“Proven Wicked” – Shane Wagner’s 2010 Camaro SS

Throwing parts and a ton of money at a car does not guarantee success, but imagine the pressure trying to found a business that relies upon building a Camaro that stands out from the crowd? Shane Wagner went through this very experience when he started his fifth generation Camaro project and founded Proven Wicked simultaneously.

This build required the crew to devote every free moment of their lives to creating one of the most remarkable fifth generation Camaros to grace the streets.

Double Trouble Wagner had longed to open his own business, an engineering company creating performance parts, but taking his dream to reality proved to be a crazy process. After attending the 2009 SEMA show in Las Vegas, Wagner picked up his car and got to work on the project thanks to the help of a trusted friend, John McBride of Midnite Octane. McBride and Wager worked on the preliminary sketches and Wagner began shopping the concept at the SEMA show.

During the span of two months, Wagner brought the Proven Wicked test mule to life with the help and support of friends, family and colleagues. Seibon provided Wagner with a carbon fiber hood, fenders, doors, decklid, and rockers along with both the front and rear lips.

A year after the show, Wagner received a call from a carbon fiber/body kit company called Seibon regarding the Camaro build. They asked if it would be possible for the car to become a reality in time for the next SEMA show. Wagner had not planned to put together a large scale project on a small budget, work a job, and start a business at the same time, but he elected to take on the challenge.
With limited funds available to Wagner during this time period thanks to starting Proven Wicked, he was needless to say somewhat concerned about both labor hours and keeping on-budget. This build required Wagner and his friend Russell McLean (of Bent-n-Twisted Metalworks) to devote every free moment of their lives to creating one of the most remarkable fifth generation Camaros to grace the streets.

Since the Wagner's Camaro was destined to be a track car and test mule for Proven Wicked's newest products, this car needed to perform like a racecar as well as look like one.

Race Ready, Yet Street Legal
According to the literature Wagner provided in his initial proposal, the goal of the project was for the car to look race ready, execute the demands of the track and maintain a street legal form. This tall order came to life in the span of a mere two months with both Wagner and McLean working regular jobs during the process. This time period included Wagner using 3D Computer Aided Design software to create the all of custom pieces needed to bring this Camaro to SEMA.
Proven Wicked makes use of the 3D data from General Motors to ensure proper fit, and when necessary Finite Element Analysis to test stress, deflection and potential failure. These processes require copious amounts of time, but it is safe to say that Wagner is a bit of a computer wizard. With the future of Proven Wicked resting on Wagner’s ability to perform, creating something both race-ready and aesthetically amazing, the sense of accomplishment had to be tremendous.

After the fabrication for the side exit exhaust was complete, Wagner installed the Dr. Gas oval side exhaust, Borla long tube headers and an ATAK Street exhaust, to enhance the performance and sound of the car.

Getting Started
During first month of the project, Wagner spent time seeking sponsorships, securing parts and designing all of the one-off pieces needed to bring the Camaro to life. With the design process underway, the tear down commenced resulting in both guys losing sleep but somehow maintaining their sanity.
In contrast to using off-shelf-parts, Wagner’s desire to create his own hardware to showcase the future offerings from Proven Wicked took more effort, but in the end it paid off. One of the more extensive and time-consuming tasks was channeling through the floor and frame for the side exit exhaust. During the fabrication process Wagner added the race-spec 4-point bolt-in roll cage and the rear wing load transfer bracing in the trunk area.

A custom built 4-point roll bar and Sparco seats with 6-point harnesses provide the driver and passenger with added protection.

Wager designed a bolt-in cage that required minimal demolition that could easily removed to achieve a stock appearance for the 2010 Camaro. For the back, the fold down rear seat was taken advantage of, providing a simple way to reach the weld-in rear shock tower brace. In the front, the main hoop is hidden underneath the side bolsters resulting in a tailored look. Thanks to Wagner’s prowess with CAD systems the cage fits perfectly around the existing factory interior.
Along with fabricating countless parts, Wagner wanted to lighten up the hefty fifth generation car by making every removable panel out of carbon fiber. Carbon fiber offers tremendous weight savings and maintains the strength required to survive the extreme stress in racing applications. Since the Camaro would be appearing the Seibon booth at SEMA, Seibon graciously supported the project with a carbon fiber hood, fenders, doors, the front and rear lips, deck lid and the rockers. However a largely bare carbon fiber Camaro would not be as visually appealing to the refined eye, so Wagner enlisted the paint and body skills of Nuncio Customs.

