Vehicle Description
Wow, this slick 1971 Chevrolet Camaro RS represents a ton of
go-fast performance for a competitive price, and we'll throw in the
fantastic good looks for free! This is the kind of muscle car that
always catches people off-guard, because despite the rather flashy
paint, onlookers are typically not ready for 454 cubic inches of
pure thunder under the hood. You'd better believe it's potent
enough to scare the neighbors, yet it's still civilized enough to
take them around the block to show off.
A quick look at this early 2nd generation bruiser and you
immediately see the components that made these cars so darn popular
- including an RS front end with the split bumpers and blacked-out
wide-mouth grille, the chin spoiler, and those killer black racing
stripes atop the hood and decklid. There's also a slightly
oversized cowl-induction hood and a familiar ducktail spoiler out
back, all of which make this car look pretty serious about the
business of going fast. That vivid silver metallic paint is a close
facsimile of Cortez Silver and that's a very popular color that
always looks good on an F-body, especially with a set of black SS
stripes running down the center providing contrast. That deep chin
spoiler makes the car look long and low, but it's nice to see that
it's keeping with the period look and hasn't been treated to any
questionable modern "upgrades" (lets leave the airbrush work at Six
Flags, okay painters?) in the appearance department. Despite some
minor imperfections, the driver-quality paint shines up rather well
(the biggest 'cosmetic issue' would be the lower quality of the
paint on the passenger's side rear quarter, which doesn't exactly
match the rest of the car), the sheetmetal is solid, and the gaps
are pretty much exactly like what GM was producing then. Brightwork
and chrome are in very good shape, glistening up against the silver
finish, and all the clear glass and tight rubber look to have been
attended to at some point not long ago as well.
By the looks of things inside, this Camaro's interior was fully
made over when the car was restored a few years back, keeping
everything that was good about the original design while adding a
few enhancements that make it a lot of fun to drive. The black
vinyl upholstery looks great and only shows minor signs of use and
age, an ideal match to the exterior color combination, and the
durable upholstery wears like iron and is very grippy, so staying
behind the wheel is easier than in a stock car. The dash is
original and full of factory instruments in their original
arrangement, although a trio of white-faced auxiliary units were
added under the dash to keep a better eye on the big block under
the hood. There's also a cool horseshoe shifter in the center
console (encased in an aftermarket bezel that adds a splash of
bling inside), an aftermarket A/C system that's blowing cold, and a
Kenwood AM/FM/CD/AUX stereo with new speakers to match. Black
carpets are the right choice and are further protected with Z/28
scripted floor mats, there's a black perforated-style headliner
above to match, and the surprisingly spacious trunk was finished
with black carpets as a final detail.
OK, OK, we're getting to the good stuff, don't worry. The engine is
a thundering 454 V8 big block swapped in from a later-model GM (it
decodes to a 1991, 5th generation 4-bolt main big block), and it
fits inside the Camaro's ample engine bay like it was born there.
With plenty of horsepower on tap and a healthy torque curve strong
enough to pull a Redwood out of the ground, it's got a loping idle
that's impossible to disguise and it pulls the muscle car like a
freight train. It's nicely dressed with a chrome Edelbrock air
cleaner and a set of matching chrome Edelbrock valve covers, and
there's and Edelbrock intake and big 4-barrel carburetor up top to
help build horsepower. Long-tube headers help with the already
impressive torque curve and bellow through a pair of Flowmaster
mufflers that sound amazing. A TH350 3-speed automatic transmission
delivers the power to a 10-bolt rear end, and with highway-friendly
gears inside this car really feels impressive on the street.
Classic American Racing Torque Thrust 'Old Style' wheels look great
on just about any classic car and are wrapped in staggered
235/60/15 front and 245/60/15 rear Cooper Cobra white-letter
radials at all four corners.
It's not a show car, but if you want a Camaro that'll run with the
big dogs and look great doing it, this is a very appealing and
affordable choice. Call today!