It seems that almost all of us have our prejudices over seventies cars. However, you would be hard-pressed to find a better car from that decade than a Camaro Z-28. From the gorgeous split bumper early models to the later seventies Camaros that were the standouts of your high school parking lot, it is hard not to love what the Camaro brought to the table. Take for example this 1878 Chevrolet Camaro Z-28 for sale on Craigslist just outside of Phoenix, Arizona. This black Z-28 with a black interior looks at once handsome and menacing despite the low horsepower Small Block Chevrolet V-8 under the hood. Needing a bit of bodywork but otherwise complete and roadworthy, is this Camaro worth the $13,500 asking price? Are Camaro Z-28s the best America had to offer in the decade of malaise? Thanks go to Tony P. for the tip!
As car enthusiasts, it is sometimes fashionable to be less than complimentary about seventies automobiles. Other than the custom van craze, there were few noticeable “movements” during that tumultuous decade. Sandwiched between the muscle car era of the sixties and the rebirth of car culture in the eighties, the seventies seem to many of us who survived it a period of stagnation. Any technological advancements came in the areas of emissions control and safety. These advancements were needed. However, fins and big blocks are a hard act to follow.
Looking back to the seventies, things weren’t that bad automobile-wise. Most of the cars that were purchased during that era provided us with good, basic transportation. Rising insurance rates and 55 MPH speed limits helped squelch the days of tire-melting acceleration and barely adequate single-pot brake systems. If you were a speed enthusiast, there were few real options on the domestic side. It was GM that managed to find a way to give us most of what we wanted. One could argue that the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird were the best domestic cars of the 1970s for those of us who liked to go (somewhat) fast and look good.
Think about this for a minute. Restyled in 1970, the Camaro and Firebird emerged from the design studio ready to be adapted to most of the mandates that the government would burden the automakers over that decade with, as most of those regulations were announced well in advance. With those burdens in mind, GM designers did a much better job integrating them into the basic structure. In comparison, existing cars had to be adapted to add such design encumbrances as 5 MPH bumpers. GM can also be commended for its excellent (for the time) engine, transmission, and HVAC systems. Say what you will, a car with a Small Block V-8, a Turbo Hydra-Matic, and a Posi-Traction rear end was a pretty reliable and easy-to-work-on piece of transportation. If it had a GM air conditioner installed, all the better. At least you’d be cool as you rolled down the interstate looking for Kojaks with Kodaks.
Roll the clock forward to the current decade. Seventies cars are starting to catch on with collectors. With few exceptions, the biggest money ends up going towards Camaro Z-28s and Trans Ams of that decade. Why? The answer is simple and multi-fold. First off, their good looks. Second, they managed to stay sporty when other cars went the fuel economy and sticker package route. The biggest reason is that was what many of us wanted as teenagers. The large production numbers bear testament to their popularity among those who had the means to pick one up. Now it is hard to find a good example at a reasonable price. Rust and high demand have cleared the market of perfect examples.
Thankfully, Tony P. has found us a very nice 1979 Z-28 at a reasonable price. This one sports the desirable black exterior and black interior and appears to be quite complete. Another amazing detail mentioned by the seller is that it has an unmodified drivetrain. Many of these Camaros ended up as a rolling Summit Speed Parts catalog. Not so with this one, other than what appears to be the usual enhanced sound system and amplifier in the trunk. Power is provided by a 350 cubic inch V-8 as you would expect. It is an automatic transmission equipped car and comes with a 3.73 Posi-Traction rear end. The seller has done some work on the brakes, replaced the radiator, and slapped on a new set of shocks. It is a running and driving car that shows 70,000 on the odometer.
There are some issues. Beyond the usual dings, scrapes, and maladies of a car this age, patch panels have been welded in at the bottom of the rear quarter panels. The black primer finish over the top leaves a bit to be desired as far as looks. Another issue for some may be that this was a car that wasn’t equipped from the factory with air conditioning. Many of our younger readers have never lived in a world where air conditioning was an option on a vehicle. Rest assured that this was once something that you had to pay extra for. If it means that much, there are numerous aftermarket kits out there to get the interior colder than it ever was from the factory.
Perhaps the most positive aspect of the ad is the seller telling us how much fun they had with the car. It is just rough enough that it can be driven and enjoyed without the usual parking it where I can see it at all times nonsense that some owners foist on themselves. This Camaro is undoubtedly a special car with a good bit of value in it. It is just that sometimes we as enthusiasts cannot let ourselves have any fun with the objects we so covet. This one is just right for everything from cruising with the windows down on a fall night to doing donuts in a parking lot at three in the morning just because you want to. There is something to be said for that kind of fun.
Are the Camaro Z-28 and the Pontiac Trans Am the best domestic vehicles of the seventies? Why or why not? What would you do with this one? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
