It's hard to go wrong with a 1968 Chevrolet Camaro finished in bright blue and carrying a sweet-running small block under the hood. The timeless shape will always look good, and these cars garner instant respect on the road and on the show field. The old adage that special cars will always be special most certainly applies to these early F-bodies.The bodywork on this tidy little Camaro was full restored from bare metal in 2006, and today it presents as a great weekend driver that you'll happily show off at the local cruise night or out on the streets. The workmanship at the time seems to have been professional, with straight panels and good gaps throughout. The bright blue paint (somewhere between Lemans Blue and Marina Blue) might attract the attention of the local constabulary, but that's what happens when you own one of the most popular and fun-to-drive cars ever created: you want to drive it. Fortunately, all the other goodies on the car make it easy to love, including a blacked-out grille up front, the cowl induction hood, and factory ducktail spoiler that always finishes these cars with a flourish. The white Z/28 style stripes distinguish this Camaro from its more plebian siblings, along with the requisite 'Z/28' badging, front and rear spoilers, and bright chrome bumpers. This car has a fantastic look.The black bucket seat interior is well turned out, and the seat covers with cool light blue houndstooth inserts are accurate reproductions that are holding up quite well thanks to durable factory-type materials. Everything else is equally well presented, with unblemished door panels, clean carpets, and a taut, neat headliner overhead. It's always good to see a manual gearbox in an early Camaro, with this one topped by a Hurst linkage and a cue ball knob just for effect. The gauges are original and all work properly, augmented by a tach mounted on the console plus a pair of auxiliary gauges under the dash. A newer AM/FM stereo head unit fits in the original location, snugging into the woodgrained center stack quite neatly and provides a welcome upgrade over the original AM unit, and hey, there's a tilt wheel, too! The trunk is outfitted with a correct mat, as well as a custom battery box with master shut-off that suggests someone was serious about getting it right.Although it advertises itself as a Z/28, today there's a stout 355 cubic inch V8 under the hood. Bored .030 oversize and fitted with double-hump heads, it runs beautifully, with a crisp snarl from the exhaust and quick reflexes on the road. Other upgrades include a mild cam from Competition Cams, an Edelbrock high-rise intake manifold and a Holley 4-barrel carburetor, plus some long-tube Headman headers. The black paint on the block provides a low-key background for the chrome valve covers, and we have to admit we like the updated look a whole lot; it makes the engine bay look modern, not 45 years old. It's backed by a 4-speed manual transmission and bulletproof 12-bolt rear, which hangs on leaf springs with traction bars to make the most of the small block's grunt. The tub is reinforced with subframe connectors and there's a mellow-sounding dual exhaust that rumbles just right at speed. Factory Rally wheels always look great on a Camaro, but the smooth hubcaps give it a custom look and it sits on staggered 225/65/15 front and 235/70/15 rear performance radials.This is a sweet little Camaro you can drive and enjoy every day without worries, with a nice dose of flash to make it welcome at show time. Call today!
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