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AutoHunter Spotlight: 1970 Chevrolet Camaro

Featured on AutoHunter, the online auction platform driven by ClassicCars.com, is this 427-Powered 1970 Chevrolet Camaro.

There is no denying that the Camaro shares some DNA with its big brother, the Corvette – especially when configured in high-performance trim variants. Such has been the case for decades. Chevrolet even said in its marketing materials, “One of the hardest ways to tell them apart is to drive them.”

When comparing base-for-base, a 1970 Camaro could be purchased for a 43% discount off what a Corvette would cost (a sum of $2,749 versus $4,849). That price advantage was one of the reasons why Chevrolet sold over 120,000 Camaros but only about 17,000 Corvettes for that year.

Because of its price advantage and (and as a result, the higher volume of examples on the road), the Camaro has been an incredibly popular car in terms of support from the automotive aftermarket. And with the right combination of upgrades, a Camaro might just out-perform a Corvette. This Camaro is a likely candidate for that scenario. The car is being listed by a private party in Grapevine, Texas, and the auction will end on Monday.

The build begins with the already capable Camaro underpinnings and blends in modern treatment like air conditioning, a RideTech suspension, TMI seats, power Wilwood disc brakes, and 18-inch Billet Specialties wheels. The result is a car that has both the vintage looks but the handling and conveniences of a modern sports car. And that’s before we open the hood to see the massive 427cid big-block V8. The motor is a work of art, and its beauty extends far beyond the body-colored accents. Upgrades include tube exhaust headers, a Griffith aluminum radiator, and a fuel-injection system.

Camaro enthusiasts will remember that 1970 was the first year of the second-generation. While the exterior had received a significant facelift, the engineers retained some aspects of the architecture from earlier cars. The new exterior look used a fastback roofline that omitted rear side quarter windows. Another interesting aspect of this generation was that it was the only one to not offer a convertible.

While horsepower numbers are not shared by the seller, the spec sheet is impressive in itself. We hope the lucky winner of this car reports back to let us know how it feels to blow the doors off some of its big-brother Corvettes.

The auction for this 427-Powered 1970 Chevrolet Camaro ends Monday, July 8, 2024 at 11:30 a.m. (PDT)

Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and photo gallery

Pick of the Day: 1956 Meteor Rideau

Check out the brightwork on this beauty:

The Pick of the Day is a 1956 Meteor Rideau two-door hardtop listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in Parksville, British Columbia. (Click the link to view the listing)

“Rare 1956 Meteor Rideau Victoria two-door hardtop,” the listing begins. “One of 2,110 built. This is a mild custom.”

Ford Motor Company of Canada offered a variety of badge-engineered versions of U.S.-market vehicles that were only sold north of the border. Some of those cars were produced under the Meteor brand, which was introduced in 1949 and (aside from a few unique years) existed until being phased out in 1976. The Meteor was similar in equipment and price point with some Mercury offerings, and the design language took unmistakable cues from cars sold in the United States other nameplates.

The Rideau model, which came out in 1954, was one of the cars sold under the Meteor division. Its name was coined for the Rideau River which connects with the Ottawa River in Canada’s capital city — Ottawa, Ontario. The car was offered in both four-door sedan and two-door coupe body styles. Today’s featured car is a two-door 1956 in a brilliant blue hue. But there’s much more to the car than its catchy color.

The most distinctive feature of the Rideau (to me, anyway) is its swoopy front grille. The design lends a subtle effect of the letter “M,” which was undoubtedly an intentional move from the design team. The seller says that the body is solid, and the car received a respray last year. At the same time, the chrome on the grille was replated, and the front turn signal housings and taillights were replaced. The already-unique look of the Rideau is further characterized by shaved door handles, mirrors, windshield wipers, and badging. The resulting look is understated and “smooth,” yet attractive at the same time.

The seller says that the interior is “nice but not perfect.” The bucket seats have been redone in perforated tan vinyl, and an aftermarket wood steering wheel has been added.

