Incredible story of how a 1979 Camaro became a war veteran
- This customized 1979 Chevy Camaro became an unlikely war hero
- It was used by a Danish veteran to ship supplies during the Yugoslav Wars
- The car had several interesting customizations
Published on Nov 30, 2024 at 2:00 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Nov 27, 2024 at 6:34 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
A specially-customized 1979 Chevrolet Camaro became an unlikely war hero during the Yugoslav Wars in the 1990s.
The souped-up muscle car was used by veteran Helge Meyer to provide life-saving necessities like food and medical supplies.
Meyer had been part of Denmark’s Jaeger Corps – an elite special forces unit.
With his military background and trusty Camaro, Meyer was able to provide much-needed essentials to those caught up in the conflict.
DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie
The Chevrolet Camaro belonged to a Danish veteran
The Chevrolet Camaro is one of the most iconic muscle cars of all time – so much so, this one person customized an electric golf cart to replicate it.
But while the cars remain a solid and desirable choice for gearheads, this 1979 model became a legendary war hero.
After seeing the conflict unfold, Meyer bought the Camaro with plans of using it to carry much-needed supplies to civilians in Bosnian towns.
In his book titled Gottes Rambo (meaning God’s Rambo), Meyers explained that before setting off, he reached out to the officials at US Air Force who decided to offer logistical and technical support to the veteran.
But even with that assistance, this was no simple task and Meyer and Camaro – dubbed the ‘Ghost Camaro ‘- would have to traverse roads in active warzones where IED and landmines were common.
To give the car its best shot at success, Meyer worked alongside Air Force technicians to modify the Camaro.
These unusual customizations included a matte black paint job that was infrared-defeating and would allow Meyer to go undetected during night runs.
The Chevy had a bunch of customizations
It was fitted with special ballistic windows as well as steel and Kevlar panels to offer protection from gunfire.
Inside, the Camaro was stripped right back, to allow more room to transport vital supplies, and a night vision system was fitted so Meyer could travel safely at night without having to use the car’s headlights.
Meyer didn’t change the Camaro’s engine, opting to keep its original 5.7 liter V8, but tuning it so that it could produce 220 horsepower.
Alongside the tune-up, Meyer fitted a nitrous system that could offer an additional 200hp, if required. Impressive stuff.
Meyer took to the roads without any weapons, relying almost solely on the Camaro for protection.
Today, Meyer still has the old Camaro, but he’s since removed the special paintwork, replacing it with an eye-catching orange paint job.
Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Across her career she's covered a wide variety of topics, including celebrity, cryptocurrency, politics, true crime and just about everything in between.
