Chevrolet Camaro Z-28 – Ford Mustang Boss 302 – Dodge Challenger T/A – Trans Am Reunion – 238

Between the golden years of 1968 and 1972, the TransAm race series became a major slug-fest as US auto-makers fielded cars that are now widely regarded as being the best of the classic muscle-car breed. We reunite three of the top TransAm contenders.

The Trans American Sedan Series – more usually referred to as TransAm – was first established in 1966 under the aegis of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). Originally intended as a manufacturers’ championship, the series encompassed two classes – under and over 2.0-litre – with both classes racing together.

The first race in the new series was at Sebring on March 25, 1966, with 44 cars lining up for the start and the field featuring 35 under 2.0-litre cars.

This first TransAm race was totally dominated by Alfa Romeo GTAs; they finished in four of the first five positions. However, amongst the smaller cars there was also a smattering of larger, V8 racers – a trio of Plymouth Barracudas, three Mustangs, two Chevrolet Corvairs and a single Dodge Dart.

During the course of that first season the majority of the factory support came in the lower capacity class – with entries from Alfa Romeo, Mini Cooper and Lotus-Cortina. Some famous European drivers would front up in these cars, including future F1 world champion Jochen Rindt, Paddy Hopkirk (in a Mini, of course) and even Alan Moffat, who raced a Lotus-Cortina during the early years of the series. Later, even Porsche would get in on the act by persuading SCCA that its 911 was actually a sedan! Read the rest of this entry »

Five million Chevy Camaros sold since 1967

When the new generation retro-inspired Chevrolet Camaro was introduced into the American market in 2009 it sold quicker than ice cream in a heat wave. Now a celebration is on the cards for the entire Camaro model line as the muscle car reaches a milestone that spans all the way back to its original 1967 version.

The five-millionth example of the Camaro has just rolled off the GM production line, but surprisingly few of the total amount of cars produced are current generation vehicles. Only 225,844 of the total 5 million sales come from the 2010-2011 model. The remaining 4,774,156 models arrived in the fruitful production years between 1967 and 2002. Read the rest of this entry »

Chevy remakes Camaro ZL1 – fastest ever!

The year was 1969 and it was the heyday for American muscle cars but still no one predicted the impact the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was about to have. It was a hard-performing monster featuring an all-aluminum engine displacing 427 cubic inches that was originally only intended for racing purposes. Just 69 examples of the ZR1 were built and unsurprisingly, they remain much coveted by car collectors today. To relive the interest and uncompromising performance of the original ZL1 Chevrolet have resurrected the name plate for what it is calling the fastest and most technologically advanced Camaro ever built.

While specifications haven’t been finalised, Chevrolet says that the new ZL1 Camaro will come packing an LSA 6.2-litre supercharged V8 engine that will pump out an estimated 550 horsepower and a massive 745 Nm of torque. The heavyweight engine will be mated to a six-speed manual transmission with a dual-disc clutch system and a short-throw shifter. GM is staying closed-lipped on performance numbers for now, but with 550-ponies packed under the bonnet, the ZL1 will move with some pace.

Away from the supercharged V8 engine and the new transmission, the ZL1 also boasts a series of chassis upgrades including a reworked suspension setting with a Magnetic Ride Control system. Putting down the anchors is a high-performance Brembo brake system with six-piston calipers up front and four at the back. A brand new electric power steering system and 20-inch lightweight alloy wheels cloaked in Goodyear Supercar F2 tyres, finish off the package.

In terms of design there is a new body kit to adorn the ZL1 and separate it from lesser siblings. The kit has a new front fascia and air intakes, there is also a new aluminum bonnet with a satin black-finish and carbon fibre insert that uses an air extractor to increase downforce. Read the rest of this entry »

Win a Spark Sunoco Camaro model

THIS COMPETITION HAS EXPIRED

Sebring and the 24 Hours of Daytona, the only year that the TransAm Series featured those races. The season marked the first time the series ever left the United States, with a TransAm race at Mont Tremblant, Quebec.

Our feature model is superbly detailed, as we have come to expect from Spark, with an extremely fine photo-etched grille and single windscreen wiper; flawless paint; delicate yellow pinstriping; and tubular side-exiting exhausts. Look out for more from Spark’s new series of American Muscle, with models of the Camaro, Corvette, Impala, Cheetah, Mustang, Cobra, Buick, Oldsmobile, Cadillac and Scarab throughout 2011.

Thanks to SPR Models we have one Sunoco Camaro model to give away to a lucky reader. To enter the draw simply click on the link below and answer the following question:

Who was the famous ex-race driver, turned owner that Mark Donahue drove for in 1968?

Click here to enter the draw

Competition closes on February 26, 2011.

1969 Transam Chevrolet Camaro – Blast from the Past – 230

Gerard charts the revival of a legendary early ’70s Kiwi race track icon — the Joe Chamberlain/Dennis Marwood/John Riley TransAm Camaro.