Under the hood, power comes from a rebuilt 302ci Ford V8 mated to a Mustang T-56 five-speed manual transmission and a Granada rear end. The seller says that the car “runs very strong.” Recent work included replacement of the gas tank, lines, filter, pump, and Edelbrock carburetor.

Few restomods will steal as many glances as this Meteor. The asking price is $23,900 or best offer.

To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, navigate over to the archives at Pick of the Day.

Pick of the Day: 1971 Plymouth Satellite Sebring

Plymouth diverged from industry practice in 1971 by introducing a new idea: the new Satellite two-door hardtop was designed to be a personal two-door hardtop, not just a chopped-down version of the four-door. The result was unique styling and a wheelbase two-inches shorter than the four-door. Our Pick of the Day, a 1971 Plymouth Satellite Sebring, demonstrates the direction the brand was heading in the 1970s. It is listed on ClassicCars.com by a dealership in Morgantown, Pennsylvania. (Click the link to view the listing)

The Satellite name has its origins in a show car from the early 1960s. In 1965, with Plymouth marketing its B-body as a mid-size series, the Satellite became the top model, situated above the new Belvedere I and Belvedere II. Starting with the 1968 redesign, the numbered method was discontinued, and Plymouth’s mainstream mid-size cars became Belvedere, Satellite, and Sport Satellite, plus the Road Runner and GTX for performance fans. This naming structure continued through 1970.

John Herlitz’s sketch for what would become the 1971 Plymouth Satellite. (www.johnherlitz.org)

With the 1971 redesign, Plymouth adjusted its naming structure once again. However, this was more than just a reshuffling because Plymouth spun off the coupe from the sedan, creating a distinct model all its own. When Dodge did the same thing, it relegated the Coronet nameplate to the four-doors, but all two-doors became Chargers, expanding the sporty coupe’s lineage. Plymouth did a similar thing, but the new coupe maintained the Satellite name.

1971 Plymouth Satellite coupes (www.hamtramck-historical.com)

The Plymouth two-doors started with the Satellite coupe, which had fixed rear quarter windows despite not having a B-pillar. It even had a standard rubber floor covering. Satellite Sebring was a step up from the Satellite coupe and featured a carpet and rear quarter windows that rolled down, plus other additions to trim and interior specs. New for 1971, replacing the Sport Satellite, was the Satellite Sebring Plus, which featured a standard V8 (in this case, a 318 two-barrel) and wood-grained Rallye instrument cluster with full set of gauges, vinyl buckets with integral head restraints, Deluxe wheel covers, black grille, and more fancy stuff. For all models, the 300-horsepower 383 was the top engine; anyone who wanted more power had to move up to the Road Runner or GTX.

By 1974, the Satellite lineup had been trimmed, losing the Sebring Plus and GTX, but the 1975 redesign ditched the Satellite name and Plymouth’s mid-size series (including four-doors) were called Fury (aside of the Road Runner), with the full-size cars becoming Gran Fury. Confusing, eh?

Satellites of any stripe for 1971 don’t often get love, but their sharp styling should be attracting more collectors. This Amber Sherwood metallic (GF3) 1971 Plymouth Satellite Sebring has been “carefully resprayed,” with the seller claiming, “Slight surface rust is noted on an otherwise clean undercoated and patina’d frame and floor panels, as well as underside of rockers.” Features include new bumpers, hood pins, luggage rack, and LEDs for the parking and taillights. American Racing Torq Thrust are wrapped in Hankook rubber.

Power comes from a 318 two-barrel with an upgraded dual exhaust system with Flowmasters. “This is a correct, but not original, remanufactured engine from ATK,” says the seller. The transmission is the trusty A904 TorqueFlite automatic. Adds the seller, “This mill has been treated to a new water pump, fresh tune up, new alternator and voltage regulator, new high-torque starter, new oil pump, new fuel pump and filter, and new Champion three-row aluminum radiator.

