July Member/Car of the month: Hylton! - ModernCamaro.com

JoSSh · 07-11-2010, 12:08 PM

Congratulations Hylton for being July's Member/Car of the month here on ModernCamaro.com!

Thank you very much! It's an absolute honor to be chosen by the members when there are so many great camaro people to chose from.

Ok let’s get started with a few questions.

What got you started with your love for the Camaro?

Lol - I'll try to keep this short....

The '70's and '80's locked it up for me. Camaros, Firebirds and Mustangs were the coolest things on the road (gotta give the Mustang it's due here). Those were the days of serious cruising and street racing (I don't support it but things were different back then). Let's just say guys had cars with "reputations" and when you saw one of those cars pull into the donut shop at 1:00am in the morning and it's wearing slicks, you weren't going home anytime soon.

It was an era where the aftermarket/SEMA world was in it's infancy and the only thing you could easily buy were poor fitting fibreglass body parts, wheels, tires and engine parts. As a result, people customized their cars with whatever they could get their hands on and you saw flared out rear fenderwells, funky diamond tuck or plush interiors and paint jobs with maga flakes and murals (yes, murals were a big deal on Camaros).

Then you also had all the great car shows like Smokey and The Bandit with the 2nd gen T/A, 1982's Fast Times at Ridgemont High where Sean Penn wrecks the football player's 1979 Z/28 "Relax alright - my old man is a television repairman....he's got these ultimate set of tools. I can fix this". I can watch that movie everyday because it reminds me so much of my highschool.

What’s the story behind your 5th gen?

Well, like many of us, I saw the leaked picture of the 5th gen..... I was in absolute shock. The design was stunning....the SIM color was perfect for the angles of the car. I couldn't believe that they were considering bringing back the Camaro. Then when Scott Settlemire unveiled the SIM over IOM interior at Indy in 2008, I just knew that was the combo for me. My mind was set on silver the moment I saw the leaked pic but Indy completed the picture for me.

As for the customized work, I just wasn't a fan of the non-functional mailslot so I had it filled in. The black out treatment in the back is a tribute to the 1st gen big block Camaros. I pulled the taillight trim rings out to give the rear a more menacing look (especially with the RS lenses and when you hit the brake lights). The GFX without the front chin spoiler just completed the look. I'll probably lower it and new wheels are on the way but I'm more than happy how it looks now.

How did you come across ModernCamaro.com and what made you stick around?

Not sure how I found the site but I probably Googled "5th gen Camaro" and the site popped up (it was called 5thgen.org back then). The people, the people, the people are awesome. I'm all over the place as far as the Internet/Camaro goes but this place has a family feel and is the first place I login to in the morning. Unlike other websites, the Mods here do their jobs so well, that I don't even realize when I'm conversing with one. In other words, they come across like they are just like one of us "common folk" and usually take things offline when things get nasty instead of making a big scene and pushing their weight around. Class acts for sure.

Finally do you have anything you’d like to say to ModernCamaro.com members or anyone else reading this interview?

Buying a Camaro also includes 100's of new friends. They don't tell you that at the dealership but it's a fact. It also allows you to enjoy life in so many other ways - take the car out for a beautiful Sunday drive, attend social events like the Oshawa Buyer and Builder Meet and Greet, spend some "me time" just wrenching or detailing the car or simply conversing with like minded folks here on ModernCamaro.com.

Life is really, really tough so take some time to stop and smell the roses. A Camaro will certainly help you do that!