1968 CHEVROLET CAMARO SS

1968 CHEVROLET CAMARO SS Convertible. The first-generation Chevrolet Camaro appeared in Chevrolet dealerships in September 1966 for the 1967 model year on a brand-new rear wheel drive GM F-body platform and was available as a 2-door, 2+2 seat, hardtop (no "B" or center pillar) or convertible, with the choice of either a straight-6 or V8 engine. The first-generation Camaro was built through the 1969 model year. Almost all of 1967-1969 Camaros were built in the two U.S. assembly plants: Norwood, Ohio and Van Nuys, California. There were also five non-U.S. Camaro assembly plants in countries that required local assembly and content. These plants were located in the Philippines, Belgium, Switzerland, Venezuela, and Peru. The Camaro's standard drivetrain was either a 230 ci (3.8L) straight-6 engine rated at 140 hp (104 kW) or a 327 ci (5.4L) and 307 ci (5.0L) (later in 1969) V8s, with a standard three-speed manual transmission. There were 8 (in 1967), 10 (in 1968), and 12 (in 1969) different engines available in 1967-1969 Camaros. There were several optional transmissions. A four-speed manual was available with any engine. The two-speed "Powerglide" automatic transmission was available all three years. The three-speed "Turbo Hydra-Matic 350" automatic became available starting in 1969. The optional automatic for SS 396 cars was the Turbo 400 three-speed automatic. The SS performance package consisted of a 350 ci (5.7L) or 396 ci (6.5L) V8s and chassis upgrades for better handling and to deal with the additional power. The SS featured non-functional air inlets on the hood, special striping, and SS badging. 1968 For 1968, Chevrolet with its instant hit, the Camaro, had proven a worthy answer to the Mustang, with sales numbers looking strong and wins racking up on the race track. The changes from 1967 to 1968 were subtle, but thoughtful. For example, the vent windows that framed the A-pillars were eliminated. Since there were no longer the “smoker” windows, Chevy had to do something about getting airflow to the driver. GM installed air vents below the dash; a feature it called “Astro-Ventilation.” 1968 Camaro buyers who went for the larger SS engine got chrome inserts on the hood meant to replicate velocity stacks. Under that new hood, the available SS 396 ci V8 now made 350 horsepower in L34-spec. The Camaro Z/28, previously only available as a track-ready car, was made available for road use in 1968. The Camaro had won 10 of 13 races in the Trans-Am series and GM had started promoting the Z/28 in brochures, so demand and production spiked considerably. Z/28 sales jumped to 7,199 in ’68. GM sold 40,977 examples of the RS, and 27,884 of the SS. In all models, shocks were staggered to get rid of a wheel hop issue. And if you went for the top performance models, multi-leaf rear suspension replaced the single-leaf rear setup. In 1968, government mandated that all cars include side marker lights at the front and rear quarters. Aside from the regulatory visual changes, engine displacement emblems were moved to the front of the fenders. Side door mirrors changed from a circular design to a rectangular one. The taillights were also restyled, and non-RS models got a restyled grille. The 396 ci (6.5L) 350 hp (261 kW) big block engine was added as an option for the SS, and the Z28 appeared in Camaro brochures. The 427 ci (7.0L) was not available as a Regular Production Option (RPO). Several dealers, such as Baldwin-Motion, Dana, and Yenko, offered the 427 as a dealer-installed replacement for the factory-supplied 396 ci engine. While the Z/28 variant was previously available as a track-only car during the 1967 production run, Chevrolet's Special Production Division came up with an ingenious plan to make the Z/28 available for public road use. They had to convince Chevrolet's General Manager Pete Estes to allow a production run by first building a road-ready Z/28 for him to drive. But the General Manager only drove convertible vehicles, and the Z/28 was never produced as a convertible. A Central Office Production Order (COPO) was placed for the only Z/28 convertible Camaro ever created. The car was placed in the executive garage which Pete Estes had access to. Upon driving the vehicle, he promptly gave approval for production of the Z/28. A 1968 Z/28 famously competed in the 1971 British Saloon Car Championship at Crystal Palace in a three-way battle for the lead, a race which was later featured in the BBC’s “100 Greatest Sporting Moments”. CC rating: 6,489cc 396 ci (6.5L) V8 NZ First Registration: 20-Nov-1998