Interior features a (surprise!) two-tone green split front bench, with amenities that include a modern AH/FM/Bluetooth stereo, aftermarket gauges under the dash, 3-spoke steering wheel, aftermarket air conditioning, and even a vintage CB radio telephone!

Drive this 1971 Satellite Sebring as-is or make it what it could be. It has the bones to do whatever you decide, and you don’t have to worry about pedigree like you may with a Road Runner or GTX. Go have some fun for $24,900 and tell us about it!

Click here for this ClassicCars.com Pick of the Day.

Identify These Black Cars!

Below are four black-hued vehicles that are currently listed on AutoHunter. Black cars generally look sharp, right? So, can you look deeper and identify them? No, you can’t just say “Chevy” and get away with it – you have to give the full Monty with year/make/model and possibly some other detail.

Post your answers in the comments section provided below. And, if you find yourself confronted by a hurdle, just run your cursor over an image and click on it to find out what you can’t figure out. Is that cheating? That’ll be just between us.

Click on each image to reveal each car

The ClassicCars.com Journal features an automotive puzzle every Tuesday. Once you’re done with this one, you can play past puzzles too.

Great Race Student Team Blog Day Eleven

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Two student docents from the Maine Classic Car Museum are taking part in the 2024 Great Race as part of the X-Cup Challenge. Click here for part ten of their journey.

As we get closer to the finish line, today we left Augusta to traverse Maine, with a stop at the Seal Cove Auto Museum near Acadia National Park, and a stop at the Owls Head Transportation Museum.

Max and Cotton pore over the course instructions, with only a few minutes to prepare before they must head to the starting position.

With Tim driving, and Max navigating in the front seat, Cotton provided support in the back seat. There was no way for us to know ahead of time that the race master had planned this as the longest day of the race—with 8 different legs (usually there have been 5). This meant we needed to be extra sharp since we’d be on the clock for so long. We had to recalculate our deceleration times as the brake booster on this Cadillac requires more pressure (and time!) to stop.  

As we started the first transit, we played rock, paper, scissors with our teammates in the Fiat Jolly (safely at stop signs) and created our own pun-war competition. Who knew there were so many puns that are time related? We decided we needed to watch out with our puns because Bram was getting ready to clock us for being distracting.  

Throughout the Great Race, this vintage yellow pickup truck has flown the flag of the various host states.  Today, the blue State of Maine flag is flying high.

After leaving in second position yesterday, we started at position 82, and we ran into some unexpected problems. At our first gas stop, for some reason our only credit card didn’t work, so we missed refueling and had to keep a close eye on the gas gauge.   

Cotton has been keeping a daily journal through the Great Race, including sketches.

We then compounded our problems by missing a critical right turn onto Route 176 and suddenly found ourselves going miles off course. As Cotton realized we weren’t seeing the speed changes that the course instruction showed, Cotton “pulled the cord,” a technique we came up with that would allow the driver or the navigator to stop what the team was doing and regroup. By the time we got ourselves back on track, we realized that we were exactly at the spot where we had turned around before.

Turns out, Cotton is the only team member who doesn’t own a Cadillac, so Max has been trying to convince him to find an affordable Cimmaron and found this vintage ad in the gift shop at the Owls Head Transportation Museum.

We eventually got to the amazing Seal Cove Auto Museum with only time for a pit stop and to grab some pizza. We’ll have to see their impressive brass-era collection another time. After that, we also didn’t realize that the course would circumnavigate the island and we had to make an emergency stop while on the clock to refuel. The only problem was that there was a line of cars waiting to use the pumps. Nervously looked at the stopwatch, we were able to make up some time, but not nearly enough.

The good news is that we made a great recovery and finished the day with a 4-second leg, a 5-second leg, and a 7-second leg as our best finishes in this grueling day.  

