The Holley LS Fest comes but only once a year, and when it does, it brings out a who’s who in the LS game. Everyone from the casual enthusiast to the hardcore drag racer, as well as some of the biggest names in the aftermarket industry bring out their biggest, baddest and most effective hardware to compete in the series of LS-based vehicle challenges.
One of those individuals is Darren Poole Adams, a long-time late-model GM guy who tells us he first got his start with a ’95 Firebird oh so long ago, running in the Stock Eliminator class, setting national records along the way. These days, he’s rocking a pair of COPO Camaros, thanks to our friends at Chevrolet Performance! The first, despite its 2014-15 nose job, is actually a 2012 model (serial No. 6) powered by a 396 LS3-based engine featuring flat-top MAHLE pistons.
The COPO parked next to it, is a 2014 COPO car (Serial No. 7)and features the new 350 ci. LS7 block, LS3 heads and MAHLE pistons with a slight dome that translates to 12:1 compression. What’s even more impressive, is that Darren tells us that even though he and his crew had built the 350 ci. engine themselves, it utilizes all of the same hardware you would find you would find in the Chevrolet Performance crate engines – including the MAHLE pistons. Even spinning the engine at over 8,000 rpm, the engine is 100% reliable and has been withstanding all of the abuse Darren can throw at it.
We’ll be looking forward to seeing these cars return at this year’s Holley LS Fest during he weekend of September 11-13th – see you there!
Rick Seitz is the owner and founder of GMEFI Magazine, and has a true love and passion for all vehicles. When he isn’t tuning, testing, or competing with the brand’s current crop of project vehicles, he’s busy tinkering and planning the next modifications for his own cars.
