• This first-generation Chevy Camaro looks like it stepped out of a time warp.
• It has been restored to its original colors of Ash Gold paint over Gold vinyl upholstery.
• This auction ends on Wednesday, February 22.
Today, when we see pony cars from the ’60s, they are typically high-performance halo models and have often been further heated or converted into fearsome street machines. And while those SS396 Camaros, Cobra-Jet Mustangs and Hemi ‘Cudas are the stuff of legend, the reality of the pony car was very different for legions of owners back in the day. It was something exactly like what we have here in this 1968 Chevy Camaro.
Currently up for auction on Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos—this Camaro is by far a more accurate period piece than typically seen. It has some punch courtesy of a 327-cubic-inch V-8, but that engine is mated to Chevy’s ubiquitous Powerglide two-speed automatic stirred by a horseshoe-shaped floor shifter. The restorer somehow managed to resist the temptation to fill the wheel wells with slotted mags, torque-press wheels, or even Chevy Rally wheels, instead of sticking with 14-inch steels that wearing factory wheel covers and, yes, whitewall tires. And unlike the reds and blacks so popular with muscle car builds, this Camaro’s Ash Gold reflects what was popular at the time. With its matching vinyl interior, it’s a golden oldie.
Cars like these are the reason the Big Three were able to churn out hundreds of thousands of Camaros, Mustangs and the like during the pony car’s heyday. They had a more youthful, sporty image than the standard Detroit fare, but they were still quite practical and affordable.
Speaking of affordability, bidding at this writing is still shy of $7000 with five days to go. It will certainly climb higher, but probably nowhere near what the typical restored early Camaro would bring. And yet it is a true representation of the pony car era and perhaps a bigger head turner as well.