Following the austere war years, during the 1950s New Zealanders began to look around for more exciting pursuits than the more traditional pastime of working on the land. As the memories of international warfare began to fade, local motor sport took off and began to infiltrate the minds of many a young Kiwi — a number of them from the market gardening area of Franklin County and Pukekohe.

One such man was Louie Antonievich, son of a Yugoslavian who had been a gum-digger in Dargaville. Louie was a larger than life character, and a hot rodder before that term became common on the local scene. He loved having a good time and was a bit of a thrill seeker. His passion for hooning around in early US V8s would probably have been limited to tearing around Franklin’s back roads — until the advent of stock-car racing.

Louie took to it like a duck to water. This was prior to his establishing his wrecking, engineering and tow truck business on the west side of Pukekohe Hill. At the time of his discovery of stock car racing, he was working as an electrician/engineer and a number of his good mates helped prep and tow his classic Ford V8 coupe stocker.

As the stock-car extravaganzas at Epsom Showgrounds swelled into prime Saturday night entertainment for a legion of fans, there emerged a South Auckland racing driver’s cult. These hard men of stock-car racing fame were a select band — a ‘take no prisoners’ brigade of drivers who were all seat-of-the-pants racers.

Louie was part of this inner circle, with his nickname, ‘Louie the Leopard’ (a leaping leopard was often emblazoned on his car). Others in the gang were Johnny Riley, Red Dawson and Garth Souness, to name a few. They were a tight knit crew who would become folk heroes on Saturday nights. Their weapon of choice, more often than not, was a pre-war V8-powered American coupe.

Read the rest of this entry »

Chevrolet shows off retro-inspired Camaro Indy 500 pace car

Chevrolet has pulled the covers off its special-edition Camaro Convertible which will serve as the official pace car of the 2011 Indianapolis 500. The retro inspired Camaro is the 22nd Chevrolet chosen to pace the Indy 500 and is the seventh Camaro. Their will be 50 Indianapolis 500 Festival Committee cars built and they will all be styled after the iconic 1969 pace car – replicas of which have become among the most popular Camaros in the collector world.

The pace car, along with the matching festival cars, features a Summit White exterior accented with orange stripes and door graphics. The interior is trimmed in orange leather, including front seat headrests embossed with the Indy 500 logo, along with white door panels and instrument panel trim. The instrument panel trim features extensions of the orange exterior stripes.

The pace car, along with the matching replicas are all based on the SS model and are equipped with a 400-horsepower V8 engine.

“’It’s an honor for Chevrolet to pace the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, especially during this landmark year,” said Chris Perry, vice president of Chevrolet marketing. “This is also a great opportunity for us to build on Camaro’s strong momentum, while supporting an important charity.” Read the rest of this entry »

2010 Chevrolet Camaro – Back in Black – 230

Ever since the Transformers movie, Ashley’s wanted to get behind the wheel of a new Camaro — not an easy task with only three examples currently residing in New Zealand .

The Camaro is often referred to as the poor man’s Corvette and, to be perfectly honest, I’m not sure I’d agree with that sentiment. Today, Generation 1 Camaros rank highly in the muscle car pecking order as far as values are concerned, and have earned their reputation as being amongst some of America’s most precious iron.

So, if you’re a Camaro fan then you can thank Ford. Why? Let me explain.

When Ford introduced its all new Mustang back in 1964, General Motors naively paid minimal attention, but within months of the Mustang’s introduction, and with soaring sales of over 100,000 units in six months (nearly half a million by the end of its first year), GM finally cottoned on to the fact that Americans wanted a genuine four-seater sports car.

The race was now on, big time, for the design team that produced the Corvette, Corvair, and Nova to come up with an answer to the Mustang. Preliminary mock-ups turned out by Chevy’s design team included a two-seat roadster, a fastback and even a station wagon, but they finally settled for a four-seat sport coupe which was also available as a convertible. As it turned out, considering the ‘big’ car standards of the day, the Camaro was actually considered a compact.

Read the rest of this entry »

October issue of NZ Classic Car magazine on sale now

The October 2010 issue of Classic Car magazine has just reached the shelves and it’s packed full of articles and news on the NZ classic car scene. So grab a copy before it sells out.

In this month’s issue we reunite one-time TransAm rivals in a very special feature that includes a Boss 302 Mustang a Z-28 Camaro and a Dodge Challenger. We get these iconic muscle cars to the track and see how they stack up. Shifting from classic to new, we take a high-tech R35 Nissan GT-R on a road trip to Chateau Tongariro and review this beast from the east. In this month’s Targa update we talk to Steve Millen about his latest Targa weapon and our future classic section focuses on the BMW M325i. We take an up close look at a elegantly restored 1948 Town and Country convertible, we also meet a couple with a passion for Morris Minors and their fully restored convertible. It’s time to clean up your classic for summer so we have a special article on getting the perfect shine for your car and our home mechanic takes you through the steps for waking up your classic after its winter hibernation.

All this and more so grab your copy of the latest Classic Car magazine today.