Automotive History Chevrolet Camaro
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and in this beholder's humble opinion, the third generation Chevrolet Camaro has that quality in spades. It could be argued that the 80s was not an illustrious decade for American car design, but that doesn't mean there aren't diamonds to be found in the rough.
The "3rd gen" Camaro is a case in point. The squared off lines and angular shapes used to lesser effect on some cars of the era all seem to make sense here. All the proportions look just right; even the stance of the car gives one cause to pause for a moment after parking. The long overhangs do nothing to minimise the sporting look, and the raked angles of the screens, both front and rear, give a real sense of drama. Not a big car by American standards it's easy to see why the Chevy is a popular choice on these shores. Chances are, if you are thinking about buying your first Yank, the Camaro's on your list to at least look at.
Such is my experience of the model. After brief and ambitious forays in to the less straightforward areas of American Vehicle ownership, I decided it was time to buy something I could realistically use every day. Despite the raised eyebrows levelled at my "sensible" decision, I was not put off realising my dream of having a sporty classic American daily driver. After looking round for a while I found a very clean and original 1987 IROC Z-28 with the 305 TPI. This is the pick of the bunch as the impressive sounding name would suggest. The Z28 was the sporty top of the range package in 1987. On top of this could be added the IROC-Z package as the lucky first owner did on my car. The five litre V8 produces 190bhp and if you're gentle will return 25 mpg.
Behind the wheel is where all these figures begin to make sense, and the first step in that direction is a pleasant one. The long, heavy door opens impressively with the frameless windows adding that touch of class. First impressions are that it's lower to sit in than you were expecting, the soft foam in the seats making you recline a little more than you'd like. This is easily remedied by the exhaustively adjustable electric seat, which can seemingly be tweaked to suit anyone from Geoff Capes to ET. The forward view is exactly what you'd expect from an American Muscle car. A vast expanse of bonnet, punctuated with plastic performance trim makes you feel decidedly small, and invites you to crane your neck in the vain hope of judging where it stretches to. Only time and experience will allow you the skill to swing this motor into a parking space with the confidence and swagger it demands. Black plastic is the order of the day when it comes to the dashboard, but even this has a sort of retro charm about it; it's as angular and overstated as the exterior, just finished with a little less panache.
Turn the ignition key and the sound you were hoping for does not disappoint. An initial stifled roar gives way to a notably smooth and quiet tickover. Sitting well soundproofed from the engine and a long way from the tailpipes means more of a rumble than a bellow, but opening the door reminds you of the glorious burble emanating from somewhere back there. The refreshingly thin rimmed leather steering wheel gives you control of those massive front tires; even the nicely weighted power steering can't hide their size. Shift into drive and a lazy surge in revs has you motoring.
For a relatively big car the Chevy feels sure footed through town, even nimble. There's very little excess play in the steering wheel, and guiding it through the smaller gaps gives a quiet sense of satisfaction. In traffic it's well behaved and doesn't fuss at all. There's no need to be constantly watching the temperature gauge or blipping the throttle. Only the interested glances from passers by betray the fact you're driving something unusual. Once on the open road it's time for a little more fun. For a five litre engine 190bhp doesn't sound particularly jaw dropping, and to be fair, performance is swift rather than scorching. A prod on the gas pedal will produce a surge of torque that's more than enough to dispense with that pesky tailgater behind, and overall the car can easily be driven briskly without the need for any drama. Burying the throttle will produce the bellow of twin exhausts you've been waiting for, accompanied by a rather impolite shove in the back from the kickdown. Keep your foot in and it pulls like a train all the way up to naughty speeds. Bear in mind though that at this sort of velocity those large tyres have a tendency to follow the (many) imperfections our roads seem to have.
As you'd expect of an American car, the ride and handling are somewhat different from what we're used to. On our often randomly cambered A roads the ride can seem a little firm, and even though it is a sporty car, you feel things could be a little more pliable. The occasional pothole can make your teeth chatter if you catch it wrongly! The firm ride however allows a modicum of cornering stability you would perhaps not expect from the car. If you're going to throw it around like a Lotus Elise you'll more than likely end up in trouble (this is a pretty heavy car), but up against sports tourers of it's ilk the Camaro does not disgrace itself. Perhaps the thing that takes the most getting used to are the brakes. Pulling up takes a little more footpower than expected due to the transmission not being designed to incorporate engine braking.
All in all then, The Camaro is a fairly tame old beast which is lots of fun to own and drive. It's about as hassle free as any 20 year old car; which is to say not completely, but where else can you find a grin factor like this in an everyday car for a modest outlay? I just wish the petrol tank was a bit bigger...
