Tagged with 'time'

We purchased our 1986 IROC-Z Camaro used in March, 1987 at a VW/Mazda/Subaru dealership in College Park, Maryland. A close friend was the used car sales manager there. We were looking for a car, nothing specific in mind. We just knew we were tired of the econobox white Chevette my wife drove to work. Our friend let us know he had a car we might be interested in. When he drove it into our view with the T-tops removed and that red interior showing, we were sold. The original owner had traded it on a four-wheel drive Subaru because he was missing too much work due to snow. Janice drove it off the lot then she said, “This is my car!” So we left the Chevette as a trade and we were now Camaro owners.

My relationship with Camaros began in November 1966. My uncle, Bob McKeown, walked into Spielman Chevrolet in Brooklyn, NY, and drove out of the showroom with a new 1967 Camaro– one of the first ones built. At the time, this car was nothing special; just an inline 250 cubic-inch six-cylinder with a 3-speed manual transmission on the column. Not long afterward, he paid me and a neighbor five dollars to wash and wax his new Camaro. We were thrilled, not just because we got $2.50 each (a lot of money for teenagers in 1967) but also because we actually got to go over, under, and around a real Camaro! It didn’t matter to us that it wasn’t an SS, it was a Camaro– and nobody else we knew even had one.

The mid-sixties saw Camaro competing against Mustang for street and track bragging rights; while at the same time GM and Ford were competing for showroom sales. This era has been etched in history as the “Pony Car” Wars. This being a special Camaro issue; we thought it might be fun to run down the timeline for the Camaro. We’ll also be taking a look at things that were happening in the World of Camaro at that time. Along the way we’ll throw in a few weird or rare Camaro options, just for fun.

You may have heard about General Motors engineer Mark Stielow’s 1969 Camaro “Red Devil” before. It’s a fully custom Pro Touring Camaro packing a 7.0-liter LS7 under its hood which is garnished with the cylinder heads, valvetrain and supercharger from a Corvette ZR1. Underneath, it’s equipped with a 3.25:1 nine-inch axle, a limited-slip differential and a full Detroit Speed suspension system. He’s since sold the car, but back in 2012 when it was still around, him and Hot Rod magazine pitted it against a brand new Camaro ZL1 in a time-attack style race.

All love stories have a beginning, and this one is no different. As is the case with most ladies, she belonged to another man. And for sixteen years, George Hedrick of Lyles, TN made many offers to make her his, promising to restore and love only (not to sell). In early 2000, George’s friend (who had made the purchase from the original owner) passed away and the car went to auction where George was able to purchase her for the high bid of $1200.

The first thing George did after making her his was to properly store her, where she remained until 2009. During those 9 years, George finished his career as an independent contractor, the whole time never forgetting his love that waited. The plans were to restore her to original specs, but as the pictures show, many things changed– and as Elvis said, “I did it my way”. With a little help from friends Richard Dunn and Rod Lyonhurst, they restored a lot of metal and changed the original color from Deepwater Blue to 2008 Corvette Atomic Orange.

There was a bit of a surprise at the GM Renaissance Center today. As you can see from the photos, there were multiple custom Chevrolet Camaros surrounded by a film crew in GM’s circular showroom.

Just what is the occasion? Are they New York International Auto Show surprises? Chevy did catch everyone off guard with the Z/28 announcement last year, after all. Though they could just as well be movie cars from Transformers 4. But as it turns out, the Camaros seen here are neither official Chevrolet concepts, nor are they Autobots (or Decepticons).

JOLIET, Ill., March 31, 2014 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- As Chicagoland performance-car enthusiasts await the arrival of the track-ready 2015 Chevy Camaro Z/28 at Bill Jacobs Joliet in the coming months, they'll be able to catch a glimpse of the muscle car in action as paces the 2014 Indy 500 on May 25.

While the 2015 Chevy Camaro Z/28 won't be fully unleashed on the track, the man behind the wheel has proven to be more than capable of getting every ounce of performance from a car. Chevy selected three-time Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti to drive the track-ready Camaro. Although Franchitti had his racing career cut short after suffering serious injuries from a crash last October, the automotive world is thrilled to see Franchitti back behind the wheel at the Indy 500.

Chevrolet engineers rocketed the performance of the Zeta-based fifth-generation Camaro to new heights with the hard-core 2014 Camaro Z/28. They bench-marked the car against top tier supercars which cost thousands of dollars more, like the Nissan GT-R and Porsche 911. So far, the Z/28 has proved to be more than a worthy competitor on the racetrack, posting an extremely fast time on Germany’s infamous Nurburgring, but how does it work as a road car and is it faster around Barber Motorsports Park than a GT-R? We find out on this week’s episode of Motor Trend’s Head 2 Head.

Barber Motorsports Park is providing the backdrop this week as Chevrolet introduces its new Camaro Z/28 to journalists from top auto enthusiast magazines.

About 100 people are visiting Birmingham and the park over a 10-day span, including Chevrolet engineers, as well as writers, photographers and videographers for Motor Trend, Road & Track, Car and Driver, Hot Rod and others.

Tools you will need:

1. Saw or Dremel Tool

1. 200 plus grit sandpaper

1. 10 mm socket