Vehicle Description
Camaro enthusiasts know their hardware, and when "Camaro
Milestones" magazine picked seven sure-fire Camaro investments for
the future, #4 was this 1979 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28. With sleek
looks and a timeless graphics package even Ford guys lusted after,
it easily rivaled the Trans Am for the must-have car of 1979. This
particular Bright Blue example is a great choice if you're going to
follow the editors' advice and pick up one of these underrated
performance cars before the rest of the market catches on.
For 1979, the top-dog Camaro Z/28 was once again freshened, getting
a wrap-around front air dam and lots of colorful graphics on the
body. So many of these were beaten to death during their (and our)
youth that finding a clean one like this that is straight, clean,
and unmodified is rather rare. It's been fully repainted, and they
resisted the urge to "modernize" it and instead kept it with
factory Bright Blue paint over some very straight sheetmetal. Light
and dark blue Z/28 decals (this is a real Z/28) are absolutely the
right choice for the disco era's hottest ride, and details like the
blacked out trim and louvered rear window look great for their age.
It's not perfect, but for a super-solid driver-quality car that's
coming up on its 43th birthday, well, it's pretty darn impressive.
If you were there in the '70s, you know how cool these were and if
you're too young, well, you probably wouldn't get it anyway.
Suffice to say that this Camaro still looks like the car we all
dreamed of owning when we came out of "Rocky II" while it was still
in theaters.
There's no such thing as too much blue on killer vintage car like
this, and this Z carries a fantastic stock light blue bucket seat
interior. The high-back vinyl buckets offer a comfortable yet
grippy seating surface and they're in great condition for their
age, showing only minor wear that's mostly concentrated on the
driver's seat, although certainly not enough that anything would
need to be addressed. No, this slick cabin is factory-correct and
all-day comfortable, with a couple modern updates here and there
that really take it up a notch. The center console is remarkably
simple for GM of the period, and they left off all that fake wood
you'd see back then on most cars, so this Z/28 has a clean
performance look that's almost timeless - especially with that tall
cue-ball topped shifter drawing all the attention inside. Even the
steering wheel is in great shape, thanks to the protection of a
Chevrolet wrap, and the door panels, dash, and carpets all look
very good as well. The original gauges were swapped-out in favor
Dakota Digital units that keep a closer eye on the drivetrain, the
factory A/C blows cold, and an upgraded Pioneer AM/FM/CD stereo
manages the tunes, which only add to the fun of this F-body. Out
back, the trunk is quite spacious, and it's outfitted with a repro
mat and spare tire and jack set for emergencies.
Big blocks were off the options list in 1979, but a rocking 350
cubic inch V8 is nothing to sneeze at, particularly in Z/28 guise.
It's set-up stock with a couple extra bells and whistles to add
flash, including chrome valve covers at the flanks and a chrome
K&N air cleaner up top. There's a performance intake and Fast
Fuel 4-barrel carburetor on top that helps the block breathe, an
MSD ignition that provides great spark, and plenty of performance
on tap up and down the throttle. It starts easily and runs
beautifully, the dress-up makes it look far more expensive than it
is, and it sounds awesome with a recent Flowmaster dual exhaust
system underneath. The quick-shifting Muncie 4-speed manual
transmission powers a 10-bolt rear end with street gears inside,
and the underside of the car looks exactly like a well-maintained
survivor should. A new clutch, new shocks, new coil and leaf
springs, and new sway bar fore and aft help the Z's road manners,
and with power steering and power front disc brakes the car drives
like a dream. Color-matched OEM wheels look surprisingly
contemporary and wear modern Cooper Cobra white-letter radials at
all four corners.
Was the magazine correct in its prediction? If our recent sales are
any indication, it seems like these late second-gen Camaros are red
hot, because we can't seem to keep them in stock. So, don't delay,
call now!