Wagner wanted to make sure to thank John McBride at Midnite Octane for his help with the renderings, designs and graphics on the car. Wagner also wanted to make sure to thank Catalyst/Raceskinz for the vinyl graphics and paint masks during the final stages of the paint and body process.

In order to make the Camaro handle like a racecar, Wagner went to work on setting up the proper suspension package.  KW Variant 3 coilovers were added in the front and rear, along with Proven Wicked Switch Blade front and rear sway bars with Pro-Rigid End Links. With the suspension setup to tackle the demands of the racetrack it was time to select a wheel and tire combination that would suit both the street and track.
A set of HRE P40 Monoblock Wheels with custom center locks in satin black were selected, and wrapped with Toyo Proxes R888 rubber. In the front 20 by 9.5-inch wide wheels are fitted with 285/35R20 tires while the rear 20 by 11-inch wide wheels are treated to 315/30R20 tires. With the larger 20-inch wheels in place, it provided plenty of additional room for the Baer two-piece rotors with race calipers.

Although the engine is mostly stock aside from the supercharger, a set of Moroso fabricated aluminum valve covers, coil brackets and coil wires were used to dress up the engine compartment somewhat.

With the handling and braking under control it was time to investigate power adders and additional performance parts to give the LS3 a little more horsepower and torque. Typically turbochargers or superchargers are found on track cars, as nitrous is not well suited to the demands of the road course; with the demand for additional power to push the suspension a ProCharger Tuner II supercharger system was added to the already potent LS3.
By utilizing the power created by the D-1SC on the 2010, the Camaro would require a few supporting parts to make this addition work right and create maximum performance out of the combination. With the ravenous beast under the hood, a Kenne Bell Boost-A-Pump and a set of FAST 65-lb injectors were added to serve adequate amounts of 91 octane to the engine. Once the supercharger was installed on the Proven Wicked Camaro, a trip to see Cody Chapman at WickedHP for custom tuning was in order.

A Pro-Charger D-1SC was selected as the perfect blower for the Tuner II kit being used on the Proven Wicked Camaro.

To keep Wagner safe while behind the wheel of the ProCharged Camaro, a host of safety items were added to exceed the required standards at the track. With the 4-point roll cage already in place a set of 6-point 3-inch wide harnesses were added to keep the driver safely in the seat. A set of Sparco Pro 2000 race seats replaced the existing stock seats in the car. With the additional safety and style added by the race seats, the rest of the interior had a few modifications as well. DVS Customs reworked the doors panels with a combination of supple leather and carbon fiber. Along with the carbon fiber door panels, the console and mirrors were given the carbon fiber treatment as well.

Since a steering wheel adapter was not yet availabe for the fifth generation Camaros at the time of this build, Wager created his own under the Proven Wicked name.

Wheelin’ Around Wagner wanted to remove the bulky original steering wheel since the car would be spending a significant amount of time on road courses and autocross tracks. During the period of time in which the Proven Wicked Camaro was coming to life, a steering wheel adapter was not available for the fifth generation Camaros; this opening gave Wagner an opportunity to design an adapter under the Proven Wicked name. With the original intent of being able to return a car to stock form, Wagner created a steering wheel adapter that would accept the Sparco quick release hub and steering wheel.
Overall, the custom touches, one-off pieces and attention to detail make the Proven Wicked Camaro a remarkable achievement for Wagner. With the level of fit and finish on this 2010, it seems improbable that this build took only two months including planning, fabrication and assembly while both Wagner and friends worked full-time jobs during the process. Making its debut at Seibon Carbon’s booth at the 2010 SEMA show, Wagner proved that he could create and manufacture race worthy parts in a short amount of time.
Wagner’s Proven Wicked Camaro made the rounds at 2010 PRI show, numerous autocross events, track days and the Camaro5Fest. Thanks to the desire to expand his business it is likely that the Camaro or “test mule,” as Wagner calls it, will go through further modifications as the product line continues to expand.

After Seibon Carbon offered the body panels for the Camaro, Wagner decided not to overwhelm the car with the distinct look of too much exposed carbon fiber. He elected to reveal certain areas to showcase the use of the lightweight material, such as the hood, the fender stripes and panels on the doors for race numbers.