A legend in its own time, the Camaro Z28 was a street legal race car with a rip-roaring, high-revving 302 V8. It was underrated at 290 horsepower and 290 ft-lbs of torque, and with one blip of the gas pedal, you’d know there was a lot more power than they are telling you. Even today, these rare and amazing machines inspire and impresses with the unbridled roar of racing power.

So when we came across this video from Nelson Racing Engines taking a ’69 Camaro Z28 out on the streets, we just had to share it with you…but not everything is as it first seems.

Nelson Racing Engines is famous for their massive twin-turbo behemoth engines that make over 1,000 horsepower and more. Yet when you first open the hood of this ’69 Camaro Z28, you’ve got what looks like a stock DZ 302 engine under the hood. As the story goes, the 302 engine was a combination of a 327 block and a 283 crankshaft, producing a high-revving and very powerful V8 that could compete in SCCA Trans Am.

But this is no 302 engine; its really a 427 Hot Rod Series engine from NRE. It uses a reworked version of the original dual plane intake, and an original carburetor that was worked to flow of 1,000 cfm. Rated at 630 horsepower and 595 ft-lbs of torque, this beast of a motor may not rev as high as the original 302…but we can find it in our hearts to forgive them. It sounds like a Pro Stock drag racers if you ask us. We’ve got to ask, what do you guys think of a “cheater” motor with an authentic look, but extra cubes and a lot more power?