What is it about those old-school California license plates that just conjure up images of forgotten West Coast classics? This 1981 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 looks like it’s ready to rock in red paint with gold accents, and the rare factory four-speed manual makes it even more tempting. The seller further notes it’s a T-top car and a final year model of this generation of the Z28, so it has more than a few things going for it. Throw in the fact that the seller calls it “super dry” and it sure seems worthy of rescuing. The Camaro is listed here on craigslist with an asking price of $12,995.
The Camaro wears its original Z28 enhancements like the rear spoiler and front air dam. The wheels appear to be correct as well as they are color-matched to the car, which was standard operating procedure with this era of the Camaro. The bodywork is in great shape, and given it seems to have been a long-term California resident, it’s not a surprise to see solid sheetmetal. The seller’s description says this is a barn find Camaro that was “…parked way in the back,” which indicates to me it was found as part of a larger stash where it was hidden from daylight for years.
That would certainly make sense given the condition of the interior, which shows little in the way of sun damage. The one downside to cars from sunny, dry regions is that the endless rays tend to wreck havoc on interiors left out in the elements. The rare houndstooth cloth upholstery looks to be in great shape, although the steering wheel appears quite dry. Still, for a barn find, it’s clean inside and doesn’t look like the kind of interior you’d be scared to set foot in. The four-speed is a treat, and a feature we so rarely see on Camaros and Firebird of this generation.
The T-tops are nice to have, as long as they haven’t been leaking – and given the car was seemingly stored indoors and the interior is in fine shape, it seems unlikely they were. The paint is a little bit tired in places, but that just adds to the charm of this nicely patina’d Camaro. The 305 V8 is far from a monster motor, and if this Camaro was sold new in California, it made even less power than in other states. But for a classic muscle car light that looks good and sounds even better with the added bonus of a four-speed, it’s a great candidate to refresh mechanically and then simply drive and enjoy.
For its claim of being an original California car, it’s odd that it wears a style of plate that wasn’t issued until 1987.
That’s a hefty price for a 305 powered Z28 project that needs paint and unspecified work to make it roadworthy.
Steve R
Like I’ve said before. My sons and I have a couple LS’s that need a home. This would be a great place for one of them.
To bad the cash flow is low.
Californians changed plates if the front one was lost. If the front plate was lost or damaged the Great State of California would issue you a new set. If you got a ticket for no plate on the front (happened a lot) you needed to get new plates. I’m not concerned about those white plates. The blue and yellow were never popular. Btw, I worked in those t-tops in Van Nuys.
I always had a USA-1 plate on the front of my 71 Camaro, the police didn’t really care, unless there was orders from above to crack down on the local cruise. I got a ticket for that once, but that night they they ticketed, there were several lines 29 cars deep in a shopping centers parking lot of cars waiting for their turn to get some sort of fix-it-ticket, that night everyone was written up for something.
The real crackdown came much later, in the late-90’s or early-2000’s with the rise of red light cameras and Fastrak lanes on bridges or for fee express lanes, which all needed images of front license plates.
Steve R
NH also has the front plate regulations. I wanted a USA-1 plate on my ’99 Z, so I got vanity plates that said “USA1-Z”.
I tried to get USA-1Z and it was taken. I found out years later that it was owned by a co-worker’s husband who had a pristine ’72 Z.
I gave my plate up many years ago and I’ve seen it again on another Z.
Located in Huntington Beach, CA
I had to work on these leaking T-top bastards at a Chevy dealership! Not fun! I wonder if someone make replacement weatherstrip, hope so.
Gray Wolf, do you or anyone else know if the aftermarket T-Roof systems hat removed the entire section and installed an aluminum bar in the center were better at preventing leaks?
I remember seeing a lot of those back in the day and thought they looked better and gave you more open air than the factory ones.