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View Full Version : 1977 Camaro ZL1 ??


jannes_z-28
04-07-2009, 01:09 AM
Found this article in the 1978 issue of Chevy Hi-Performance, it was a once in a year magazine back then.

They had an article about a 1977 Camaro with a ZL1 engine in it. It was a designstudy that was showed at Milford proving grounds. They speculate about if it would hit the streets.

Here is scans of the magazine. Anyone know of this?

http://www.protouring.se/files/chp_1978.jpg
http://www.protouring.se/files/zl1_1977_1.jpg
http://www.protouring.se/files/zl1_1977_2.jpg


Jan

iluv69s
04-07-2009, 03:06 AM
"at one time ZL-1 short blocks alone costed $3000 in a crate"...

.............imagine that!!

al8apex
04-07-2009, 05:35 AM
That is a Bill Mitchell car ... I think they took the engine out of the black and gold 69 and put it there ...

He had a LOT of neat cars

I lived in the area where he did for a couple years and would always see him driving something cool down Maple toward the Tech Center

x Baldwin Motion
04-07-2009, 09:09 PM
At least that groovy frontend headlight treatment didn't go to waste.....




http://www.carlustblog.com/images/2008/05/22/shelbycharger1.jpg

al8apex
04-08-2009, 12:16 AM
"factory" ZL1 with a/c and a 70-72 style console and shifter ....

70 copo
04-08-2009, 02:01 PM
Was originally built as styled version of a 70-73 with RS nose. In '76 the car got the coming '78 model year soft front and rear restyling look. Kinda like what they did with the Grumpy's Toy Camaro except this car got a blend of Firebird at the rear and Monza in the front - It was updated to what Mitchell wanted.

I have pictures someplace. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif

mssl72
04-09-2009, 06:49 AM
Cool car! Anybody know if it's still around?? Or did it get crushed?

Tracker1
04-09-2009, 06:55 PM
That's Mitchell's 1975-1976 Camaro Berlinetta Show car/styling exercise. Magazine was just "making" a story to sell extra copies. It did have a ZL1 in it though. But never slated for production.

70 copo
04-10-2009, 02:22 AM
Car was around way before 1975.. first as an A type body with Rally Sport trim. Here is the car as it appeared in 1971. The Grill has a Canadian Flag, an American Flag and the word "CAN-AM" over the ZL-1 script. Pontiac hood tach from a GTO on the hood too.

Here is a picture.

al8apex
04-10-2009, 06:13 AM
yup, that is it in it's earlier (better looking IMHO) life ...

jtower1969
04-10-2009, 06:52 PM
[ QUOTE ]
"at one time ZL-1 short blocks alone costed $3000 in a crate"...

.............imagine that!!

[/ QUOTE ]

My dad was going to purchase one from Gearheart Chevy in the early 80's for his '55. I think the price was $3500 for the long block. He took the LT 1 short block because he had a complete blower set up and a complete Hillborn set up for a small block, neither made it on to the car. He put a 250 shot Compucar kit on it. I think the heads he had were done by a "Brandywine" or something like that from PA. I still bust him to this day that he passed on a ZL-1.

RichSchmidt
10-08-2010, 04:42 PM
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: jtower1969</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">&quot;at one time ZL-1 short blocks alone costed $3000 in a crate&quot;...

.............imagine that!! </div></div>

My dad was going to purchase one from Gearheart Chevy in the early 80's for his '55. I think the price was $3500 for the long block. He took the LT 1 short block because he had a complete blower set up and a complete Hillborn set up for a small block, neither made it on to the car. He put a 250 shot Compucar kit on it. I think the heads he had were done by a &quot;Brandywine&quot; or something like that from PA. I still bust him to this day that he passed on a ZL-1. </div></div>

Yeh,but I bet the LT1 was a lot cheaper.Back in the early 80's and LS6 longblock was about $2200 and an LS-7 shortblock was about $1700. I bet that LT-1 was under 2 grand,especially if it was actually an early leftover. To add a ZL1 to a 69 Camaro cost close to 4 grand back in 1969,and that was after you factor in the deduction for whatever engine would normally come in the car. Even to assume that te price was 4 grand over a regualr base model car,you can fgure that a grand of that 4 grand was absrbed by the fact that there was no smallblock being installed.

RichSchmidt
10-08-2010, 04:47 PM
BTW Jtower, I bought my 73 Camaro from a guy in Hawthorne back in 1989.I remember it like yeasterday, Westervelt ave right off the main road make a left and it wasn the hill and belonged to a guy named George M. It was red and red oxide primer and had some mild custom work to the interior,and stock ralley wheels. Maybe you or your dad saw it around.

I currently live about 1 mile from Gearhear Chevy.