This one might be sold before some of you see it, but I felt like it still deserved an honorable mention. The seller claims that this ’79 Camaro has 56k miles on the clock and it sure looks amazing. They don’t mention if the car has ever been restored, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s all original. Take a look at the eBay listing here and let us know what you think. It’s located in Olive Hill, Kentucky and the no reserve auction ends in just a few hours.
If you thought the exterior looked nice, just take a look at the seats! I can spot what looks like a little wear or fading on the steering wheel, but everything else looks very clean. The only let down is the automatic shifter sticking up where the close-ratio 4-speed stick should be. The auto box was optional on the Z28, but with horsepower numbers down, the manual gearbox was the only way to wring out every pony from that small block.
The 350 V8 found in the Z28 did have about 5 horsepower more than the top engine option in lesser Camaros. I’m not sure if that increase can be attributed to the carb, an internal change, or the dual exhaust. Either way, it was the Camaro to get in ’79. The Z28 package came with suspension upgrades and a full suite of gauges. And if that wasn’t enough, there were enough vents and stripes to make a Lamborghini look tame by comparison.
Wow, this paint scheme sure looks good with those rims and white letter tires! There’s no denying the fact that this thing is looker, but is it original? A good detail job can work wonders and sometime photos don’t show all the flaws, so you never know. Obviously some areas look untouched, but do you think someone has already redone the paint and interior? Even if they have, I wouldn’t mind having this one in the garage!
I sold my 1979 Z last year to a friend. Owned it almost 30 years. Lots of fun and think this one will pull 20 grand. Mine had a 4 speed which does increase value.
…and they started the bidding at $99, no reserve!
Anytime you see perfect paint on an old car, you likely are seeing a new paint job. I can’t really tell much from a few photos on the internet. I don’t think it important, as long as it was done well. At least the graphics and bodywork look sharp. I am surprised at all the bidding activity. I like the 80’s too. The seller says it has original miles, but doesn’t claim it to be original paint. At the least he says it has cold AC rather than it just needs a charge.
From my experience, the paint may just be original. I own a 1971 Camaro SS350 that I ordered in August of 1970. It has only 36,000 original miles. Since it was garage kept since I got it, the paint on my car looks as good as it did back in 1971. And the interior looks great, too.
Take a look…
Hopefully, the pic will upload this time.
It took a while for the 2nd gen Camaro to grow on me, when it did there really lookers and runners Tom E. These were all show and no go and a perfect example of the damage our government could do in less than a decade.
i got dizzy from all of the upside down pictures in the listing but it is a very nice ’79…
Bidding is just under $17k with about 2 hrs left. I’m sure there will be some last minute bidding as it gets closer, but I think it’s getting close to it’s value limit. I can remember just a few years ago that nobody wanted these. They were underpowered compared to the 1st. and early 2nd. gen Camaro’s and were not considered “collectible”. But look at them now! I thought these were the best looking of the 2nd. gen cars ( other then the split bumper cars ). This actually looks like a good deal.
One of my favorite iterations as well. Love the late ’70’s schemes..
I often wonder about sellers with low feedback numbers being in one state and the car that is being sold plated in another… haven’t quite figured that out yet…
Beautiful Car. I would actually prefer a Z/28 over a Trans Am of this generation. Love the graphics. Needs to have a third pedal, but I can live with it as is. You have to respect a car that is over 30 years old and is in as fine as condition as this 28 is.
People on ‘ludes should not drive.
HAHA, I was waiting for a Fast Times response…..oh, and it’s “dudes on ludes should not drive” LOL
My dad’s a tv repairman, he’s got all these tools. I can fix this!
That’s who I thought of when I saw this car, Spigolli and fast times at Rosemont high. As for the car it’s alright but as a teen in the late 80’s and early 90’s the were the cars(3’rd gens also) of mullet sporting butt-rockers. Man I want this car!
That’s the first thing I thought of when I saw this Z28, “that’s the Camaro Jeff Spicolli drove into a pile of bricks in Fast Times at Ridgemont High.”
