The Top Five Special Edition Chevy Camaros of All-Time
The Chevrolet auto manufacturer is responsible for the delivery of a wide range of automobiles and trucks that are made for people of all walks of life, but there is one that has stood out over the others through the years. The Camaro is the muscle car that was the range in the 70s and 80s. And there were plenty of them on the road. The automaker kept the country well-supplied, but they also made a few special edition Camaros through the years that were manufactured in limited quantities. We hope you enjoy our offering of the five top special edition Chevy Camaros of all time.
1967 Camaro “Grumpy’s Toy”
Bill Jenkins, also known as “Grumpy” needed a pro stock car that would deliver high and the answer was the special edition Camaro that was the creation of Vince Piggins, Chevy’s Racing Director. This special edition is the first Camaro that featured the L78 code, 396 engine that churned out 375 horsepower. This is the car that was driven by Jenkins as he burned up the track and won the NHRA Super Stock championship in 1967. There was little doubt of the Camaros forthright capabilities for Pro Stock racing. This is a one of a kind that is a highly prized piece of drag raciig history.
1968 Camaro Z28 Convertible
This is a one of a kind special edition that was limited to the creation of one example. The 1968 Camaro was not offered in a convertible style. This one was a special hand built edition specifically for the general manager of Chevrolet, Pete Estes. He was looking for something that would deliver high performance, while offering an array of customized features. This car includes a variety of special parts that were not offered in other editions of the Camaro including a cowl induction hood, a cross ram intake manifold and four wheel disc brakes. It has since become one of the most rare vintage muscle cars in the world, selling for auction i 1991 at $100,000.
1970 Camaro Z28 ‘Hurst Sunshine Special’
Another of the Camaro super rare special edition creations that were of an extremely limited production run. In fact only three of the “Hurst Sunshine Specials were ever built. This amazing prototype features a 360 horse power LT -1 engine, along with a compression ratio of eleven to one, and a solid lifter camshaft. The power sliding sunroof was a nice touch that set it apart from all others. It was wind tunnel tested to verify that the sunroof, rear and front end spoilers were up to snuff and it passed with literally, flying colors. There is only one car of the three created that is still in existence and it is stored safely as a part of the Rick Hendrick Collection.
1982 Camaro Z28 Indy Pace Car
Camaro earned the high compliment of becoming the top choice as the Indianapolis 500 Pace Car, in the first year that the third generation was produced. This beauty was designed on teh concept of the Camaro Z28 with its then impressive first electronic fuel injection, yet the two cars made for the race, were specially modified. Two were made in the event that a backup was needed. They featured a 5.7 litre small block engine that put out 250 hp. There is only one car of the two remaining in existence today. Although Chevrolet manufactured 6,360 replicas of this model, the two cars made for the Indianapolis 500 are easily distinguished by the different safety lights and clear headlamp covers.
1969 Camaro ZL1 Muncie M22 Rock Crusher 4 speed manual transmission
To celebrate the year 1969, Chevrolet built a special edition Camaro that would be strictly limited to just sixty nine cars in the line. The ZL1 is a Cortez Silver that was a special order through the COPO system. It featured a 427 big block aluminum engine. It met the requirements for NHRA Super Stock eligibility for the class. Only 12 of the 69 made featured the four speed manual transmission known as the “Muncie M22 Rock Crusher.” Of these, just six came from the factory with Rally wheels. This car is considered to be a rare and valuable find for muscle car collectors throughout the world. 50 of these special limited edition vehicles were ordered by an Illinois Chevy dealer named Fred Gibb.
