The 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives' Camaro Has a Twin Sister

As a Triple D fan since the premiere episode back in 2007, I’ve relished the opportunity to ride shotgun as Guy Fieri acted as our collective culinary tour guide. I readily admit that I’ve questioned whether our wheels were really real, though.

He’s not actually driving that same Camaro down the street in California as he is in Connecticut, right? There has to be some special effects at play to make it appear that the ruby-red ride is magically in the neighborhood wherever Guy roamed.

My skepticism ceased as soon as I caught up on a 2022 Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives special called “Revved Up.”

Over the past 19 years, “Triple D has been the ultimate food road trip on the road to Flavortown,” Guy said to kick off the episode. “I've tasted thousands of amazing dishes in over 300 cities across the United States. If there's one thing I can count on, it's my ride to get around in. The '68 Camaro is the cornerstone of Triple D, and probably one of the most recognized cars in the country.”

For the first few seasons, he drove a fleet of classic cars. But then Guy refreshed this beauty, a 1968 Camaro Super Sport, “and it’s been my sidekick ever since.”

It’s so iconic that fans regularly ask Guy, "Hey, where's the Camaro?" And get this: The French Cheese Board carved its likeness into a giant wheel of Comté cheese.

True, food is Guy’s No. 1 passion. But coming in a close second are cars — hot rods in particular. This ruby-red whip “is near and dear to my heart,” Guy admitted, and “now, she's about to get a twin sister … It's one of my favorite cars, but she's always on the road. With an identical twin, I’ll always have one I can cruise around town in.”

She’s been part of the show’s supporting cast since 2011, and the car is in great shape. But Guy said that “the [first] problem is, the car is always on the road, and I never get to drive it.”

Besides offering versatility if one model required a tune-up, Guy had a heartwarming reason why he wanted to bring a vehicular twin into this world: “I have two sons: Hunter and Ryder. If you could sit at the dinner table and listen to the arguments of who is going to get that car when I'm gone…”

Over the years, Guy’s vehicular pride and joy has been driven by everyone from NFL legend Joe Theismann to *NSYNC boy band star Joey Fatone. NASCAR driver Clint Boyer took it for a spin (and a few doughnuts) on an official racetrack. Every so often, you might find fellow Food Network stars like Maneet Chauhan and Stephanie Izard in the copilot seat.

This car has joined Guy on trips far and wide; from the Big Apple to Key West to Juneau and beyond. In fact, “it’s been to every state in the United States,” Guy confirmed, something fewer than 2 percent of Americans have done. The Camaro has even ventured into Canada.

The epic road trip is far from over, but Guy is beginning to turn his attention a long way down the road. To be able to pass the coveted keys along to both of his sons, Guy tapped the team at VP SpeedShop — including manager Ray Fazzini, co-owner Rory Allen and shop foreman Dustin Hallinan — to take a doppelganger car and give it a makeover to match his well-traveled masterpiece. At the same time, the original car would get a tune-up so the Camaros would match.

“I want this to be so identical that when we roll this off the floor, and I put this in front of Hunter and Ryder, I want them to not be able to tell which one was built first,” Guy instructed his car pros. To which his crew replied, “How about we do it where you can’t tell?”

First, the technicians stripped down the vintage soon-to-be-twin car to bare metal. Then, they replaced anything that was damaged. Next, they gave it several coats of “Righteous Rojo,” which is the signature shade that Guy designed with House of Kolor, a custom paint company. But that’s just the beginning.

After that, the whole car was reassembled with a new engine, transmission, suspension, gear shift, gauges, electrical, seats, upholstery, steering wheel, tires, rims and all.

“Just like you need stellar ingredients to make a stunner of a meal, you need quality parts to bring a remodeled car to life," Guy said.

As the car parts came into the shop, Guy compared them to the mise en place a chef might prepare prior to making a dish: “All of the ingredients, but nothing put together yet.”

Fueled by lunch from chef Dustin Valette from Roof 106 in nearby Healdsburg, California, the car techs had a refreshed perspective on the task at hand. After devouring bone-in, butter-roasted New York strip steak showered with black truffles, seared ahi tuna tataki, blistered shishito peppers, duck confit pizza, pork belly pizza and smoked salmon pizza with crispy capers — all paired with wine from the chef’s family label, Valette — the food and car fans began to find even more similarities between those two seemingly different categories.

“You can find pizzas for $5.99, and you can get your car painted for $99,” Guy told his car crew. “The reality is from 20 feet away, it looks like a regular pizza and a regular paint job. But once you get up close and intimate with it, you realize there’s so much more to it than what’s on the surface.”

“Good from far but far from good,” one top-tier technician said. “Definitely the best lunch we’ve ever had at our shop,” another chimed in.

As work continued over the months, Guy looked forward to the progress updates, surprises (like a “Knuckle Sandwich” decal under the hood) and conversations with the rehab team. He readily admitted, though, that he’ll leave the handiwork to the pros … “I brought lunch. That’s the only thing I can offer.”

This time, it’s from Kelvin Khamvongsa, chef/owner of Tomi Thai Restaurant in Windsor, California. The spread included chicken spring rolls with peanut sauce, nahm tok moo (grilled pork salad), pork larb, chicken red curry and pad kra pao (Thai basil chicken), drunken noodles and pineapple fried rice. Agreeing that the spread delivered tons of flavor and texture, they all had even more energy to get to the finish line with both red-hot Camaros.

As the clock ticked down during the final week before Guy’s deadline, his crew began staying at the shop until 10 p.m. to ensure the wiring was hidden, the paint job was pristine and the engine emitted just the right “purr.”

“I’ve even contemplated just bringing my pillow, a couple blankets … just staying here. It’s go home, go to sleep, wake up and come back,” one said.

All of that TLC was more than worth it as the big reveal approached. Guy invited family — including Hunter and Ryder, of course, and Guy’s parents joined in on the fun — plus fellow hot rod-loving friends to a parking-lot party. Of course it was catered in style by chef Cesar Garcia of Offroad Pizza trailer.

Reflecting on all of the memories he’s shared with his “co-host,” the Camaro, Guy grew increasingly excited to see his twins drive out of the garage. With Ryder and Hunter at his side, all three Fieris stood aghast, truly unsure of which was the original. “I’m speechless,” Guy said. “Out of bounds. Off the hook. Way over the top.”

The whirring sound of the engines revving was the official call to all of the guests to gather and cast their vote about which was the OG and which was the new kid on the block. Eleven partygoers picked “A” and 23 selected “B” as the original. Guy, Hunter and Ryder all chose A.

After asking for an imaginary drumroll, VP SpeedShop co-owner Rory unveiled the original car: “It’s B!” Despite the fact that Guy and his sons were totally duped, there were no losers here. “Let’s go for a ride,” Guy said, as he joined his sons for a lap around the block. “With two Camaros to take me, Flavortown just got a whole lot bigger.”