Mike McLish’s 1968 Camaro

At first glance a visitor might dismiss this wide, low 1968 Chevrolet Camaro on display in the Flowmaster Mufflers booth at the 2018 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) as just another Camaro. But this Camaro built for owner Mike McLish by the Cotati Speed Shop in Santa Rosa California really is unique.

While a custom Art Morrison frame with Corvette ZR-1 suspension parts Brembo brakes and Forgeline wheels is not all that unusual, the powerplant is what really sets this car apart. The engine is an all-aluminum fuel-injected Donovan 410-cubic inch block built by Gaerte Engines of Rochester Indiana that has a unique racing history. 

It was with this engine that Brian McLish (Mike’s son) won the sprint car portion of the 2012 Gerhardt Classic at Madera Speedway and the 2012 United States Auto Club (USAC) Western Classic Racing Series pavement title. 

The detuned 750-horsepower engine, which now runs on gasoline instead of methanol, is connected to a six-speed sequential gearbox and differential from Australia’s Holinger Engineering.

After the SEMA show, Mike McLish intends to use his all-steel Camaro which was on the cover of the December 2018 issue of Hemmings Muscle Machines magazine, in Ultimate Street Car Association event and for track days.   

All photographs by the author