We all know GM was caught napping in the pony car revolution; Ford’s Mustang took the market by storm when announced in 1964 and became the fastest selling car ever. For a short while GM convinced itself the Corvair was a reasonable competitor, but Mustang-shaped styling bucks were in the GM studios within short order.

Words Tim Nevinson Photos Jared Clark

In some ways Chevrolet had a small advantage in that it could look hard at the Mustang and find its pitfalls. The problem was that, as far as the public was concerned, there weren’t many. The wonder of the Ford package was that it was based heavily on their cheapest model, the Falcon. Chevrolet had an additional dilemma in that its small package, the Chevy Nova, was on the way out and making way for the Chevy II Nova, which was quite a radical redesign. Instead of using a chassis and separate body, the new Chevy II Nova was going to be unibody, or monocoque, construction without a chassis. Its development and tooling were well on the way, but of course it was an unknown quantity.

The sector in which the Mustang and Camaro were competing was very much aimed at young and performance-oriented customers

For Chevrolet, in consideration of the new ‘X’ car — the Mustang competitor — this was both good and bad. It was good in that Chevrolet thought it had a lower volume car on which to test out the construction that should give them an advantage on weight and long-term production costs over the Mustang. It was bad in that the Nova had a high firewall to the base of the screen and there simply wasn’t time to re-engineer a different solution for the X-car, so its styling would have to accommodate this. Also bad news was that a convertible version was a must, and unibody construction did not lend itself well to convertible shells at that time (scuttle shake was a feature of cars with this construction).

The first of these problems Chevrolet breezed through. Its styling house at the time was on top of the world and they designed what became known as the Coke bottle shape (a fashion that was to go on well into the seventies throughout the world) for the X-car. This meant the door waist line went downwards from the screen pillar and then arched upwards as it went over the rear wheel. The X-car was a masterpiece of styling: it masked what was originally seen as a negative and made it into a positive.

The X-Factor

The scuttle shake on the X—car convertible was never satisfactorily solved. Torsionally, the convertible version was a jelly, but then with the sort of uses it would be put to, it wasn’t such a big deal for the public. Of course, the alternative coupe version was torsionally stronger and therefore potentially better than a conventional chassis car in terms of ride, handling and refinement. While the Mustang was available in convertible, notchback and fastback versions, GM cut costs by making its ‘pony car’ a convertible, and one closed coupe version that was half way between a notchback and a fastback. Suspension was another area where GM cut costs — as it was doing throughout its range — by using interchangeable components. Another decision made up front was to engineer the car so that it could take both small block and big block V8 engines, as well as a straight six.

One of the last, hardest and most important decisions GM had to make was what to call the X-car. In the end they didn’t use any of the names they had enrolled through a company wide suggestion scheme, but a word found by Ed Rollet (vice president) and merchandising manager Bob Lund while going through a foreign language dictionary. ‘Camaro’ was a Spanish derived word that meant ‘friend’. The Camaro was revealed at the GM Proving Grounds in September 1966, and went on sale in 1967. Arch rival Ford had discovered this gold mine of a sales sector and its three-year start meant GM had some catching up to do. However, the Camaro did all that was expected of it.

The sector in which the Mustang and Camaro were competing was very much aimed at young and performance-oriented customers. While they didn’t necessarily opt for the fastest model, it was important that the car had a sporty image, whether they bought a six-cylinder poverty pack or the fastest available. The American Motor Manufacturers were still tied by a self-imposed ban on works entry into competition, although by this time they had all found ways of circumventing the ban by providing off-the-shelf parts and option packs that allowed favoured race teams to be competitive.

The number of different official option and accessory packs for each model was bewildering, not just for the sport, but for looks and comfort across the ranges of each manufacturer. While the full size cars and big block engines took care of NASCAR and some drag racing specials, the Camaro was particularly suitable for a new series of circuit racing sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America. Originally dominated by imports from Porsche and Alfa Romeo, this class was ripe for the picking by the big three. The SCCA series for two-door, four-passenger cars became known as Trans-Am.

Penske’s Parcel

Mustangs were already winning this hands down when Vince Piggins, who was GM’s product promotion engineer, recommended to his management that a package should be made available that made the Camaro an easy choice for GM friendly teams. The best engine size (five litres) to be successful in this formula suited Ford very well, but Chevrolet didn’t have an engine that was a perfect fit, so Piggins made one up out of the GM parts bin. A 327ci engine with a 283 crankshaft gave a displacement just below five litres (302ci). Roger Penske was the key customer and his Sunoco cars driven by Mark Donohue would become ultra successful in this formula. Penske used a company called Travis & Coon (Traco) to do his development, and this was where Chevrolet initially shipped their parts for development.

going through a foreign language dictionary. ‘Camaro’ was a Spanish derived word that meant ‘friend’

Traco used a four-inch bore and three-inch stroke to develop a quoted 290bhp and 290lb/ft of torque from an 11:1 compression ratio in stock form, running through an 800cfm Holley carburettor.  A Corvette camshaft was used and a special dual exhaust for use with tubular headers, which were thrown in the boot as an after market accessory and fitted by the dealer on delivery. In fact, because of the shroud that was being put over performance of cars, the power was somewhat underrated on paper and a stock 302ci Chevrolet could put out 340 to 350hp on the street. These components were put together as a Performance Option pack available from GM, and this particular set of hardware was the 28th option on register Z of Regular Production Options.