AutoHunter Spotlight: 9k-Mile 1987 Buick GNX

Featured on AutoHunter.com, the online auction platform driven by ClassicCars.com, is this 1987 Buick GNX. It is number 209 of 547 produced in collaboration with ASC McLaren and has accrued only 9,280 miles since new. Power comes from a turbocharged 3.8-liter V6 and is sent to the road through a 200R4 four-speed automatic transmission and a limited-slip differential. Features include front and rear spoilers, 16-inch wheels, power windows and locks, power steering, cruise control, air conditioning, GNX-specific gauges, and power front disc brakes. Finished in Black over a black and gray cloth interior, this GNX comes with awards, a window sticker, an owner’s manual, documentation, a Molly Designs jacket, an extra set of wheels and tires, a car cover, a clean CARFAX report, and a clear title in the seller’s name. 

The monochromatic exterior is finished in Black and accented with matching front and rear spoilers and bumpers as well as black trim and mirror caps.  

Like the body, the 16-inch cross-laced aluminum wheels are black but feature polished lips. Those are wrapped in the reportedly original 255/50 Goodyear Eagle VR50 tires.  

Inside, this GNX offers black and gray cloth front bucket and bench rear seats, a leather wrapped steering wheel, and embroidered floor mats. Comfort and convenience features include power windows and locks, power steering, cruise control, a power driver seat, air conditioning, and a Delco AM/FM/cassette stereo with a graphic equalizer. A badge on the passenger side of the dashboard identifies this GNX as number 209 in the production run.

Vehicle information is displayed on a set of GNX-specific Stewart Warner instruments that consists of a 160-mph speedometer, an 8,000-rpm tachometer, and gauges for the coolant temperature, fuel level, boost pressure, and oil pressure. The odometer shows 9,280 miles, which is in line with the 9,232 miles recorded on the CARFAX report in June 2023. 

Under the hood, the 3.8-liter V6 is equipped with a Garrett turbocharger, which has a ceramic impeller and a GNX-branded heat shield, and an intercooler. Official output when new was 276 horsepower and 360 lb-ft of torque. A 200R4 four-speed automatic transmission sends engine power to a limited-slip rear differential. 

Power front disc and rear drum brakes scrub off the speeds the GNX is capable of hitting. GNXs received a modified rear suspension that included a Panhard rod and a longi­tudinal torque bar.  

The auction for this 1987 Buick GNX ends on Monday, July 8, 2024 at 11:45 a.m. (PDT).   

Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and a photo gallery 

Great Race Student Team Blog Day Ten

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Two student docents from the Maine Classic Car Museum are taking part in the 2024 Great Race as part of the X-Cup Challenge. Click here for part nine of their journey.

We capitalized on our return to New England today in a big way. Leaving Providence, we skirted Boston, passed through Concord, New Hampshire, and ended up in Augusta, Maine – – four state capitals in one day. 

The pressure was on, as the race master really changed up the start order on us. We suddenly found ourselves starting in position number two, as they wanted the home state delegates to cross the finish line first in Freeport, Maine.

On our first leg, we encountered a slow moving truck who turned out right in front of us, and forced us to stop for over 30 seconds. We skillfully made up this time by calculating an increased acceleration using a rally formula called the “rule of fives,” a formula table to make up lost time or bleed off extra time. By doing this, we finished the first leg just one second off the mark. 

We met out race mentors Susan and Peter at the finish line and presented them with a ‘speeding ticket’ we created as they passed us the day before

On our second leg, we turned down a wrong road, but quickly whipped around and marked how much time we had lost. However when we found the main road again, we noticed our course position had dropped and now we were behind the 4th car instead of in our original second position. To get back into our correct starting position order we used a strategy known as “hacking.”  

