Callaway is a long-time tuner of GM products although it focuses on Chevy cars, trucks and SUVs. The fourth-generation Camaro didn't escape the clutches of Callaway, though, and this car is the prototype that toured all major auto shows in the mid-'90s and was on the cover of Motor Trend in 1994. It boasts a 404 horsepower, 6.3-liter, V-8.

The F-Body Camaro that debuted in 1992 was seen by Reeves Callaway's company as a "lower cost platform than the Corvette with a larger market." As such, the American tuner and manufacturer debuted their own high-performance version in 1993. The 'SuperNatural Camaro' kit was available with a variety of options in terms of both the body and performance-enhancing parts. The Camaros sent new from Chevy to Callaway built to the top specification right at their shop were known as C8s. Callaway also offered the 'SuperNatural' kit for the C4 Corvette and, in the same vein, the Corvette delivered brand-new to Callaway and equipped with these mods are known as Callaway Corvette C6s.

A 1993 Callaway Camaro Z28 with a dicey appearance that you either love or hate

You're probably more familiar with the latest Callaway-tuned Camaros, Corvettes or Silverados but Callaway is a company established over 40 years ago that's been tuning and racing Chevys and other GM vehicles for many, many years. When the Ken Okuyama-designed fourth-generation Camaro dropped in 1992 for the 1993 model year, Callaway got to work and the first car, chassis #2G1FP22P6P2139708, was ready in 1993.

The car was ordered through a Fort Lauderdale dealer and was ready by August of that year, the original owner paying the current equivalent of about $85,000 for it. The design was radically different to that of any standard Camaro and even to that of standard C8s and 'SuperNatural' Camaros built thereafter.

The C8 features an elongated aerodynamic nose with twin headlights flush with the bodywork and a narrow round inlet in between. The prototype as designed by Paul Deutschman has clear covers on the recessed headlights while most any other C8 lacks the covers on the headlights. Upon first impression, you're bound to think this Camaro is a relative of Mitsubishi's FTO, albeit with an elongated nose.

At the time, a variety of motoring magazines seemed to enjoy the looks of the Callaway Camaro C8, the prototype even appearing on the cover of the March 1994 issue of Motor Trend. Between the covers, the 'CamAerobody' is hailed as a "stunning interpretation of the new Camaro," while Road & Track wrote that "it's a head-turning shape, pleasingly different but not overdone."

Since beauty is in the eye of the beholder, we'll agree that the Callaway Camaro C8 is different in many, many ways to the standard car that looked like a bloated fish anyway. So, instead, let's talk about what makes this car special. It later toured the 1994 Chicago Auto Show, stopped by the 1994 SEMA Show on top of other appearances at the 1994 Charlotte Auto Fair and the 1994 Moroso Speedway Super Chevy Show.

It was even the face of an O.Z. Wheels ad campaign in 1994. This isn't too surprising since this T-Top Camaro rides on 17-inch Monte Carlo modular wheels with Pirelli P-Zero rubber. Talking performance, this Camaro was born as a Z28 model with the 275 horsepower 5.7-liter LT-1 V-8 under the hood. This pushrod engine offered no more than 325 pound-feet of torque and was essentially the same engine like the one on the Corvette. This translated to a 0 to 60 mph time of 5.7 seconds, respectable for a car that weighed about 3,100 pounds.

Callaway decided to keep the Borg-Warner T56 6-speed manual transmission that was a no-cost option on the Z28 right from the beginning with a performance-oriented rear axle ratio.

The stock brakes were replaced with Brembo brakes with vented and cross-drilled discs and 4-piston calipers behind the front wheels. It also had steel headers and exhaust system. Put next to a normal Z28, it looks like a different animal and, with almost 130 more horsepower, it also moves on a whole another level. It's unclear just how fast it reaches 62 mph from standstill, but it could be below 5 seconds. The owner says all the Callaway updates racked up to almost $30,000 back in '93.

In spite of the serious expense, the car's now up for grabs on eBay with a price of $33,000 and with just 1,135 miles on the odometer. The interior is also in good condition having been redone in tan by Johann Merkhofer. Many of you will argue that $33,000, which is $7,000 more than a 2019 rear-wheel-drive 1LT Camaro, is way too much for a fourth-gen Camaro when you can pick a well-maintained 2002 example for under $11,000. However, the cost is a by-product of its history and the fact that it's a very rare car. Callaway only ever built 18 genuine C8s between 1993 and 1996.

Now, let's take a short look and see how well have the C8s numbers aged in 26 years. Callaway currently offers two performance levels for the Camaro: the SC630 and the SC750. Both come with the Callaway third generation supercharger and the same 6.2-liter V-8 under the hood. However, whereas the SC630 punches out 630 horsepower and 610 pound-feet of torque, the SC750 offers 750 horsepower and 735 pound-feet of torque. A Ferrari 812 Superfast has 789 horsepower on tap, to put things into perspective.

It also dashes through the quarter-mile in 11 seconds flat with the automatic at 128 mph. A stock Z28 from 1994 took 14.2 seconds to cover the same 1,318 feet, so the C8 should still be about 3 seconds slower. With that being said, a Camaro with over 400 ponies under the hood was quite something back in '93 when a Supra had 320 horsepower and a Ferrari 348TB only 300 horsepower, about as much as the Callaway Camaro's biggest rival, the Saleen-tuned Mustang SC.

We hope that there will be someone out there who likes the styling of this special Camaro because it deserves to be saved, not only for its rarity but also as a way for us to see how far cars have got in less than three decades, if only in terms of performance.

Further reading

Read our full review on the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro SC610 By Callaway.