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SEMA Stunner: Kevin Hart’s ’69 GTO

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SEMA Stunner: Kevin Hart’s ’69 GTO

10/31/2023

SEMA Stunner: Kevin Hart’s ’69 GTO

10/31/2023

Few people in any profession work harder than comedian and actor Kevin Hart. If you Google “Kevin Hart projects,” you’ll be greeted with a dizzying list of TV comedy specials, movies, appearances, and charitable causes. He has a reputation for non-stop activity day in and day out, moving endlessly in a quest to make the most of every minute.

At the same time, Hart is a diehard car guy. He’s known for commissioning high-end custom builds from the nation’s greatest shops. A list of the projects he’s initiated reads like a directory of iconic muscle cars – ‘70 Barracuda, ‘69 Camaro, ’87 Grand National GNX, ‘67 GTO, and more.

For his latest project, he turned to Detroit Speed & Engineering (DSE), in Mooresville, North Carolina for a unique pro-touring rendition of a ’69 Pontiac GTO. Seeing the car, the finished product speaks for itself. But, if that’s not enough, Hart’s newest ride has been honored in one of the most competitive custom-car venues anywhere – the annual SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Hart’s freshly finished GTO was invited to be among the small handful of rides featured in the SEMA Monday Reveal, a high-profile presentation that kicks off the SEMA Show every year. As the GTO rumbled onto the event’s stage with its gold wheels flashing and its deep metallic brown paint glistening in the fading light of dusk, it clearly made its mark. And that’s no small thing among this group of exceptional machines.

Along with the honor of being one of a mere dozen cars invited to take the stage at the SEMA Monday Reveal, Hart’s GTO was also selected as a contender to make the Top 40 in the SEMA Battle of the Builders competition. No surprise there – the more you look at this GTO, the more you see. And the more you see, the more you want to look at it.

But that kind of subtle, irresistible power never comes easily. It can only be achieved through hard work, laser-sharp focus, and relentless attention to detail from some of the industry’s best craftsmen. It can’t be rushed, either; Hart’s GTO took three solid years of work from start to finish.

The journey of Hart’s GTO from inspiration to SEMA star began at a difficult time, deep in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic. He began discussing the project with Detroit Speed in 2020, after deciding to make the best of an under-appreciated car he’d bought with generous intentions. “This ‘69 GTO was purchased by me for a close friend who wasn’t a classic car fan,” said Hart. “And instead of returning such a great muscle car, I decided to build it into a restomod. I chose Detroit Speed to build the GTO because when it came to ‘fit and functionality’ their name was always mentioned.”

To get the ball rolling, the Detroit Speed team put famed illustrator Tavis Highlander on the project, and he came up with a variety of concepts for the car. Hart reviewed the ideas, gave his suggestions, and the general direction of the project steadily evolved.

Chassis and Drivetrain

Once the look and theme of the GTO were established, a plan for the build was formulated and the DSE team dove into the work of disassembling the car. Its basic underpinnings proved to be solid, which was vital to their plan for the build. “It’s all based off of the factory frame,” said Zach Arlen of DSE. “But we did our own custom touches on it. The frame has been boxed and strengthened where it needs to be. And then we used our X-Gen 595 Front Suspension Module in front, and a modified QUADRALink rear suspension setup.”

A proven GearFX Ford 9-inch rear end with 3.82 gears was put to work in back, and JRi adjustable coilover shocks were used all around. The potent handling this chassis combination is capable of naturally requires equally exceptional stopping power. For that, DSE went with Baer R-Spec 15-inch rotors and 6-piston Baer XTR calipers all around.

And, of course, with a high-end pro-touring build like this, it’s essential to complement such great chassis components with an equally impressive powerplant. Hart has his own preferences in performance engines. “Kevin seems to like bigger, supercharged, high horsepower stuff,” says Arlen. “A lot of his cars are Hellcat and LT swapped.”