This strategy entails passing cars to reclaim your correct start order place in the race, which helps manage staying on-time overall. Our mentors, Peter and Susan, taught us this strategy, and we watched them deploying it as they shot by us and two other cars to reclaim their number one start position. We followed suit, passing a blue Alfa Romeo and white Jaguar in order to retain our spot as #2, and hopefully come back on time.

The strategy worked for us on this leg–we aced it! This was an incredible accomplishment, and we are grateful to our wonderful mentors. Incredibly we did it again on the very next leg, and we had back-to-back aces. We can’t think of a better way to return to our home state.  Our rounds for the day ended up being our best yet, with a one second round and two other under 30 seconds.

The town of Freeport welcomed us on Main Street. The sun was shining bright,it was a perfect day, and we really enjoyed their hospitality. We’re getting closer to the finish line, and need to turn in early yet again as we have a busy day ahead, touring Maine.

AutoHunter Spotlight: 1995 Jaguar XJS Coupe

Featured on AutoHunter, the online auction platform driven by ClassicCars.com, is this 1995 Jaguar XJS Coupe.

The Jaguar XJS was created as a replacement for the XKE. At the time the design was much more modern than the XKE, and it much more of a touring car. While people bemoaned this change at the time, the proof was in sales as a total of 115,413 XJS cars were sold compared to the E-type which sold 72,528. In addition, the E-Type was produced from 1961-1974 and the XJS was produced for more than 20 years, being built from 1975 to 1996.

Over the years the car changed and was improved. In the car’s final development phase, it received a much needed and well executed facelift that cost millions of dollars. This is because it was not just a cosmetic change but a full engineering and styling redesign of the car. Of all the XJS cars built these are usually considered the best, and they were much more advanced than the original car. They also tend to be more comfortable and, most importantly, more reliable.

Our AutoHunter spotlight is one of these facelift cars, a rare 1995 XJS coupe built near the very end of XJS production.

The seller describes this XJS as a 1995 Jaguar XJS coupe that has been driven 90,639 total miles and is powered by an AJ16 4.0-liter I6 mated to a ZF four-speed automatic transmission. It has been California and Arizona-owned since new. Finished in Brooklands Green over a Cream leather interior, this XJS is now offered with certification paperwork, service records, a clean CARFAX report, and a clear title in the seller’s name.

Now I have nosed around these final facelift coupes for a few years, and this is one of the nicest and most well documented ones I have seen for sale in years.

The exterior is finished in stunning Brooklands Green paint (code HFB) that was carefully touched up and wet-sanded in May 2024. This truly looks like a car with terrific original paint and one that has been driven as well as cared for over the years. The car rides on its original 16” aluminum slotted wheels which are wrapped in 225/60 Continental TrueContact tires that were replaced in July 2020.

The interior is typical jaguar luxury with Cream Autolux leather upholstery (code NDR), power-adjustable front seats, power windows, power steering, a tilt adjustable leather-wrapped steering wheel, cruise control, automatic climate control, an AM/FM radio, modern Bluetooth connectivity, and real wood veneer trim. The leather, carpets, and wood is all in exceptional condition, something rare to see on these cars today. This is a show worthy example in every way.

Under the hood is possibly the very best twin cam 4-liter inline six cylinder Jaguar ever built, the AJ16. In fact this engine was so good that Aston-Martin chose to use in the DB7, though with some modifications made by Aston. These engines are absolutely bulletproof and should last around 250,000 miles before needing any serious work. This engine also has 237 horsepower and 282 lb-ft of torque, which puts makes its performance greater than the original XJ-S 5.3 liter V12 and combines that with less weight and more efficiency.

The service history of this XJS includes an emissions inspection completed in 2022. In 2019 it had an air pump replacement, an AC recharge, and transmission service. In 2016 it received new cooling hoses, a new water pump, new thermostat, new fan clutch and new cam cover gaskets. The car includes all the receipts for this work as well as more receipts from earlier services.

