Disclosure: This site may receive compensation when you click on some links and make purchases.

26K Mile 1981 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 Survivor

If this car does not scream 1980’s, then nothing does. This 1981 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 is located in North York, Ontario and is reported to only have 43k kilometers which is about 26k miles. The car can be seen here on eBay for an asking price of $35,000 Canadian or $26,448 US. The car appears to be exceptionally clean as indicated by the interior, underhood and undercarriage pictures provided in the listing. This is the year that the VIN changed from 13 to 17 digits. Since this Camaro is Canadian, it should have a 2 as the first digit in the VIN instead of a 1 which indicates that it is a US car. Just over 43,000 Z28s were produced in 1981.

This Camaro Z28 is equipped with a 350 cubic inch V8 engine and automatic transmission. In the US, this was the first year that the Camaro was equipped with Computer Command Control (CCC) in the US which monitored and controlled the carburetor, timing, and emissions. The CCC 350 cubic inch V8 engine in 1981 produced 175 horsepower in the US and, if a buyer opted for a 4 speed, the car would be equipped with a 165 hp 305 cubic inch V8 engine. In Canada, however, a buyer could still get the 185 horsepower LMI 350 cubic inch V8 engine with an automatic or 4-speed transmission.

The interiors of late 1970s to early 1980s Camaro Z28s were fairly plain compared to their counterpart the Pontiac Trans Am. This car has the cloth inserts and tilt steering with the two tone interior. The interior appears to be clean with no noticeable wear or damage to the upholstery. Total production for Camaros declined to 126,139 in 1981. The car is said to come with a lot of original paperwork and the original 5 spoke rims. I think these aluminum rims look fantastic and were some of the best-designed wheels put on a 2nd generation F body.

This car has survived and still sports its original paint. The undercarriage pictures are impressive and it looks to have been well maintained throughout its ownership. While not a fast car compared to today’s standards, it is striking and has a solid V8 that can be modified but I would keep this car original and drive it so others could enjoy seeing it. What about you?

Comments

  1. Avatar GM nut

    Beautiful car! All its missing is the t-tops.

    Like 6
    • Avatar jerry z

      How dare you! No t-tops! EVAH! OK maybe I’m being a little dramatic.

      It does need a 4 speed to be relevant though.

      Like 16
  2. Avatar Michael

    Has a 1978 Z/28. Was very into the Camaro. 1979, and 1981 was the only two I wouldn’t have bought. 79 the horse power was down. In 80 they added about 30 horse. As for the 81? It was nothing more Then a Camaro with the Z/28 decales. Chevy was getting ready to release the all new Camaro, so this 81 GOT all the left over remaining parts. All Camaro’s of 81 had same suspension, same engine, same interiors. Chevy wasn’t even trying. What was the use. my 1978 came with 245 horse. The 1981 had 145. OH boy.

    Like 3
    • Avatar JoeMac

      Mike…unless someone did work to your ’78 Z, you didn’t have 245 horse. The ’78 Trans Am 6.6 400 was the highest horsepower F Body in ’78 with 220hp. The Z28 was well under 200hp regardless of transmission configuration.

      Like 8
    • Avatar Superdessucke

      1977: 195 HP
      1978: 185 HP
      1979: 175 HP
      1980: 190 HP
      1981: 175 HP

      For the Z28 350s.

      Like 5
  3. Avatar JimmyJ

    I thought 245 sounded high
    Google says 188hp in 78 that sounds about right.

    Like 4
  4. Avatar Craig

    Finally a Z28 without those terrible leaking T-Tops. They only look good on the Bandit with Burt behind the wheel and if you notice they are never on the car!

    Like 3
    • Avatar Ike Onick

      Burt? Really? Hmmm. Did you fail to notice the passenger?

      Like 5
      • Avatar Craig

        Yeah … she’s in my car! lol

        Like 0
  5. Avatar PRA4SNW

    Nice car, nice color.
    Asking price is too high.

    Like 1
  6. Avatar SusanOliver

    If people need explaining how to convert KM to miles, then they are too dumb to be driving.

    Like 3
    • Avatar Ike Onick

      It’s dead easy! If your are going 130km/hr, you are not going fast enough!!!

      Like 5
  7. Avatar Karl

    If a person had a real hankering for a decent Camaro this looks like a good one! My last 78 Rally Sport had the T-tops and they were So not worth having because the weakened the entire structure of the car even with sbu frame connectors welded in the car was a twisting nightmare. This car looks beautiful and in my eyes thank God NO T-Tops!

    Like 3
  8. Avatar Stevieg

    I like this car but I can’t buy it because I don’t know how kilometers translates to miles per hour. I better quit driving lol. Smh

    Like 3
    • Avatar Miguel

      I have to do that on some of my cars. I stick with 25MPH is 40KPH and go from there.

      Like 1
  9. Avatar art

    For me, I thought GM did better with this design than Ford did with Mustangs of that era and I tend to prefer Fords.
    This Camaro design still looks good after all these years and while it won’t win too many races, it sure looks better than 90% of cars made today. While not a Firebird, this car, in this color, screams Rockford…lol

    Like 0
  10. Avatar JoeNYWF64

    I didn’t think a Canadian car would get a cat conv AND air pump, even in ’81.
    Underneath looks like it’s never been driven even on dusty/dirty roads!, nor in the wet, let alone snow/salt. Yet, I’m pretty sure i seen some BRAND NEW! ’70s cars on dealers lots with virtually no miles that were not only dirtier underneath, but had some rust on certain suspension bits!
    hmmh
    Never seen a 2nd gen f-body with such light carpeting!!
    Sure would like to get a look at that temp gage to see if it’s got numbers calibrated in blasted Centigrade.
    Never seen part numbers on rear leaf springs!
    One would think with the late ’70s camaro dash change, they would move the HVAC controls to the right of the driver – no owners ever complained to chevy? Not even passengers? lol

    Like 0
  11. Avatar Miguel

    What year did Canada start using KM per hour and would this car have had KM on the speedo this year?

    Like 0
    • Avatar PRA4SNW

      Did they also do what they did for U.S. cars with analog gauges, but opposite: put the MPH in a smaller script on the speedo?

      Like 0
      • Avatar Blueprint

        Metric started in cars up here around 1976 so this one is in km. Speedo should have mph in smaller font.

        Like 0
  12. Avatar Stevieg

    Miguel, I was joking lol. Some people have condescending attitudes & my comment was a reaction to one of those lol.

    Like 1
  13. Avatar mike

    anyone know how many 81 zs came with a 4spd?

    Like 0

Leave a Reply to JoeMac Cancel reply

RULES: No profanity, politics, or personal attacks.

Become a member to add images to your comments.

*

Get new comment updates via email. Or subscribe without commenting.