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Perfect Presentation: 1980 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28

You eat with your eyes first, as any chef worth their salt will tell you, so presentation matters. There might be one or two questionable ingredients in the ad for this 1980 Camaro Z/28, seen here on eBay out of Omaha, Nebraska, but the presentation has me ready to take a bite. Let’s see how you feel about this tasty dish, which is  currently bid up to $8,602 with the reserve not yet met (and tip not included).

The louvers! The stripes! The scoops and badges and dished alloys! There’s so much ’80s goodness to take in here, it’s hard to know where to start. There is one known respray in this car’s past, and it still looks great—the body shop did a heck of a job re-creating the tri-tone Z/28 accents that adorn the exterior, too.

The visual feast continues inside, where it’s all vinyl and all red. There’s a bit of wear on the driver’s seat bolster, but everything else looks pretty cherry, so to speak. Mileage is just a tick over 64K, and while this Camaro has clearly been handled with care, it’s more a very well-preserved original car than a restored trailer queen.

One of the few deviations from original spec is the quilted velvet headliner, which almost pushes things a little too close to “bordello” for my taste, but also feels period-appropriate. Noted flaws are limited to non-functional windshield wipers and tachometer, and A/C that no longer blows cold. The ad lacks any engine or underside shots, but helpfully includes a link to a comprehensive photo album. The seller states that the engine, transmission, and rear end have never been out of the car, and it shows—again, the impression is of an honest, well-maintained driver. There’s plenty of regular wear, but no sign of anything major to worry about.

1980 was the year that the Camaro switched to a slightly embarrassing 85-MPH speedometer, and the once-mighty 350 small-block squeezed out just 185 horsepower, but raw numbers aren’t everything, especially when the overall package looks this delectable. I’d go for a taste—how about you?

Comments

  1. Avatar gregree

    why would someone have a car that looks that nice neglect that drivers seat?? why not fix it and make it right ?

    Like 0
  2. Avatar 68 custom

    looks pretty nice and it is a four speed car with no T-tops. be easy enough to boost the horse power with a modern swap or bolt on stuff. but I like the S/C 360 more!

    Like 1
  3. Avatar Jeffro

    Every time I see one of these, all I can think about is “Fast Times At Ridgemont High”!

    Like 1
    • Avatar RichS

      You can’t fix this car Spicoli!

      Like 0
  4. Avatar Vegas Vic

    Adore the graphics, nice Camaro!
    Torque up the anemic engine.

    Like 0
  5. Avatar Superdessucke

    Z28 geek here. Had a ’78 and ’79 back in the day. It drives me batsh– crazy when they use the wrong emblems. That’s a 1978 emblem on the gas cap door. Makes me wonder what else they rooted out of the Year One catalog on this “original” classic. Sigh.

    Like 0
  6. Avatar The Chucker

    “Grand Am” tires…those are likely from the 90’s as well. All in all, looks like a really nice example. With that said, under carriage inspections for rust on these 2nd gen Camaros is almost mandatory.

    Like 0
  7. Avatar jwinters

    reminds me of the car from fast times at ridgemont high!
    my old man is a TV repairman, he’s got the ultimate set of tools. I can fix it.!

    Like 0
    • Avatar nitroboy

      It’s a small world. I went to the junior high school where “Ridgemont High” was filmed. Clark Jr. High (La Crescenta, Ca.) had been closed down for lack of attendance when the film company rented the school to film the movie. It is now a magnet high school in the Glendale Unified School District.

      Like 1
  8. Avatar AMXSTEVE

    These were a dime a dozen back in 80 along with TA’s. Not so much now but this is a nice one.

    Like 0
  9. Avatar nitroboy

    Nice car but 195HP in a Z28 is an abomination. I wonder if the owner is a big Cornhusker Football Fan with all that red inside the car. Something tells me that headliner is not OEM.

    Like 0
  10. Avatar Mike Heath.

    Very Nice.I prefer the earlier ones though round 72-73 but this is stunning.

    Like 0
  11. Avatar jrc

    check out that headliner

    Like 0

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