Classic cars can sometimes be a “swings and roundabouts” proposition. A vehicle can feature rare factory options, but its overall condition leaves an owner with little choice than to perform a total restoration. Such is the case with this 1967 Camaro RS. It runs and drives, and the original owner ticked some interesting boxes on the Order Form to personalize their ride. However, it seems to feature enough rust to warrant a nut-and-bolt restoration. The RS is listed here on eBay in Flower Mound, Texas. The seller has set a BIN of $24,000 but leaves the option for interested parties to make an offer.
When examining rarity claims, they sometimes must be put into perspective to determine the importance of such claims. The original owner ordered this Camaro in Mountain Green Metallic with a Black vinyl top. The seller indicates that only 3% of Camaros produced in 1967 wore that shade, but considering total vehicle production, it still equates to around 6,630 cars. We will see that there are more important considerations as we delve deeper into this car’s specifications. The new owner faces a significant undertaking to return this RS to its former glory. Rust has sunk its teeth into its steel, and there is more than we would typically expect from any vehicle situated in a dry location. However, since it appears this Chev has spent its life in New York, that might be a contributing factor. There are no underside shots, but the shopping list of new steel will include the rear quarter panels and, potentially, at least one front fender. There is penetrating rust visible in the driver’s side door frame, but areas like the cowl appear okay. The vinyl is cracked and split, and some trim pieces require restoration. The glass seems okay, as does the distinctive RS grille.
The original owner ordered this numbers-matching Camaro with the optional 327ci V8, a two-speed Powerglide transmission, power steering, and power front disc brakes. That combination promises a relaxed driving experience rather than neck-snapping performance. However, many owners would have found the car’s ability to cover the ¼-mile in 17 seconds very acceptable. The seller recently installed new stainless brake lines and bolted in new shocks. They mention an odometer reading of 74,000 miles without indicating whether they hold verifying evidence. It runs and drives and recently made the journey from New York to its current location without any problems. It appears that enjoying the car immediately while planning its restoration is viable.
Okay, draw a deep breath. The interior is where this seller claims the Camaro features its more interesting and rare factory options. The original owner ordered it with air conditioning, a folding back seat, and cruise control. Chevrolet documentation confirms that 28,226 buyers selected A/C, and 17,993 chose the folding seat, which are both more common than the exterior paint shade. However, a mere 305 buyers ticked the box beside cruise control. That means we have identified a feature that won’t be seen every day on a ’67 Camaro. The interior is a mixed bag, with some items presentable and others requiring replacement. Whipping the interior into shape is unlikely to be expensive because the required parts are readily available and affordable.
It has been said that there are cases where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. That could be true with this 1967 Camaro. The RS package wasn’t rare, but when we factor in the folding seat, air conditioning, paint shade, and cruise control, it is a slightly unusual vehicle that stands out in a crowd. Whether that increases its potential value is something many will debate. If nothing else, it represents an excellent conversation starter if the new owner rocks up to a Cars & Coffee in this classic, fully restored. Is that enough for you to consider pursuing it further?
What is sad you need to spend big coin to get this rust bucket. I see the NY plates on it. So I am going to say there rust underneath also. If this was a big block with a automatic to have cruise control then maybe wise to get it. But 327 2 speed auto..Naaaa . The interior needs some work since the dashboard is a crack on top. It would a cool car to have if you have deep pockets and time to fix it all. 🐻🇺🇸
I’m a first gen Camaro guy all the way. But unless this is a car someone really wants, I think you’ll put more into it than it’s worth. It’s too bad it got into this shape in the first place.