I worked at a Chevrolet dealer when this model year was new. A Z28 had a base price of about 6500 bucks, the most expensive ’79 we sold was 9300 with the T-top option. Automatics had a 3:42 gear I believe, and the four speeds 3:73. Drove a bunch of ’em and had a blast before their owners ever signed the papers!!
Under the hood doesnt look as nice as the interior, body, ETC. ? A very nice Z anyway, automatic trans or not. Why sellers post contortionist pictures is beyond me.
A Z28 with no power windows or door locks something seems fishy to me. Seems to me this car is a patch job.
Wish I had seen this when this auction was up years ago. I believe this Z was once mine – my first love. And yes, the windows and locks were manual – not a patch job. My mom bought this fresh off the lot. The oyster interior reportedly 1 in 500. When I let it go, it needed a new paint job, but the motor was peach with minimal miles for a daily driver. My heart aches for my Z and wishes it would return to me.
I worked at a custom shop in 1978/79 that did dealer add-ons such as A/C, cruise, sunroofs and stereo upgrades for these year Camaro and Mustangs and other cars and trucks.
A co-worker and I would pick them up brand new from the dealerships and race them back to the shop a few miles away.
I had to clean the tire rubber off the rear quarters more than once from the burnout contest we would have before returning the cars to the dealer again.
Scattered a clutch in a new Mustang one day and got fired!
Oh well, it was a fun job for a kid just out of High school while it lasted.
Went for $18,375..,.,
Here in Australia the Z28 holds a special place in our hearts. In the late 1970’s our national motor-sport governing body opened up our premier motor-sport category (Group C Touring Cars) to limited foreign manufacturers, allowing some different cars to compete in the iconic Bathurst 1000. The Z28 was one of these cars, and a number competed here between 1979 and 1984. The most famous was the Kevin Bartlett Camaro pictured above. Circumstances meant that it never achieved the success that it deserved. The car has been restored and is held as part of the “Bowden’s Collection” in Queensland.
That is art! This may start some discussion, but I believe the 1967-1970 Z-28’s were the high point of American automotive genius. And please allow me to add to the “shoulda-coulda-woulda” tales of woe: My first car out of high school (1971) was a 1969 Z-28. White w/ black stripes, black interior, black vinyl top. Purchase price $1500 USD. Parked on the street, driven in Buffalo, NY winters and eventually traded for a 1970 Boss 302. (I never claimed to be smart.)
Nice car, I would be happy converting it to a 5 speed with a higher powered LT1.
I love F bodies, this is a really nice example! I always felt the Firebird had the better dash layout though.
I had a Tyco slot car kit that came with two Z28 Camaros (one red one yellow) like this one when I was a kid. I was the envy of the neighborhood.
I forgot all about my Tyco race tracks till I read your comment. Good memories. Thanks for reminding me! Wonder if mom still has in attic?
Very nice. I’d just backdate the wheels to the factory gray “torque thrust” look Z/28 wheels. If you ever cleaned these turbine wheels, you’d know why.
It looks like Spicoli fixed up Jeffersons car with his dads “ultimate” set of tools. Lol
Maybe it’s because these are the cars of my youth, but I could see myself owning one of these or an early 80’s Vette, anemic engine and all.
My first brand new car was an ’81 Camaro, plain jane model, but it was MY Camaro because I ordered it the way I wanted it. Cost $7220.
This was the car my ex-wife should have bought the week before we got married in 1979. But no that knucklehead bought a lime green one, with dark green interior. I asked her why didn’t you buy that silver Z28? Well this one was on the showroom floor with only 6 miles on it. I walked over to the Z28 and it had 10 miles on it. 10 months later we traded that camaro for a used VW bug because the piston rings blew out at 12,680 miles and they wanted to charge us 3800 to fix it. Her brother was doing burn outs in our car after she let him borrow it. He was such a jerk.
Nope Pete the jerk would be the grease monkey that wanted $3800.00 to fix it if you look at a inflation calculater that would be over $12,000.00 right now. Considering in 1979 a Z/28 before options wasn’t even $7000.00.
I’d like to find the numb nuts that was willing to pay that to get it fixed, I have a mountain in the middle of my home state of Kansas I’d let go for a reasonable price.