Delivered new in Austria by Puhr
With the same owner to this day
Extensive maintenance and service history
Largely preserved in unrestored condition
Power was relative. Especially in America, and particularly in the 1970s. Only a few years earlier, muscle cars had competed for buyers with ever larger engines and ever more power. The oil crisis, emissions regulations and insurance premiums brought that arms race to a rather abrupt end.
Chevrolet’s Camaro had enjoyed a front-row seat throughout. Originally introduced in 1966 as an answer to the Ford Mustang, it followed its eternal rival by becoming larger, wider and more grown-up with the arrival of the second generation in 1970. The Z/28 designation continued to stand for the sportiest version, shared with the racing cars competing in America’s Trans-Am series.
After a brief absence, the Z/28 returned to the range in 1977. For 1978, the Camaro received a substantial facelift: the previous chrome bumpers disappeared in favour of large, body-integrated plastic units. The result looked more modern and gave the Camaro the appearance that today seems inseparable from the late Seventies.
Beneath the Z/28’s long bonnet remained a 5.7-litre small-block V8. Depending on specification and market, around 170 to 185 SAE net hp were available. Compared with the most powerful Camaros of the early years, that sounded rather modest. Displacement, torque and the appropriate soundtrack, however, were still available in abundance.
The Z/28 also received sports-tuned suspension, special wheels, spoilers and graphics that left absolutely no doubt as to which version had just arrived. The formula worked: Chevrolet sold more than 270,000 Camaros in 1978, over 54,000 of them Z/28s.
This Z/28 came to Austria when new and was purchased from Puhr in Vienna in March 1978 by its first and, to this day, only owner. The American would spend almost half a century in his hands in Upper Austria. A continuous service history shows that it certainly wanted for no attention along the way. Today, the Camaro also benefits from historic registration.
Almost half a century, one owner and one Z/28 – American constancy, Austrian style. At the same time, a truly remarkable story that is now waiting for its next chapter to begin.