out the goal of updating it to 2016 standards to optimize the performance while retaining the heritage of the well known car. Although the car had serious performance pieces already—a 331 stroker LT1 engine, T-56 transmission, and 9-inch rear end—Hawkins had big plans for the car.