While it was exactly what Traco needed to make its racing engines for Penske; on the street it was a dog, especially with Automatic transmission, because the low-down torque was virtually nonexistent. A Camaro fitted with Option Z-28 was built to rev, but was the opposite of all we know about torquey American V8s. This 302 was a homologation special, less suitable for road use than other derivatives Chevrolet offered for the Camaro, but because of its race success, the 1967 RPO Z-28 package became legendary and sought after in show rooms, although only 602 were built.
For 1968, Penske’s parcel from GM was even more robust. In the buyer’s crate marked RPO Z-28, he got a two-stage 600cfm carburettor with fresh air intake and a special aluminium intake manifold and tubular exhaust manifold, transistorized ignition, Koni adjustable shocks and disc brakes for each corner.

After the success of the previous option pack on the track 7200 cars were sold in 1968 with Option Z-28 and Penske was pretty happy with 10 wins out of 12 TransAm events in 1968. In 1969 he had to try a bit harder, but still won the championship. Penske moved to AMC product after that, but Jim Hall’s Chaparral team took up the mantle for Chevrolet.

No Coke

GM at the time considered most body shapes had a three-year run before they needed replacing. In 1969 the original shape got different styling around the wheel arches, but for 1970 it was going to be completely different, the Coke bottle would disappear. GM didn’t know it at the time, but that three-year cycle wasn’t going to apply this new shape. The car that Robin Ambrusfy drives is 1979, but still derived from that 1970 shell.

Chevrolet planners decided they could do without convertible sales, so the new car was coupe-only. Apparently the styling team were instructed to come up with something that looked ‘European’. It didn’t, but it did look good, and with the right combination of wheels and trim looked very aggressive. This time they were determined to engineer in a sporty low firewall, which caused headaches for those involved in the heating and ventilation systems as they didn’t have as much room, but nevertheless it got done. Despite the restyle having been completed early in 1968, the car wasn’t ready for production until after the traditional model year replacements for 1970.

This time, RPO Z-28 was a whole package of performance bits and styling addendum. It was more of a model than an option package, and had an absolute screamer of an engine, the LT-1, built to rev and hold together with four bolt main bearings, solid lifters, big valves and a 780cfm four-barrel Holley. It did 0-60mph in 6.5 seconds and nearly 100mph within the quarter mile. The small-block Z-28 outsold the SS396 big-block optioned Camaro. While GM did achieve the stated aim of outselling the Mustang in 1970, the new Camaro sales nosedived. The problem was that instead of Mustang vs Camaro, now most brands had a pony car (and a convertible pony car at that) and they were all trying to sell into an economic depression. A strike halted production for 70 days and to make matters worse the government was about to slap stringent safety and emission laws on cars, which would take a huge amount of engineering and certification work; in one word — cost.

The company’s focus changed from performance to cost saving in order to finance an engineering effort that gave the customer no perceivable benefit. In terms of performance, the safety and emissions legislation meant the cars got heavier and slower. A 1971 Z-28 got to 60mph in 7.6 seconds and struck the quarter mile at 90mph, a huge loss. Strikes hit again in 1972, and this time nearly half a year’s production was lost; the cars remaining unfinished in the factory were scrapped because they could not be finished before regulations for the next model year came in. Camaro nearly died on the spot as a result. To add to its woes, insurance premiums on performance cars were going through the roof.

The Catalyst

Losses in performance and revenue continued through the ’70s, despite the Camaro having carved a respectable reputation. It grew 5mph bumpers and then got hit by the Middle East oil embargo. Curiously, Camaro sales got better. The other manufacturers were either pulling out of the pony car market or making unpopular styling decisions. Chevrolet was making hay out of the six-cylinder model, which was now selling very well. While the Camaro continued to soldier on, the final nail in the Z-28 performance coffin came in 1975. Catalytic converters made of precious metals were required to burn off hydrocarbons that had not fired in the combustion chamber. Fitted into the exhaust system, it was the only way to pass the strict emissions legislation. The Z-28 performance package was going to need two, as it depended on the dual exhaust for performance. GM decided it was just too expensive to buy, engineer and certify twin catalysts for the size of market, so the Z-28 was dropped.

ripe for the picking by the big three. The SCCA series for two-door, four-passenger cars became known as Trans-Am

As it turned out Pontiac was still making large performance engines for the Firebird and selling them quite well when the next review came up, so the Chevrolet division decided to reintroduce the Z-28 name tag for 1977. There were no big gains in horsepower, effectively side stepping the dual catalyst dilemma by splitting the exhaust after the catalyst. However, this time efforts were directed into the handling and a great deal of work was done on suspension settings, roll bars and bushing. The result was a car that really handled well in comparison to the other domestic products.