These final XJS coupes are not only a great GT car, but are also pretty rare with Jaguar only building about 130 of these 4.0 liter coupes in 1995. Sure, the convertible is nice looking, but I personally think that the 1991 facelifted XJS coupe is one of the most elegant looking cars of the 1990s and looks as fresh today as it did when new.

Finding one of these cars that is this well cared for and in this condition is quite difficult. If I were in the market I would seriously consider this car since it’s very best GT cars of the era.

The auction for this 1995 Jaguar XJS Coupe ends Wednesday, July 3, 2024 at 12:15 p.m. (PDT)

Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and photo gallery

What I Learned from Buying a Modern Collector Car, Part 2

In the previous installment of this series, I told you about the various things I wish I had known when I was shopping for a 2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt. Get caught up by reading Part 1 here.

If you’re like me, daydreaming about something you want is simple and linear. You envision your fantasy car and you jump forward to the blissful experience of opening it up on the highway and zooming toward the horizon at sunset with your significant other. There’s no room in the dreamworld for setbacks or education, but real life is full of both. I sure learned a lot of humbling lessons when I bought a 2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt. In my last installment, I told you all of the things I should’ve done differently leading up to getting it. Now I’ll share my biggest takeaways from the purchase process. 

Dealers Aren’t the Only Option 

Soon after determining the V8-powered Ford and Mercury vehicles I could turn into a reality, I came across a promising lead on a 2008 Mustang Bullitt. It was in Phoenix and had been in Arizona its entire life, so I didn’t have to worry about its underside being eaten up by New England winters. It was also Dark Highland Green, which to me was the only color to get it in because Steve McQueen didn’t drive a black Mustang in “Bullitt.” The CARFAX report was clean. And to top it all off, it only had 25,000 miles on it. In an attempt to stay rational and level-headed, I brought my pal Brad, a skilled mechanic who had spent decades working in a body shop, along with me to put an extra pair of eyes on – and under – the car. 

The Bullitt we looked at passed our tests, although it wasn’t perfect (I’ll cover that part later). In fact, it did so well that I ended up signing the paperwork for it and driving it home a few days later. Now that I have some distance from it, I realize I should’ve looked at alternative options. I was so taken by the Bullitt I test-drove that I jumped on it thinking I would be a fool to pass it up. I left myself no options and gave myself no basis for comparison or negotiation.

Dealers are a convenient choice because if you need them to be, they can be one-stop shops – from purchasing and financing to servicing and trading in. But they aren’t the only game in town. There are plenty of private sellers on model-specific forums and on sites such as ClassicCars.com. Many of them have meticulously cared for the vehicles they’re selling and will be happy to provide all the documentation for the work they’ve had done on them.

They also have a different mentality from dealership sales representatives. Of course, private sellers and salespeople want to maximize the amount of money they get, but they don’t face the same pressures that factor into the sales process. A sales rep has to keep their job, make a commission, and answer to a sales manager. Someone trying to get rid of their C4 Corvette before they move is the sole decision-maker (unless they need to hit a certain number mandated by their spouse).  

It’s Not Personal. It’s Business. 

Growing up, I only remember my dad buying a car from a dealership once. He purchased a lot of vehicles, but they were typically from private sellers or auctions. Although I was excited about getting the Bullitt, I was not looking forward to going through a salesperson to make that happen. Part of my dread came from the idea that I had to say what they wanted to hear so that they would like me.

I learned as I dealt with the rep that I had it all wrong.

Sure, I wasn’t a jerk to the guy because he was just doing his job, but I also didn’t try to make him my best friend. We were engaged in a business transaction. He didn’t have to love me, he just had to accept the price and terms I proposed. That meant I didn’t require his permission for anything, as if he was my boss. All I had to do was present what I wanted and see if we could reach an agreement. The original upholstery for the driver-side door panel insert had been replaced with a poorly fitting plastic insert; the plastic replacement for the passenger side was still in its package in the trunk. I told the salesman I wanted a chunk of money knocked off the price since the door panels would need to be redone. To my surprise, he played ball. 

