Readers' Rides: Justin's Evil Chevrolet Camaro SS

When looking through the classifieds for your next ride, one of the deciding factors is often the uniquity of a car. That was exactly what drove Justin - a Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton, California - to place an order for a Chevrolet Camaro SS in 2010.

He'd seen the car in the Transformers movie, and knew that was the car he had to have. Despite its big screen fame, Justin had only seen a couple of Camaros on the road, making it rare, good-looking muscle. Unfortunately, by the time his SS was delivered, Camaros were everywhere. Striving for uniqueness, Justin got to work.

With a father who used to race Formula Fords, Justin was always around cars as a kid, helping restore the old vehicles his dad brought home. Once old enough to drive, he picked up a 1973 Chevy C10 pickup, but after discovering the four-wheel drive didn't work, his friends decided the only option was to wreck it!

The truck didn't appreciate getting jumped over and over, and after a particularly hefty fall it was absolutely ruined. Justin didn't come off much better, smashing his head on the steering wheel. Beside him that day was a good friend, and fellow Marine recruit.

This guy was a friend and mentor to Justin, and worked for GM in a maintenance bay. Once the car arrived, the two would work together to get some extra cash and work on the car, slowly turning it into something special.

The list of aftermarket parts is quite staggering. To pick just a few highlights, the pair fitted a full LG Motorsports long tube header, three-inch midpipe, flowmaster mufflers and a G5CR cold air intake. The halo headlights by Oracle get 6000k HID bulbs and around the back is a pair of Technostalgia rear lights.

The build is bittersweet for Justin. His friend suffered heat stroke during his recruitment for the Marines, and sadly passed away due to organ failure. Although he never got to see the car so close to getting finished, Justin is sure his buddy would love the way it has turned out. The 'RIP RUF' sticker is placed in his honour.

Justin has too many memories attached to his SS to ever consider selling it. It has seen him through some hard times, and has been there through the good, even making an appearance at his wedding! He hopes to hold onto it and pass it on to his children once they've proved they'e more responsible than he is...

With a Kenne Bell 2.8-litre Supercharger and a Pedders 2 Xa race-spec suspension kit to be fitted in the near future, we can't think of many better motivations for his kids to be well behaved.