Hey, that looks familiar, I have the topless version. Mine doesn’t have AC. cruise or folding seat, but it does have deluxe interior and power windows. Oh, and rust & bondo ;)
I was fortunate enough to come across and purchase a cheap 1967 Camaro in 1977. 6cyl, 3 on the floor, R/H and that was it. Everything worked (including the clutch!) but it was tough driving in the winter. It had rust everywhere. I thought that was the reason for the heater not being able to keep up with the NY cold weather and it was, but I couldn’t tell where the rust was that was causing the problem (or was it just too much?). The following autumn I decided to sell it and get something “warmer”. Sold it to a guy my brother worked with. I found out several months later he junked the car due to the frame rails punching through the rusted out floor of the trunk.
I if you look closely in the pictures, it has a shifter on the column but it has a clutch ! The article says it has a two speed powerglide
That’s the parking brake not a clutch peddle.
The “hotter sister” to this car is barely visible up on the rack behind it. Let’s talk about her first.
Not the ‘69 Z-Rally though?
Well look at this. A first generation Camaro for sale for less than a years salary. I guess in this market $24,000 is the equivalent of new price in 1967.
Awesome Chuck! Just drive’em…restoration is nice….if you want to be worried all the time around people and traffic. I have a 63 GRAND PRIZE! a bit crusty, but who cares…she gets as many looks and thumbs up as any trailer queen. Keep driving her…she looks great.
Anything with a 2-speed tranny seems like it will not be much fun to drive on the street. My 10 year old low-end Tradesman pickup has 8 speeds, and I am sure someone out there is thinking 11 or 12 gears if it is not already on the market.
I have to question the distilling down of options to determine the rarity of a car. If this Camaro had rubber mats instead of carpet it might be a 1 of 1, but would that make the car more interesting or (except in the world of collector crazy) more valuable? I look forward to the day when prices get back to normal and this hobby/passion is not polluted by money. However, I also recognize that because everything is such big money we have lots of repro parts right now, which probably would not otherwise exist.
Not everybody wants to spend $24k as an entry fee into paying for a total restoration. Its definitely in driver condition. Shame about rear qtrs and rust but if rockers are in decent shape, I’d have a good body man use filler where he had to and repaint it. If I were keeping the car for myself, thats what I’d do. Five years ago I replaced qtrs, wheel wells and partial rockers on a 66 Mustang, and swore never again. Patch and repair her and drive and enjoy it.
Used to see these near London back in the 70s. Seems that they were all sixes, but that was just fine with us.
It’s a Camaro collector…..if he’s dumping it….it must be bad…..
Not necessarily, maybe he just needs the money to fix up the 69 in the background. Or maybe there is another car he has his eye on and need to sell something first to get it. Not everyone that has multiple old cars actually has unlimited funds.
A column-shifter Powerglide. I wonder how rare are the column-style shifters for Gen-1 Camaros?
Per the Camaro White Book, 220,906 Camaros were built in 1967. 129,477 had the console with floor shifter. 12,051 had option M11, floor mounted shifter. That was an oddball option where you got your automatic or 3-speed manual shifter on the floor without the console. For the automatic, it looks similar to Ford Pinto/Mustang II automatic floor shifters without the console.
All 4-speeds would have had a shifter on the floor. There were 47,539 of those. Some 3-speeds would have had the “three on the tree,” but since they only built 681 3-speeds, that’s a pretty negligible number.
Of course, we cannot get a definitive number from these figures. All we know is that there were 91,429 cars built without a console and 12,051 of those were automatics or 3-speeds with M11 floor shifters. And an unknown number were 4-speed cars with just a plain floor shifter. So all we can say is it was way less than 79,378!
New York car …
How’s the undercarriage ?
In 1967, my dad ordered a 67 Coupe, Granada Gold, Gold Bench Seat Interior, Exterior Decore Group, Tinted Glass, Powerglide, Posi-Traction, and my favorite 327/275 HP. Not a hi-performance car by any means but a lot of fun to drive and not a bad ride for a 16-year-old!
If I was going to buy the 67 RS shown, it would be a keeper. That way it wouldn’t matter how much I spent. If you are buying that car to flip, I can see why you are afraid of rust repair and buying parts. You can’t make much money doing that.