In May 2002, Jason Gilden, a police officer for the city of Atlanta, had the itch to heavily modify his '99 Z28 convertible. After discussing it with his twin brother Jarrett, they decided the best way for Jason to scratch that itch was to take the plunge and buy a brand-new '02 Camaro. Disappointment quickly set in when Jason found out the window of opportunity for ordering the last of the Camaros had closed. After a flurry of phone calls and exhausting Internet searches, Jason and his brother found a dealer in Hamburg, New York, that had a few '02 35th Anniversary SS Camaros in stock which had just come in from Canada. Jarrett still lived in their old hometown of Buffalo, so Jarrett went to check things out.
Three weeks later, Jason sold his '99 Camaro and put the money down on his '02 SS. Back in Atlanta at the local precinct, a car hauler showed up at the station. When Jason's sergeant commented that a hauler loaded with some sharp cars was in the parking lot, Jason informed the sarge that the Camaro was his. We won't put into print what the sarge told Jason, but minutes later he made a believer of them all when they saw him rolling the Camaro off the hauler and promptly roasting the tires.
Just a short time after its delivery, the modifications started. The Z06 wheels were the first of several bolt-ons. Apparently, going overboard is a trait Jason has always possessed, and Audio Unlimited of Lawrenceville helped him by installing his killer A/V system, including an Xbox and Playstation 2. Three years later, the bolt-ons just weren't enough, leading to that old familiar itch coming back, and it was time to modify the Camaro again. While visiting Georgia, Jarrett convinced his brother to take his Camaro to the guys at GMMG. As you may or may not know, GMMG are industry leaders when it comes to modifying late-model Camaros and Trans-Ams.
After going to lunch with Matt Murphy and the guys from GMMG, both brothers were pleased to learn that when it came to the Limited Edition SS performance package, there were still a few left; GMMG only built 50 with this package and badging. Jason opted for the Phase II package, which would rate his Camaro at 475hp. The brakes were also modified to Corvette calipers and rotors, and a set of subframe connectors was installed. After that, the red houndstooth fabric on the seats gave that classic Camaro styling from years past.
We could just end the story right here and say something like, "Jason drives his SS Camaro and roasts the hides any chance he gets," etc. But like any real hot rod story, there really is no end to it. Remember Jason's twin brother, Jarrett? Well, he built himself a '99 Trans-Am that produced 451hp at the rear wheels. We'll give you one guess where this sibling rivalry will end. That's right-out on the track, or on the dyno. Jason just couldn't let his brother one-up him, so he added a FAST 90mm intake and a Dick Williams ported and polished throttle body. How's that for a brotherly F-Body shootout?