1 of only 3 known to exist with the Strato Bench Seat option
The Z/28 was starting to show its age after a dozen years, so it went in for new paint along with a full restoration.
However, in 1981 the owner bought his own Chevy/Buick dealership and became bogged down in business, so the project sat, stripped of paint.
He needed space at the dealership, so the car was put into what he thought would be safe storage in Belaire, Ohio, where the Camaro sat from 1981 to 1998. Sadly, the owner of the storage fell on hard times, and at some point around the mid-1990s the building was broken into and the car’s original 302, 4-speed, wheels, and cowl plenum intake were all stolen!
It's much more fun for your sweetie to snuggle up close on a bench seat than in a pair of buckets.
ReplyDeleteYou honey has room to spread out...
DeleteCamaro a sports car? I don't think so. Ponycar sure, musclecar maybe, but a sports car, no.
ReplyDeleteBesides, with that fold down armrest you have the best of both worlds.
Sad story about the car, but really cool seat option.
Don't tell Don Yenko, Roger Penske, Mark Donohue, and the SCCA that a Camaro isn't a sports car. Ok, that was fair, but funny... sure, you're right, the other 99 percent are pony cars, well, or were until the last generation. There's not a lot of difference between the C7 Corvettes and the last gen of Camaros, and I think you'll agree that seriously makes the recent Camaros sports cars, else why else would so many of them be at the Optima Challenge?
DeleteBut no, the 70s camaros, the 80s and 90s camaros? Not so much, not unless they were track prepped like the IROC racers
SCCA does not have a class called "Sports Cars'. A Camaro could run under Sedan or Touring though.
DeleteI assume you mention Penske and Donohue for their participation of racing Camaros in Trans-Am back in the day. But the TA series was originally known as the Trans-American Sedan Championship. The sedan word was dropped from the title, but sports car was never added.
Also, Porsche only competed until their 911 was reclassified from a sedan to a sports car. TA was always about sedans, not sports cars.
Many people define sports cars different ways and there are many sporty cars, including Camaros. To me a sports car has only 2 seats and a top that drops. Otherwise it's a GT or something else.
Dino... if you skipped past what the letters SCCA stand for, and go right to the classes, then, maybe you missed that they are all SPORTS CARS.
DeleteAnd to you it's not a sports car if it's a hard top? Really? So, no hardtop Corvettes are sports cars, to you. No Porsches, BMWs, Jaguars, Mercedes gullwings, Abarth Fiats, NSX, AMX, Aston Martin, Audi R8, Callaway Corvettes, Vipers, Panteras, Ferraris, GT 40, Lamborghini, Lancia Stratos, Lotus, Maserati, McLarens, Morgans, Fiero, Spyker, and Toyota Supra are sports cars if they have a hardtop? Really?
Did you want to stand by that ridiculous definition?
First, what the letters in SCCA stand for is really not important. You don't even have to own a car to join the SCCA, sports car or otherwise. Also, they started off as the Automobile Racing Club of America.
DeleteSecond. Yes, I will stand by my statement.
Because I said, "TO ME a sports car has only 2 seats and a top that folds down". I realize that most people don't agree with this.
But that's ok, they don't have to. I like this traditional definition from way back when.
But I can compromise my definition. Some of the cars you mention:
Corvettes - soft top or hard top - ok, sports car.
Porsche - depends on the car. 911, Cayman, Boxster - yes. The 924, 944, 928 - no, those are GTs. I think it's obvious about their SUVs.
Jaguar - only the drop tops and definitely not any of the sedans. An E-type convertible is a sports car, but a E-type coupe is a GT. The coupe is one of my top 10 favorite cars by the way, and much better looking than the drop top. In my opinion.
Gullwing - no. Amazing car but it's a Grand Tourer.
NSX - ok, yes a sports car
AMX - no. Muscle car
Aston Martin - really? They were always marketed as a GT car.
R8 - ok
Ferrari - depends on the model. They make GT cars and sports cars. I would contend they have made more GTs than sports cars.
Morgan - most all of them are 2 seat drop tops so not sure why you mention them.
Fiero - LOL... really? That's what they promised, but the early ones were just commuter cars. The sportiest versions were actually called the GT as I recall.
Anyway, back to the subject of the Camaro. I love Camaros, Firebirds, Mustangs, 442s, GTOs, Chargers, Challengers, etc.
They can be fun and fast. They can be raced. I've even owned a few. But they are not "sports cars".
In my opinion.
Might have been a young guy with a new family and only way he could convince his wife it would be a family car.
ReplyDeletethat would be clever!
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