A brave and unusual move for an American manufacturer, but the domestic press, who usually doted on European cars for their performance handling mix, thought it was wonderful and gave the Camaro Z-28 rave reviews, and a much needed boost. Chevrolet outsold Mustang and gave the gutsy Firebirds a good run. The Camaro had a light facelift that included a wrap-around rear window and much tidier polyurethane front and rear end incorporating the 5mph bumper into the styling. In 1978 the two-millionth Camaro rolled out of the Van Nuys plant in California and the Z-28 sold 55,000 in that year alone. Sales were going incredibly well for what was becoming a dated model, and would continue basically unchanged until 1982.

The trusty straight six was becoming the best selling model in the range because gas-guzzler taxes, oil embargoes and the resulting fuel price hikes saw to it that the V8s got a lot less popular. Chevrolet replaced the old straight six with a V6 that most have looked lost in the engine bay.

Trusted Friend

Z-28 continued to be the leading V8 option, a great name living off a great legend. The Z-28 was no longer the unruly rev-or-bust racer for the road, but a mildly pepped-up V8 with sports styling features. Despite the body’s age, the handling package and plastic bumpers made the car a complete and desirable package. But it was now fighting a battle with recession and inflation, and given the conditions they were trading in, the final Mark II body-shape Z-28 gave a good account of itself. It was a Camaro sales record year in 1979 with 282,582 produced, including a record 84,877 Z-28s.

Sales were helped along by the use of the car in the International Race of Champions series, where Grand Prix Greats and Sports Car Champions went up against the Kings of NASCAR and USAC oval racing in identical cars. IROC, as it became known, was great television and a Camaro was guaranteed to win, with a great name behind the wheel. To a large extent the Hunts, Fittipaldis and Scheckters of the European scene were soundly beaten by America’s good ’ol boys, which doubled the American public’s appetite for the series. It did Camaro sales no harm at all, and developed a new performance series for Camaros of the future the IROC.

Performance derivative

The Camaro name has gone through thick and thin, and after a few years rest will see the light of day again soon. What started as a simple production order number became a legendary performance derivative of the Camaro, and lived on for another 20 years after the model you see here — Robin Ambrufsy’s 1979 Z-28. Robin’s family moved from New Zealand to Northern California when he was young. When thinking about coming back to New Zealand, they bought three Z-28s with a view to taking the cars back. Robin’s was black and gold. He took it to New Zealand, drove it around for a while and then sold it. His Dad was still in the US and still had his silver Z-28, so Robin decided to buy that from him for $6000 in 1982.

The car was driven day to day, then stored for a while, then driven day to day and then stored again. The effect on its paint was not good, so Robin decided it warranted a new paint job and bought all the stripes ready for the re-spray in 1990. However, the stripes got burnt in a house fire and the Camaro rework had to wait. He got a new set in 2002 and the repaint was completed at Howick Panel and Paint: Bob Norris completing the whole task to a really good standard in six weeks. Robin has found the trim parts that he buys from the US to be of a varying standard, some suffering from poor fit or thin paint. He recommends trying to get GM parts if you can.

It was a Camaro sales record year in 1979 with 282,582 produced, including a record 84,877 Z-28s

The finished product is superb with new carpets and headlining making the interior look just like it came out of the factory. Actually, in many ways, it’s better because the rear shelf won’t fade like the old one and the roof lining is of a different material, but looks nicer in cloth than vinyl. The car has done 92,000 miles, which isn’t much for a car like this — barely run in.

Cars purchased in California during this period had far more stringent emission regulations applied to them than cars built to the ’49 States spec’ and as such, this car could only be bought in California with Auto transmission and with a strangled motor. That’s perfectly adequate for woofling around New Zealand, safe in the knowledge that this was the best handling American car of the time and that if you wanted to make it faster there was no shortage of ways to gee-up a Chevy V8.

1979 Chevrolet Camaro Z-28

Engine: iron pushrod LM-1 V8
Capacity: 350ci (5.73 litre)
Bore/stroke: 4.00 x 3.48 (76x88mm)
Compression: 8.2:1
Max power: 170bhp (126.77kW) @ 4000rpm (California)
Max torque: 265lb/ft (359Nm) @ 2400rpm
Fuel system: four-barrel Rochester
Transmission: Turbo Hydra-Matic 350 (mandatory in California)
Brakes: 11-inch (279mm), vented, cast-iron front discs with vacuum assist standard. Rear 9.5-inch (241mm) drums
Suspension: Front spring rates 365 lb/in. Stabiliser 1.2-inch Rear spring rate 127 lb/in. Rear stabiliser .55-inch
Steering: PAS
Wheels: 15 x 7
Tyres: Goodyear GR70-15 P225x70R15

Dimensions

Width: 74.5 inches (1892mm)
Height: 49.2 inches (1250mm)
Length: 197.6 inches (5019mm)
Wheelbase: 108.0 inches (2743mm)
Weight: 3612lb (1638kg)

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