LT-1 Corvettes vs Z-28 Camaros

[LS6 RAT]

I found the discussion about the early 2nd gen Z's value, very interesting!

I don't quite understand the descrepancies between these two cars and their prices for restored examples. There are 1,287 LT-1 1970 Corvettes produced (no exact record breakdowns for coupe vs convert) and 8,733 1970 Z-28 Camaros (no exact breakdowns for RS equiped vs standard).

Correctly restored LT-1 'Vettes can be bought for 31K to 35K pretty consistently, with a few reaching the lower 50's. Yet, it sounds like a nice Z would fetch more than the 30's, something seems skewed.

Would you Camaro enthusiasts buy LT-1 Corvettes, do you think there should be a wider spread between restored examples of each. Those who think the Camaro should be more valuable, why?

[musclecarjohn]

Another excellent topic!
I think the prices for '70 LT-1 Corvettes have been soft for some time,as have all C-3 Vettes.I think your restored figure of $30K+ for a 70 1/2 Z/28 might be a tad high IMHO.
I don't see those cars bringing that kind of money although they certainly should.
The LT-1 Corvette is a fantastic car and with such low production numbers,it certainly has no where to go but up...as the Z/28 should as well.

I've been waiting for my 70 1/2 Norwood RS Z/28 to catch up to my '69 X-77 Camaro but I don't think it's ever gonna happen!

John
1969 X-77 (Millenium Yellow/Blk stripes)
1970 1/2 RS Z/28 (Hugger Orange/Blk stripes)
1970 Chevelle SS-454 LS-6 (Cranberry Red/Blk stripes)
1970 El Camino SS-454 (Cranberry Red/Blk stripes)

[LS6 RAT]

John:

Thanks for your opinion. I also had 2 '69 Camaros, a L35, ss/rs pace car convert, and a L78 ss convert. I think the '69 Camaro body style will never be matched, it just simply beautiful.

[70-SS/RS-L78]

I love the LT-1 Vette, They are nicely balanced cars that run and handle real well.

[GaryH]

I've been following the LT-1 Vette for a while now. They have really started to shoot up over the last year. Nice 70 coupes are bringing 35K easy. Verts are running 5-10K more. 71 and 72 are not quite bringing as much but they are appreciating also. There are some LT-1's selling in the high teens low 20's but they are rough.

[Late BrakeU2]

[ QUOTE ]
Another excellent topic!
I think the prices for '70 LT-1 Corvettes have been soft for some time,as have all C-3 Vettes.I think your restored figure of $30K+ for a 70 1/2 Z/28 might be a tad high IMHO.
I don't see those cars bringing that kind of money although they certainly should.
The LT-1 Corvette is a fantastic car and with such low production numbers,it certainly has no where to go but up...as the Z/28 should as well.

I've been waiting for my 70 1/2 Norwood RS Z/28 to catch up to my '69 X-77 Camaro but I don't think it's ever gonna happen!

John
1969 X-77 (Millenium Yellow/Blk stripes)
1970 1/2 RS Z/28 (Hugger Orange/Blk stripes)
1970 Chevelle SS-454 LS-6 (Cranberry Red/Blk stripes)
1970 El Camino SS-454 (Cranberry Red/Blk stripes)

[/ QUOTE ]

I would respectfully disagree with correct restored 70 Z's not bringing over thirty k,several have passed through the main channels well over that price,and one very special one was 50k.There is quite a disparity in pricing on them,CE undocumented cars are still 20k,but papered original/pro restored matching driveline cars are double that.Seems like most all Fbody fans love the 69,some aren't in love as much with the second gens..but there is always going to be a market for any choice examples of either.

[musclecarjohn]

As the owner of a fabulously restored frame-off 2nd. gen RS Z/28 in a highly desirable color combination,I'm the first one hoping to see them climb in price but that has been a SLOW wait indeed!
No way will they ever catch the '69 and that is quite the shame since they are far superior in terms of driver comfort and handling...hands down.The relocation of the steering box really sets these cars apart..again IMHO.
I think Penske & Donohue both had input on the design of these cars (as evidenced by the larger wheelhouses and improved downforce)and there is no doubt in my mind had Roger stayed with Cheverolet in 1970 that they would have been SCCA Trans-Am champs that year as well but what are you gonna do...
Chevrolet really missed the boat by not offering a ZL-2 hood option for this car and the added air cleaner clearance would have been a big plus.

As good a "balanced" car as these are,they just don't give you the "racecar" feel of that high-winding 302 Z/28.

It's a car that I really look forward to driving...daily if possible.

John
1969 X-77 (Millenium Yellow/Blk stripes)
1970 1/2 RS Z/28 (Hugger Orange/Blk stripes)
1970 Chevelle SS-454 LS-6 (Cranberry Red/Blk stripes)
1970 El Camino SS-454 (Cranberry Red/Blk stripes)

[Late BrakeU2]

Donohue was a formidable weapon in any manufacturers camp- He most certainly could have been a world champion in a competitive car.I'm not sure if this thread was the one regarding the COPO deck lid spoiler,but an interesting bit of trivia was that when all the teams reported to tech for the first race at Laguna that year,Ed Leslies #2 car was first in line to be inspected by Timanus..with NO spoiler!

Kind of ironic considering how staunch an advocate Hall was of downforce.He was at Laguna last weekend with all versions of his Chapparals-that would have been cool to see!

[LS6 RAT]

My thoughts are also that the LT-1 Corvettes are a bit undervalued. These cars give you the better design exhaust manifolds, bigger exhaust piping, Transistor ignition and an open element air cleaner housing. I don't think the second gen Z's do. Just my opinion but if the '70 to '72 Z's continue to increase in value at a fairly rapid rate as has been seen in the last couple of years, I believe we should buying every legitimate '70, '71 LT-1 Corvette we can find that shows up at 30K in original condition.

[musclecarjohn]

LateBrakeU2,

That is true than when the Chaparral Camaros started on the grid at Laguna in '70,neither car was able to run front or rear spoilers because of the homoligation rules.I have a SCCA Trans-Am poster that shows Jim Hall running @ Laguna and the cars are just plain UGLY!

I was at Laguna for the Historics and yes,it was a blast to see all 7 Chaparrals run the course,especially the 2J "vacuum car"...that car is NOISY and was quite a beast.It dominated qualifying in the 4 races it ran before it was banned from Can-Am.Jim Hall was very cordial with us and signed all my T-A & Can-Am books along with Vic Elford and Phil Hill.
I know Mark & Linda Mountanos (owners of the '70 Chaparral Camaro & the '70 Jerry Titus Firebird among others)and it was nice to see him win the event.Another good guy,Ken Epsman (owner of the '69 Sunoco Camaro,the '70 Sam Posey Challenger,and the '72 Roy Woods Javelin) among several other historic racecars.We always hang with these guys at the races and they're all great people.
Check out www.historictransam.com for more info.