One of the First ‘Pro Mods’ to Enter Drag and Drive, the former Dave Ahokas-Owned ’68 Camaro, Has Reappeared, and It’s for Sale!
There are always competitors that will push the envelope, wanting more from their performance for a number of possible reasons. Drag and drive events are not immune to this, and after a half-dozen Hot Rod Drag Week events were in the books, we started to see the next level of ‘street car.’
Granted, the definition of ‘Pro Mod’ is thrown around as much as some do with ‘street car,’ but there was no denying when Dave Ahokas rolled out his crazy ’68 Camaro, the meaning behind the ‘Unlimited’ class was fully on display. Now, after a ten-plus year absence, the former Ahokas Camaro has re-appeared, with a ‘For Sale’ tag on it!
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So, a little backstory and history: even though the rule set of the Unlimited class has been a version of “Unlimited is the most radical class and has no restrictions on modifications except for those listed in ‘Vehicle Rules for All Classes’” according to current Sick The Magazine rules, it was Larry Larson’s all-steel 3500-pound Chevy II that owned the class from 2008 to 2012 at the Hot Rod Drag Week event.
But the lighter and sleeker stuff was coming. First, it was the completely tube chassis with a fiberglass body on top ’69 Camaro that was brought to life by Denny Terzich, and driven by Jeff Lutz in 2011. Is it a Pro Mod? Depends on your definition, but the gates had opened.
After competing with a 1940 Willys in a few Hot Rod Drag Weeks, Ahokas rolled out the purpose-built 1968 Camaro that had the pits, and the internet, buzzing just one year later. The Camaro had enough features to look like a 1968 model, but the carbon fiber body was longer than a standard model, and it was narrowed as well.
Noted chassis builder Jerry Bickel Race Cars was responsible for the ride coming to life, and the surprises also came beneath the one-piece nose. Ditching the common big block Chevrolet theme most carried, Ahokas rang up Ken Duttweiler with plans for a twin-turbo small block.
That first year found Ahokas nailing a 7.00 at 193.99 mph in Tulsa on Day One of Hot Rod Drag Week 2012, but his week would be over less than 24 hours later. One year later, Ahokas returned, determined, and went toe-to-toe to Tom Bailey for the top spot.
Bailey, who now owned the former Terzich ‘Sick Seconds 1.0’ 1969 Camaro, would take control of the top spot with 6-second performances at all five track days. Ahokas kept it close, but a pair of 7-second runs sunk his chances. But there was a silver lining to his 7.222 average, as it came with a Hot Rod Drag Week 200 mph club slot, becoming the club’s fourth member.
Ahokas’ Camaro would not make another Hot Rod Drag Week appearance, but in the Summer of 2024, it would change owners for the second time in three years. David Adkins had acquired the car from Kenny Woods, who bought it from Ahokas in 2021.
When we initially talked about it with Adkins in July of 2025, he noted he had purchased the car turn key, as well as the spare engine Ahokas had. He initially had plans to hopefully getting into a drag and drive with it, but recently, Adkins listed that the car would be for sale.
“It’s a cool car with a lot of history,” said Adkins. “Just needs the right new owner to get it back out there.” The car currently packs a 420 cubic inch twin-turbo small block, similar to the engine Duttweiler ran in the Speed Demon land speed car.
Is there a chance we’ll see this radical Camaro back in the drag and drive game in 2026-2027?
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Dominick Damato (DRD Photos), David Adkins, Hot Rod, Larson Race Cars.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com