Vehicle Description
With show car looks, a turbocharged V6 from a Pontiac Turbo Pace
Car, and a top that goes down, this 1987 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28
convertible does everything well. Exceptionally well built, it can
probably still win trophies, but once you experience the thrill
that comes with turbocharged performance, maybe putting it on the
show field won't be a priority.
The car was finished in 2005, but you'd never know it by looking at
the stunning paint. It is Lamborghini Orange over Cadillac Silver,
and the combination looks fantastic on the vintage F-body. Finish
work is exemplary throughout, with show-quality work visible
everywhere you look. Yes, those hood scoops are from a Trans Am,
but they work rather well on the Camaro, don't you think? And the
rest is standard Z/28, from the chin spoiler to the side skirts to
the tall rear spoiler, all accentuated by that gorgeous paint job.
The original emblems and badges were reinstalled, just in case you
didn't recognize it, but despite the somewhat radical look, it's
not that far removed from stock. The doors open and close easily,
the urethane parts aren't cracked or damaged, and if we were really
picking nits, the best we could do is one or two tiny nicks in the
finish. Seriously, this is a spectacular car.
Aside from the obvious 6-point roll cage, the interior remains
largely stock, and that's a good thing. Check out those deeply
bolstered Recaro bucket seats from a Trans Am Pace Car, complete
with the cool mesh head rests, all upholstered in grippy cloth that
keeps you pasted in place. A Turbo Trans Am also donated the trick
steering wheel and instrument panel, although the white-faced
gauges are a nice upgrade (and you'll note there is a boost gauge
for the turbocharged engine, along with an aftermarket dial on the
A-pillar). It's still loaded with options like power windows, a
tilt wheel, A/C (needs to be serviced), and a recent AM/FM/CD
stereo head unit that sounds good, top up or top down. The
convertible top is a handsome black canvas piece that fits well and
stows invisibly under a hard rear tonneau, giving the Camaro a
sleek top-down look. The trunk is modest, with much of it occupied
by a custom stereo setup with twin amplifiers and a big
subwoofer.
The heart of the car is a turbocharged 3.8 liter V6 that saw duty
first in the Buick Grand National and later in the Pontiac Turbo
Pace Car of 1989. They were modestly under-rated, but with a few
choice upgrades, they can be some of the most formidable machines
on the street. It's a neat swap into the Camaro's engine bay, and
since the factory already did the engineering on the Turbo Trans
Am, it's very OEM-looking. A few chrome dress-up parts reinforce
the show car vibe and it retains all the factory controls, so it
starts easily, idles well (if you're familiar with GM's V6 turbos,
you know they're not perfect at idle), and pulls like a freight
train out on the road. The 700R4 4-speed automatic transmission
shifts crisply and allows the V6 to build boost quickly on the
roll, and the Camaro's suspension didn't need any tweaking to
handle the added power. It still has big disc brakes, fat
stabilizer bars, and a torque arm rear suspension that really
plants the rear end. 4-wheel disc brakes are standard equipment and
the custom exhaust system sounds awesome, with a unique sound that
turbo lovers will understand. Flashy chrome wheels add to the show
car good looks and carry staggered 245/40/18 front and 255/35/20
rear performance radials.
Beautifully built, very fast, and still fun to drive, this is a
heck of a bargain at any price. You couldn't duplicate the paint
and bodywork for the asking price, never mind the turbo motor
upgrade. Call today!