Sometimes Banks or Credit Unions Aren’t the Best Choice

Given that I was buying a 14-year-old car, I was not surprised when the dealership’s finance manager informed me that six or seven banks and credit unions had declined to provide me the funds for it despite the fact that I had great credit. She finally found a credit union in Colorado that was willing to take the plunge.

That’s when I remembered LightStream, a lender that some of my friends had used for their collector car purchases. They considered factors such as my credit and payment histories in determining whether they should loan me the money for the Bullitt. Not only did they not require the car’s title as collateral, but they also gave me a rate that was close to two percent lower than the quote I got from the Colorado credit union. Getting the money for the purchase price of the Bullitt only took a day or two. Handing the check over to the finance manager was a satisfying and amusing experience. When I told her the name of my lender, she said deadpan, “I’ve never heard of them.” 

Put Down as Much Money as Possible 

If it wasn’t clear before, I’ll repeat it: I should’ve thought this purchase out more before I made it. Perhaps then I would’ve banked up enough money to make a substantial down payment. Yes, that takes more time and discipline up front, but it can lessen the amount of stress you face in the future. I was already buying an old sports car; by financing nearly all of it, I was locking myself into paying interest on that lump sum for years to come. 

I had more lessons ahead of me once I drove the Bullitt home. I’ll tell you what those were in my next installment. 

Pick of the Day: 2002 Chevrolet Camaro SS 35th Anniversary Edition

There was a time in my life when it seemed as if only people my parents’ age would reminisce about the American performance cars of their youth. It wasn’t until recently that I realized I do the same thing, just with different generations of the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro. When I was in high school, the New Edge Mustang was blazing down streets one stoplight at a time. My senior year not only marked a milestone in my life, but also the end of the fourth-generation Camaro. GM commemorated the occasion with the 2002 Chevrolet Camaro SS 35th Anniversary edition, which happens to be our latest Pick of the Day

For the final-year Collector Edition of the C4 Corvette, Chevrolet went the subtle route and covered it in Sebring Silver Metallic. When it was time to bring the fourth-gen Camaro to an end, Chevy clearly wanted to make sure everyone knew the 35th Anniversary coupes and convertibles were special models. They chose a flashier color, Bright Rally Red, and made it even more eye-catching by adding unique badges and a distinctive stripes and graphics package, which bookends the convertible’s power-operated black soft top and coordinates with the machined faces of the 17-inch wheels. 

The cabin is more reserved but still makes it obvious this isn’t your ordinary Camaro. The two-tone seats are covered in Ebony and Pewter leather; the front buckets get commemorative embroidery on the headrests. Standard equipment includes remote keyless entry; power windows, locks, and mirrors; a leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls; cruise control; a six-way power driver’s seat; air conditioning; and a 500-watt Monsoon AM/FM/CD audio system. 

It may have bowed out of the 35-year battle with the Mustang for pony car supremacy, but at least the Camaro went out on top in terms of outright power. The SS model packed an LS1 5.7-liter V8 that generated 325 horsepower at 5,200 rpm and 350 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm. A four-speed automatic transmission was standard; a six-speed manual gearbox was available at no extra charge. Other hardware consisted of a power steering cooler, the Performance Ride and Handling package with DeCarbon monotube shocks, and a Zexel Torsen limited-slip differential. 

The selling dealer in Clifton Park, New York was wise to keep the mileage on this 35th Anniversary convertible down to just 5,635 and to refrain from modifying it. Even better, they held on to the original window sticker (which shows a total vehicle price of $37,075), both keys and key fobs, and the owner’s manuals as well as other documents.  

Whether you want to drive a piece of Chevy history or relive your early-2000s glory days, this Camaro is a well-preserved, low-mileage way to make that happen. As we all know, you can put a price on nostalgia. In this case, that price is $32,999. 

Click here to see the listing for this Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com