To satisfy Hart’s taste in that regard, they headed straight to Chevrolet Performance and ordered a brand-new LT5 6.2L crate engine. First introduced in the 2019 Corvette ZR1, this supercharged LT-based V8 puts out 755 hp at 6400 rpm and a stout 715 lb-ft of torque at just 3600 rpm. Hart and the DSE team felt this was plenty enough for thrilling street performance, so they left the motor basically as it came. DSE did, however, add a Holley mid-mount front accessory drive to clean up the front of the engine and allow for a better fit in the engine compartment.

“There wasn’t a whole lot that we needed to do to really improve on the LT5 for a street car,” says Arlen. “We even kept the dry-sump oiling system it came with. The engine has enough power to be fun. It’s right on that edge of having to respect the car and having to be in tune with what it’s going to do.”

Along with potent supercharged V8s, Hart also tends to prefer manual transmission in his cars. For that, a Bowler Performance T56 Magnum transmission fit the bill nicely.

Body

Although the team was fortunate that the frame and basic structure of the car was solid, they weren’t so lucky when it came to the body. What had initially appeared to be a nice, straight GTO had serious issues lurking below its shiny green paint.

“When the car came back from media blasting, we weren’t happy with what was underneath,” says Arlen. “There was shoddy repair work, and there was a good bit of Bondo. It was easier to just start from the beginning than it was to fix what was there. So, the majority of the exterior sheet metal was replaced. The car was almost completely reskinned.”

Once the panels were replaced – including new quarters and roof skin – the team could dive into the subtle body modifications that set the car apart. Like most Detroit Speed builds, Hart’s GTO got a wide array of discreet body modifications to make the car slicker, better proportioned, and tighter fitting. But as is the case with most DSE projects, the mods are so subtle you might not even notice them unless someone told you about them.

The biggest change was up front, for the grille. While it may seem sacrilegious to even consider replacing the classic GTO grille with something else, the crew at DSE had specific reasons to do so. And if it’s any consolation to diehard Pontiac fans, they went to a close sibling of the GTO to get the right pieces.

“We didn’t use the GTO Endura bumper,” explains Arlen. “That surprises a lot of people. But then they wonder, ‘Why does it fit so nice?’ Well, we had a solid base to work with, because we actually used a steel LeMans unit. And then all the GTO hideaway headlight stuff was retrofitted into it. That eliminated a lot of the risk involved with the Endura noses – flexing, cracking, and everything they’re notoriously known for.”

Complementing the bumper rework is extensively modified sheet metal work below it. “On the front valence, where the license plate used to sit, we had a custom peak built out of sheet metal to make it the same shape as the bumper,” says Arlen. “One of our engineers here at Detroit Speed designed the lower grilles and the valence to mimic the GTO grille – they’re actually a miniature version of the car’s nose.”

Some of the most extensive body modifications were up front. The flexible Endura noses that originally came on '69 GTOs are prone to cracking and other issues. To avoid those problems, the Detroit Speed team instead used a steel grille from a Pontiac LeMans of the same era. This allowed the team to modify and tweak it to fit the rest of the body precisely. Along with this, the front valence was modified extensively to make it smoother looking and add design details that echoed the look of the grille.

The hood also received subtle modifications. But in this case, the reasons for its rework weren’t purely aesthetic. “A big thing that most people won’t even notice is the front of the hood scoops were brought forward to clear the supercharger on that LT5,” notes Arlen. “We wanted to make a stock appearing custom hood that would work. So rather than building the scoop up, we just brought it forward two or three inches so it would clear.”

At the same time, the rear bumpers were sectioned to tuck in as close as possible to the body and they were smoothed over to eliminate the carriage bolts that stuck out like blisters on the original units. Along with this, the rear spoiler was widened to meet the body line on the quarter panels and the ends were dropped down slightly to tighten the gaps where the spoiler meets the decklid. Rounding out the body mods are recessed locks, along with mirrors similar to Oldsmobile Cutlass units from the same era.

