The Chevrolet Camaro is a legend and we now reflect on the beginning. In August 1966 Chevrolet released of the Camaro to the world. The pony car would hit the street running, more than two years after ford led the way with the multitude of Mustangs. The Camaro was not the first but would arguably become the last word in pony car muscle. GM would make up for lost time quickly. Unbeknownst to many, the infamous Z28 debut in 1967 as a factory race car well equipped and ready to race in the Trans Am Series. To qualify, GM must produce and sell 600 cars to the general public, so they sold 602. The Z28 was initially a production order code that would result in a Camaro equipped with a race ready high performance 302 cubic inch engine. There were no badges or emblems on the car, just the secret code!. It was not long before the public found out what ordering a Z28 was all about. In 1968, Chevrolet started to badge the cars and as a result, sold 1700 cars, more than triple the first year.
But get this, in 1969 GM sold 17,000 Z/28 equipped Camaros. This car was a legend in the making. The Z28 was a true factory race car and GM would then ride the wave. 
The Z/28 road race car was only one of the Chevrolet race platforms. On the field today is a different breed of GM Camaro race car. In drag racing it was all about cubic inches and huge horsepower. Chevrolet had the 396 big blocks! The demand was mostly in the Midwest where drag racing was a household event. Going fast in a straight line gave families, friends, and coworkers bragging rights until the next weekend. GM was fueling the friendly fire. Chevrolet started increasing the horsepower in the big block engines. Some dealers such as Yenko, Nickey and Berger figured out quickly that having the corvette 427 power plant installed in a Camaro was only a phone call away. It all started back in 1986 for Stephen Reinero. With only $900 dollars in his front pocket he drove home a 1967 Camaro 4speed. All that mattered to Stephen at age 18 was that the car would burn out. In less than two years, Stephen had embraced the Chevrolet Camaro, learning all that he could about the history, the features, and the fanfare. In 1988 Stephen completed the restoration of his first Camaro muscle car. It was an award winner of epic proportions. It graced the cover of Popular HotRodding Magazine as well as the centerfold in Car Craft Magazine. The beginning is not often the end. Since that time Stephen has owned and resorted more than 100 Camaros. On the green today for your enjoyment are two of his Camaro restorations, a beautiful maroon 1968 Camaro Convertible and a breath taking 1969 fathom green SS Camaro. Both cars have undergone a nut and bolt restoration at the hands of Stephen. Please take a moment and enjoy what GM and Chevrolet were most famous for in 1968 and 1969.
by Stephen Reinero
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http://www.stevescamaroparts.com
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