Chevrolet Camaro 1968 “Impulse” SEMA 2015

This isn’t your average ’68 Camaro. It’s the ‘Impulse,’ a bespoke restomod built by Bonnell’s Rod Shop that’s made multiple appearances on the SEMA show floor. Every panel and detail was chased down to make the car look as fast parked as it is on the road. Built to head to auction through Mecum, it’s the kind of build that turns heads even in a room full of Camaros.

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Some restomods play it safe. The “Impulse” doesn’t. Built from a 1968 Camaro hardtop by Bonnell’s Rod Shop out of Fairview, Pennsylvania, this car was engineered from the ground up to look faster standing still and go exactly as fast as it looks — and it earned its stripes with multiple appearances on the SEMA show floor, including 2015. Restomods live or die on the details, and this one is packed with bespoke touches most builders wouldn’t even attempt. So what actually separates a SEMA-caliber Camaro from the countless ’68s sitting in driveways across the country? It comes down to obsession over things nobody else would notice.

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Bonnell’s Rod Shop Doesn’t Do Ordinary

Bonnell’s Rod Shop has built a reputation on bespoke, no-detail-spared restomods, and the Impulse is exactly that philosophy taken to its logical extreme — custom bodywork, one-off touches, and a modern chassis hiding underneath a shape everyone recognizes at a glance. It’s the kind of build that makes even hardened purists reconsider what “correct” is supposed to mean on a first-gen Camaro.

Why the ’68 Camaro Keeps Winning at SEMA

The 1968 Camaro was the second model year of the first generation, refined from the ’67 with hidden headlight hinges and tighter styling — a body that already looks aggressive stock, which is exactly why builders keep reaching for it as a canvas. Its continued presence at SEMA year after year says the platform still has plenty of untapped potential.

Where Provenance Meets the Auction Block

This particular car was headed to auction through Mecum, which matters more than it might seem — documented, builder-credited restomods with real show history consistently command a premium over anonymous shop builds. Provenance sells, even in the restomod world.

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