Once the body was finally finished, it was time for paint. Like all DSE cars, Hart’s GTO was painted in-house, using SATA spray guns. And so, after meticulous prep, the GTO was brought into the DSE booth and sprayed with BASF R-M Diamont paint, in rich Mercedes Mystic Brown.

Interior and Final Details

Once the body was finished and the car was reassembled, it was time to turn attention to the interior. While doing the exterior renderings that kicked the project off, Tavis Highlander had also unleashed his talents on the interior, developing themes and colors for Hart to consider.

“Kevin looked into some different colors, but they all kind of hovered around that reddish brown, cognac colored interior,” recounts Arlen. “It seemed like that was definitely something he wanted to include. I think he was also considering white and silver, and I think there was also a blue or gray rendering done. He wanted it to read ‘old GTO’ but have a modern feel to it, which is how most of our cars are.”

Once the overall interior theme was locked down, Avant-Garde Design was called in to bring it to life. Considered among the best in custom car interior design and fabrication, the final result speaks for itself. “Avant-Garde pretty well nailed it,” says Arlen. Complementing the overall look and bringing a unique visual effect are custom gauges from Classic Instruments.

From there all that remained were the final details. To set off the rich paint hue, the car has tasteful gold accents throughout the interior, exterior, and engine bay. The most obvious of these accents are the gold HRE Valkyrja wheels. They’re an off-the-shelf design, but in custom sizes – 20”x 10” front and 20”x 12” rear. Michelin Pilot Sport 4S performance tires were used all around.

Under the hood, the gold theme continues, with the engine painted the same vibrant hue, which is set off tastefully with black accessories throughout. And those are just the obvious uses of the color. There are loads more. “We have gold details throughout the car,” says Arlen. “The stalks on the steering column, the pointers on the gauges, even the GTO badging on the rear marker lights are gold – instead of being white, the script is now that same gold as the wheels.”

Of course, the jewelry-like effect of gold trim is always enhanced with a little bit of diamond-like sparkle. For that, the build was topped off with Holley RetroBright LED headlight bulbs, to give the car a modern look and brighten things up further.

Bringing it All Together

The finished car is a masterpiece that blends modern pro-touring looks and performance with just the right amount of old-school vintage cool. “This car is different,” says Arlen. “It’s very ‘GTO.’ When you think back to The Judge, it was built around that funky era for Pontiac, with bright colors and stripes. And even though this car isn’t bright like that, it still has that late ‘60s Pontiac feel, that same kind of fun vibe.”

Any project of this magnitude is a tight collaboration between the build team and the owner who initiates the project. In that regard, Hart is said to have been a great partner in the process.

“Kevin said, ‘If you don’t hear from me, that’s a good sign,’” says Arlen. “It means he’s trusting you with his project. So, for the most part, we just followed the script and built the car. Of course, there were times when we would need him to approve an interior decision and, of course, the paint decision. But for the most part we had the renderings, he approved them, and we ran with it.”

It’s all in a day’s work for the crew at Detroit Speed. Although not all their customers are mega-celebs like Hart, the car owners who come to DSE know the company will honor their intentions and vision, while imbuing their ride with the unique blend of balanced performance, tasteful design, and exquisitely flawless execution the company is known for.

“With a collection of high-performance classics revered around the world, we were honored to work with Kevin Hart on his latest masterpiece,” says John McLeod of DSE. “And we’re excited to see our work showcased on the world’s largest aftermarket stage.”

Ultimately, the tight, trusting relationship between the DSE team and its clients is the fuel that makes all this possible. “We’ve got customers that we can only dream of,” says Arlen. “We’re very thankful for every one of them, and for the quality of car that they want. It allows us to do our best work.”

It’s a sentiment that Hart enthusiastically mirrors. “From knowledge to creativity, DSE checks all the boxes. I’m excited about the work that was performed on my classic!”