Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Laissez Les Lent Temps Rouler: 1979 Chevrolet Camaro Z28

We continue our celebration of Mardi Gras with cars that wear masks...specifically cars that appear to be something that they aren't.  The 2nd generation Camaro Z28 appears to be a sporty 2+2, but it is actually a dog that would be trounced in a sprint to 60mph by a new Chevy Volt. That doesn't mean I wouldn't want one...Find this 1979 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 offered for $13,650 in Nashville, TN via craigslist.  Tip from FuelTruck.

When General Motors redesigned the original Camaro after three years of production (1967-69) they didn't intend to produce such a slow car.  In fact, many things were done to make the new Camaro better in every way -- a stiffer chassis, better suspension....but the 70s double whammy of a fuel crisis and tightening emissions standards turned the once mighty Z28 into a marmot in lions fur.  


Under the hood is a Chevy 350 V8, a pushrod equipped cast iron beast that was fed with a 4bbl carburetor and rated at 175 horsepower.  With a decent set of a tools and a few grand you could easily uncork a few hundred more horsepower from the small block, but then you lose the originality and some places frown upon that kind of thing. 


See a car from the 70s with a cooler set of wheels? tips@dailyturismo.com
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5 comments:

  1. AnonymousFebruary 9, 2016 at 8:06 AM

    Cars from this era just hold so many bad memories. Put that $14K down on a new Mustang or Camaro and peel the skin right off your face.

    I test drove both last weekend, "base 6spd" Mustang GT with 435hp (amazing) and the lesser V6- 335hp Camaro. The 7grand redline on the Camaro was awesome. Both are scary fast, but with a built out of a solid block of metal feel. The interior is far less Play Skool as well.

    Anyway, it was a nice diversion for an old man on a cold winter day. It also reinforced the fact that 1979 anything automotive US was floppy, sloppy, ugly, ran like crap and seem to epitomize President Carter's malaise diagnosis.

    Awful YUK to BUCK ration here.

    ReplyDelete
  2. sean scottFebruary 9, 2016 at 9:43 AM

    When it comes down to making out, whenever possible, put on side one of Led Zeppelin IV

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownFebruary 9, 2016 at 11:33 AM

    Man, I love this generation. Who cares if it's all that slow? It has style.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Paul WellsFebruary 9, 2016 at 9:34 PM

    People seem to put LS1 engines into everything but these cars. Its not like some purist would complain if they replaced wheezy original V-8 with an injected LS motor...

    ReplyDelete
  5. FTBFebruary 10, 2016 at 8:20 AM

    LOL...this one's local to me....saw it the other day but never thought to submit it here. Sean, my thoughts went to the same movie, but I was more along the lines of: "Dude, my old man's a TV repairman---he's got a killer set of tools---I can fix it."

    ReplyDelete

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