Due to a labor strike in 1972 and sagging industry pony car sales, the Chevy Camaro was a threat for cancellation. Fortunately, the car bounced back in 1973 and only just recently retired altogether. This 1973 edition is both a Z28 and a Rally Sport and is a project waiting for someone new to complete it. Located in Amarillo, Texas, this Chevy is the subject of a no-reserve auction here on eBay that has only found one bid of $12,000 thus far.

After an abysmal 68,000 deliveries in 1972, the Camaro rebounded to 96,000 copies in 1973. But that was still a far cry from the car’s original roots in 1967 to 1969. The performance side of the business was where the sales problem lay, and just 11,000 or so Z28s were manufactured in ’73. And this was before the OPEC oil embargo came along and gave the muscle car segment another kick in the shorts. A similar number of Camaro’s were equipped with the Rally Sport option, but we don’t know how many were paired up with the Z28.

The seller says this car is a true RS/Z28 combo that came with a robust 350 cubic inch V8. But that engine has been replaced with another 350 (from 1970) that is not in running condition (it looks rather lonely in the engine bay). The overall vehicle has 115,000 miles, so it saw a fair amount of use before work began to restore it. The interior is said to be original, but it may not be as nice as the seller suggests.

Work has been done on the body to take care of rust and dents, but some remain in the quarter panels, even though most of the overall car is wearing grey primer. Though it looks to be all together, some of the sheet metal is only hung on the car for photos. More work will be needed to make things permanent once again. This Chevy is said to have been off the road for most of the 21^st Century. The hood is a new item on the car, a Harwood Truefit Metal Cowl Hood. The trunk has a stash of parts, many that you will need, like the driveshaft. Who’s ready to take up the cause for this Camaro?