Like so many of its muscular counterparts, the Camaro Z28 had already taken a downturn in the performance department when the 1973 model arrived, but it still had that mean-looking front end which got smoothed out for the following year, maybe not quite as cool as a couple of years prior when the car wore the split-bumper styling and the grille was completely exposed, but Chevy had to do something to comply with a new mandate so those front end components could withstand 5 MPH bumps unscathed.  This 1973 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 is a project needing complete restoration, but with the car’s legendary status, it’s certainly deserving of all the love it will take to get this one back on the road.  The Chevy is in Cleveland, Ohio, and can be spotted here on eBay, where 30 bids have taken the price up to $6,600 so far, yet still short of the reserve.

Zero just about sums up in one word the historical details we get about the Z, and unfortunately, it looks like it may have been around the streets of Cleveland for a while plus not exempt from winter driving, as there’s a considerable amount of rust in the quarters and there’s something a bit off in the passenger’s side front fender.  Another snafu is the actual photos, which are rather small and make it sort of difficult to hone in on all the nooks and crannies.  But the car seems to be mostly complete on the outside, and hopefully, several panels will be salvageable.

I’m not sure what could have caused the driver’s bucket to be at the amount of deterioration we’re seeing, especially considering the passenger’s seat just has one small chunk out and I’m envisioning the rear seating possibly being good enough for a driver-status Camaro with just a thorough cleaning.  It’s a good thing the carpet’s missing, exposing the upper side of the floor which doesn’t look as compromised as I was expecting.  Not quite perfect, mind you, but perhaps overall more structurally sound than I would have imagined.

The 350 was rated at 245 horsepower for ’73, way down from 1970 numbers when the second-generation Camaro was introduced but GM had just recently switched from gross to net HP ratings, so if there’s any good news about compression going down a couple of years back at least this calculation method was more pleasing to insurance providers.  The engine, transmission, and rear-end are all numbers-matching here, but the car is not currently running with no explanation provided, so the why here is a mystery.  Is this 1973 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 a project you’d find worthwhile getting into?