There was a party in full swing at Chevrolet in 1997 as the company celebrated thirty years of Camaro production. What better way to mark the occasion than with a special edition recapturing the badge’s glory days? Thus, the Camaro Z28 30th Anniversary was born. Our feature car is an amazing survivor with 13,000 genuine miles on the clock. It is in exceptional condition and has been garage-kept its entire life. It is set to find a new home, with the owner listing the Z28 here on Craigslist in Union City, California. They set their price at $18,500, and I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder Pat L. for spotting it.
Chevrolet’s Fourth Generation Camaro graced showroom floors from 1993 until 2002, but 1997 marked a significant milestone for the badge. One of the most iconic paint schemes worn by any Camaro was the Dover White and Hugger Orange combination that graced the 1969 Indy Pace Car Edition, and Chevrolet replicated that look in Arctic White and Hugger Orange for the 30th Anniversary. This car presents exceptionally well, which is understandable given its history. It is a one-owner survivor that has been garage-kept its entire life. The paint shines beautifully, and there are no signs of flaws or defects in it or the panels. The damage-prone nose is flawless, as are the color-coded 16″ wheels. The tinted glass is spotless, and the overall condition suggests this classic wouldn’t look out of place on a showroom floor.
It is easy to tell the seller was focused on preserving this Camaro because much of its interior retains the protective plastic fitted at the factory. It has left the White leather seatcovers in as-new condition, with the same true of the remaining trim, carpet, dash, and console. It is also exceptionally well-equipped. Standard equipment includes dual airbags, air conditioning, and a tilt wheel. The Z28 option added power windows, power locks with keyless entry, power mirrors, a remote hatch release, a leather-wrapped wheel, and cruise control. The 30th Anniversary package brought a six-way power driver’s seat, the previously mentioned leather seats, and a premium AM/FM radio/CD player. The seller states that everything works as it should, without faults or problems.
American manufacturers had regained much of the ground lost during the 1970s due to emission regulations by the time this Camaro rolled off the line. Its fuel-injected 5.7-liter V8 produces 285hp and 355 ft/lbs of torque. The remaining major drivetrain components include a four-speed automatic transmission, power steering, and four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes. That combination could send the Z28 through the ¼-mile in 14.4 seconds, while the advanced aerodynamics meant a brave driver would see the needle nudge 156mph. This Camaro is a numbers-matching classic with under 13,000 genuine miles on the clock. It runs and drives perfectly, and the transmission shifts smoothly. Those wishing to fly out for a California holiday before driving home behind the wheel of this survivor should consider that a realistic expectation.
Chevrolet produced 3,352 examples of the 1997 Camaro Z28 30th Anniversary, although cars like this aren’t as rare as the Z28 SS. Only 957 rolled out of the factory and rarely hit the market. The asking price for this car is realistic and is probably marginally below what most people would expect to pay for such a beautifully preserved time capsule. It has only been on the market for a short time, and I expect someone will snap it up pretty quickly. Are you tempted to be that person?
I love 4th gen Camaros! They provide a lot of great parts for upgrading third gens.
It’s sad how this gen Camaro gets dished on by so many people, much like they did to the 3rd gen, which is finally making the “classic” turn. This generation was born in the wind tunnel to support the IROC series in NASCAR. They are powerful for their time, especially when the LS1 was introduced for the last 4 years. That engine was a game changer for all. These cars have great lines, which complimented the “rounded off” look of most 90’s body styles. They will make a run soon and will be very rare when it happens. Most of these were butchered for drag racing. Finding one in this condition is going to be a challenge.
Kidding aside, the ask of $18.5K for an ultra low mile anniversary edition, against the average new car price of around $40K, makes this clean collectible a genuine steal.
Only if fella warranties it bumper to bumper for five years.
40 grand for a new car is peanuts, considering what you get. Nostalgia clouds vision.
That’s definitely bargain priced. I’ve seen these cars listed for closer to 30K.
Would be a good car to flip at auction. Your right, I’ve seen these bring 30k or north of that
I had the white seats in my ’99 Z/28. Not sure how that came to be, definitely a rarity and not mentioned on the option sheet.
After owning one with the great 6 speed manual, any of these with the automatic seem to be lacking.
Right up the 880 freeway from me…at that price, that seems like a real bargain. Seeing what has happened with the prior generation Z28s and the prices that they are starting to command, this Z28 would make a sound investment. You could enjoy for a few years (or longer) and as long as you’re not daily driving it and it is maintained properly, chances are you’ll see a healthy return when it’s time to sell. My only gripe, and a rather minor one considering how clean and low mileage this Z28 is, but personally, I wish it was a 6 speed. If it was, I probably would have a strong urge to liquidate some of my 401k.
“… I probably would have a strong urge to liquidate some of my 401k.”
A true car guy right here. Dang right.
Get a few spare Optisparks/Waterpumps if you plan on driving it. And a real AC/Delco Optispark is like finding the Arc of the Covenant, most are cheap Chinese crap.
That being said, I put 250,000 on mine (was on the 4th Optispark when I had to sell her)
Same with today’s replacement HEI modules, tho i have a few good made in USA ’70s delco modules as spares bought back in the day.
I’ve had my ’74 firebird orig HEI distrib rebuilt just once also with 250k miles.
I’m surprised a ’97 camaro would still have a distributor! The ’91 mitsubishi DOHC v6 does not have a distributor, tho the SOHC version does.
Couldn’t you simply rebuild the optispark 3 times?
Or even better alternatives? …
https://www.lt1howto.com/articles/optisparkfaq.htm
Make mine a LS equipped topless , presently searching the local adds to see if i can find a bargain but as someone wrote , they are hard to find in good shape
YOLO
I just sold one 3 years that was immaculate. A 99 convertible, just as you want. Had a the fresh air induction, a superchips download and a .373 positrac rearmed I installed. A .373 really wakes one of these up, wish I had kept it. I’ll send you a pic.
Automatic wrecks it for me.
As soon as I saw this was the Brickyard 400 Pacer for the 96′ Race I was on the phone with a good friend who was the top sales guy for the local Chevy Dealership. Got mine with the all leather, T-Tops, and absolutely had to have the 6-Speed manual transmission. The dealership didn’t even have all the specs for an order when he was placing mine which is why I had full leather. He didn’t know it was an upgrade from the hounds-tooth which was what I would have gotten. And worse yet didn’t know about the SLP tweaked SS’s that would follow along with the 100 LT-4’s. If I was only a patient man at that age. Aside from that, I took delivery August 30, 1996 and watched it roll off the trailer. Love the car regardless and currently the mileage is 1,484! Interesting oddity on mine, I have an analog (Old School) odometer. 97′ was the first year for the red digitals and I have only ever seen a handful of 97’s with the analog and only in the 30th Anniversaries. Still trying to get an explanation for this and GM folks can only guess and say “Early Build Issue”. I also located the company that made the graphics for the Pace and Festival cars. Got 2 sets, one on the car and one for spare.Thanks for listening.
Len.