Speed Freaks - Grant Crosby

Speed Freeks - Grant Crosby

Meet Grant Crosby, BurgerFuel Machines Brand Ambassador, Grant Crosby. Proving that the spirit of 60s muscle cars is alive, loud, and very, very fast.

And speaking of muscle…

The Machine

Grant’s pride and joy is a 1968 Chevrolet Camaro, beast that takes the raw attitude of 60s muscle and injects it with modern track weaponry.

Under the bonnet lives a 410ci SB2 Small Block Chevrolet built by Landon Motorsport in Tauranga, pumping out 850 horsepower.

Backing that power is a 4-speed G-Force GSR gearbox, a Tilton triple plate clutch, and a Detroit Locker diff, all built to make sure every ounce of grunt gets delivered to the track without mercy.

The suspension setup is equally serious business: Penske 3-way adjustable coilovers, Eibach springs, and a 3-link rear end with an adjustable Watts link, keeping this classic Camaro planted while it defies everything engineers thought possible back in the late 60s.

Stopping power? Massive Brembo brakes — 6 piston up front, 4 piston in the rear — because when you’re moving this fast, slowing down becomes a very important conversation.

Visually, the Camaro stays mostly stock to comply with CMC racing rules, aside from a fibreglass front splitter that adds a bit of modern aggression to the classic lines. Rolling on 17x10.5 Simmons 3-piece wheels wrapped in Hankook racing slicks, the car looks every bit as serious as it is.

Inside, it’s all race — a tig welded chromoly roll cage, RaceTech seat, and 5-point harness. No cupholders here. Just business.

Built on Passion (and a Lot of Late Nights)

Running a car like this isn’t just about race weekends. According to Grant, countless hours go into maintenance and preparation between meetings and during the off-season. And it’s not a solo mission.

“I couldn’t do it without the help of a few dedicated supporters, especially head mechanic Pete!”

Every race car needs a crew — and a bit of mechanical wizardry — to keep the wheels turning.

From Go-Karts to Big Horsepower

Like many racers, Grant’s addiction started early.

“A mate of mine got into racing go karts when we were kids. I went out to the track with him one day and had a skid. I got the bug straight away and the rest was history.”

From there it escalated quickly – from Karting as a kid, to Circuit racing as a teenager, to V8 Touring Cars and Aussie Racing Cars in Australia. Then came a break from racing while focusing on work and family — until the call of horsepower dragged him back behind the wheel with this Camaro.

The Sound of Old-School Muscle

These days, Grant says it’s less about the racing and more about the machines themselves.

“You can’t beat the sight and sounds of these old muscle cars getting pushed to their limits. They weren’t designed to be going this quick back in the 60’s”, says Grant, “Doing it with a bunch of other like-minded idiots and having a cold beer at the end of the day is pretty good too.”

We couldn’t agree more.

The Camaro isn’t the only weapon in Grant’s arsenal - sitting alongside it are a couple more heavy hitters – a 1968 Dodge Charger and 1967 Chevy SS Impala.

Highlights Along the Way

Grant’s racing career has delivered some serious moments, including winning a New Zealand Karting Title in the early days and racing at legendary tracks like Bathurst, the Gold Coast Street Circuit, and the Melbourne Grand Prix circuit. Most recently, he won at the Taupō Repco Supercars event, in front of a massive crowd of friends, family, and fans.

Of course, racing isn’t always smooth sailing. Grant still remembers a heavy hit into a concrete wall at Taupō that left him with a broken wrist, two broken ribs, and a cracked pelvis. That’s racing.

We asked Grant “What’s next?” and his ultimate goal is taking the Camaro across the ditch to Australia to race against the Aussie muscle car crowd at Bathurst during the Bathurst 1000.

“It’s on the bucket list for sure.”

And if you know anything about petrolheads, you know bucket lists tend to turn into reality sooner or later.

Dream Machines

If there’s one thing Grant struggles with, it’s narrowing down his dream garage. But his top picks would be:

• 1955 Chevy Bel Air

• 1969 Chevy Camaro

• 1967 Chevy Nova

• 1967 Shelby GT500 Eleanor Mustang

(Which he admits might be the result of watching Gone in 60 Seconds a few too many times.)

Grant’s Go-To Burger

Grant is a regular at BurgerFuel Papamoa, where his go-to order is The Burnout. But when hunger hits harder, he upgrades to an American Muscle Double — which feels pretty on-brand considering what’s parked in his garage.