The Evolution of The Shark by Ryan Goll
 

The Evolution of The Shark
By Ryan Goll

The story of my 2012 1LT/RS Chevy Camaro

Sit back and enjoy the ride...

"Start a build thread," they said. "It'll be fun,” they said. I think it would have been really fun if I started from the day I first started modding my car, but instead I waited. I waited and waited. Now, 2 years since purchasing the car, NOW I decide to create a build thread. This will definitely be a work in progress...

It all started back on a cold winter day in Midwest City, Oklahoma. My wife and I were at a dealership looking at SUV’s. Actually, it goes back a little before that. I was always a fan of American Muscle, the ’69 Camaro being my favorite, but I think my interest peaked in the Camaro when I first saw the 5th Gen Concept in the movie The Transformers. Now, I’m sure there are plenty of Camaro owners that loved the car before then, but I was a late bloomer. I didn’t know much about cars, and never had much of an interest in them. Where was I? Oh right, so needless to say, I was definitely in love with the Camaro when it hit dealerships. I was still cruising around in my 4-Cylinder Chevy Cobalt, just a car I had to get from A to B. But after 6 years, I decided it was time for an upgrade. Not just an upgrade, I decided it was time that I owned a nice car. A car I was really proud of. A car I could show off. A Camaro was the answer.

As the story goes, we drove around the dealership with an awesome salesman, and my wife spotted this Summit White beauty in the back of the lot. Salesman informed us that it was a custom order by someone who backed out at the last minute. Sure would like to meet that person today and thank them. After me walking around it with my jaw on the floor, I hear my wife say, “Test drive it”. That’s all it took. The odometer went from 19 miles to 20 miles and I was sold. An instant Camaro enthusiast. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that I would take that car home that night.

And I did.

I named it The Great White Shark that night. Not sure why. Maybe it was the gills. Maybe it was the fin. Maybe it was my love for sharks. It was probably all three. I later dropped the “Great White” part. Wanted to keep it simple. And I did, for awhile…

Below are a few photos from the night I purchased it, and the next day in my driveway.

I had no interest in modding The Shark. I wanted to tint the windows and that was it. I decided a few weeks later to debadge it completely, because I felt it made it look cleaner.

And that was it. It wasn’t until months later when I met Anthony Miles and he introduced me to the Oklahoma Camaro Club. He told me to come to a show to check it out. And I did. Had a great time and met some good people. It was also around this time that I started seeing the endless possibilities of modding a Camaro and making it your own. I decided to pick up some Retro RS 1st Gen Tribute Hideaway Headlight Covers as a tribute to one of my favorite cars, the ’69 Camaro RS. I liked that not a lot of people had them, and that they made my car really stand out. I entered a second show with them on and took home a trophy.

The obsession begins……..
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=3&theater

The First Show
 

Windows tinted. Completely Debadged. Here are some photos from the first show The Shark ever entered.

Ryan, What a nice looking ride! Tint was just what it needed....:clap:

Congrats on your trophy...It is always nice to win, but just as nice to see someone new win...as was your case....:respekt: :first:

Kurt ABL99...:chevy:

The First Trophy
 

Around November of 2012, The Shark entered its second show.

The mod list was simple: Windows tinted, lights tinted all around, black gill inserts. I forgot until just now that I decided to paint the engine cover and fuse box cover white. Luckily, I've taken plenty of pics to refresh my memory. Below are some photos of my early mods, along with my very first car show trophy. I think that trophy is where the obsession began...

Let the Modding Begin!
 

In December of 2012, I had modding on the brain. I had seen what was possible, and I was determined to make The Shark famous! Ok, maybe I wasn't that crazy at first, but it definitely started then. First, it was the strut bar. Then the Roto-Fab Cold Air Intake. Then the ghosted side-markers. Then the smooth lock. The Shark was slowly evolving before my eyes and was becoming more and more unique by the day. Its funny now looking back and seeing how unique it was, yet looks nowhere near the same now. Below are some more early mods...

congrats on the new ride, can't go wrong with that beautiful white

Starting Off 2013 Right!
 

In January of 2013, I decided on a few unique mods to The Shark. I wanted to do things that set it apart from the rest. Things that made it stand out. I had hundreds of ideas in my head, but I wanted to make sure they were right. I decided to go out on a limb, and paint the lower grille and fog light bezels. It was something I hadn't seen before, and thought it would look really good on a white car. I've had nothing but compliments since, so I'd say I was right. Besides the painting, I also added a white aluminum Chevy logo under the hood that was made by a friend named Jeff in the OK Camaro Club. And finally, the tag... Yes, The Shark is unique and special. And my tag is a simple reminder of who it belongs to. I went with "MYSHARK"....

Well, Halo There...
 

In late January 2013, I decided to pull the trigger on a set of red halo's that were for sale in the OK Camaro Club. They were the dual Red/White Halos and red fog light halos. This was one mod I knew I would need help with right away. Luckily, the OK Camaro Club was there to help once again. A friend named Kevin, who seems to be an expert when it comes to LED's and wiring (and Hot Wheels), offered to help me with the mod. I was more than thrilled to have such an awesome favor done. The weekend project gave The Shark a meaner look and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. The Shark was all white and black until that mod.

That's when the red came in...

Oh, Wait! The Interior!
 

After putting in the red halos (Well, after supervising Kevin on the install), I realized that there was one area of The Shark that was still stock: The Interior! Again, in just a short weekend, the interior was transformed. Kevin came to the rescue again and installed red footwell lighting, and I finished it off with the red led overhead light. Finally, I decided to take a risk and test out my painting skills once more. I felt I was decent enough after how the engine cover, fuse box cover and aluminum Chevy logo turned out. Once again, I put my own flavor adding white to certain parts of the interior...

White Wheels... The Shark has White Wheels!
 

Some time in the March-April time frame of 2013, I did something huge. After thinking long and hard, I decided to go with the biggest change to The Shark to date.

White wheels.

From the beginning, I wanted to make The Shark my own, as well as make it unique. What would make it stand out more than white wheels? Powder coating the wheels white was one of the best mods I've done on this car. Its something that is so uncommon and rarely seen, that it turns heads daily.

Oh, and while they were off getting powder coated, I decided to paint the calipers black. Tada!

Nice car, the shark tag made me think of this....

^ I was hoping it had it looks good though!

Let's Add Some Black!
 

With the white wheels and black calipers, I decided to continue with that theme. White and black looks so good together, why not add a little more? I figured a great way to start would be to make the spoiler black. I liked how it broke up the back end and added a real nice touch. Then I decided to take it a step further. A friend of mine named Tony whom I also met in the OK Camaro Club, mentioned to me that he could do a black pinstripe for me. It turned out wonderfully, and wouldn't be the last time Tony used his skills on The Shark.

Still not sure if I'd like those on my car, and I just can't find a reason to spend $400 on them.