On loan from: Phil Mitchell, Sumner, Washington
Original price: $5,600.00
Number made: 54,907
Engine, etc.: 5.7L, 350 cu. in., 185 h. p. V-8, four-barrel carburetor, dual exhausts; special handling suspension
Note: Car is all original and has about 1,200 miles on it.
Small changes were made for the 1978 Camaro. The grille was like the 1977 model though the 1978 Camaro had a body-colored soft nose section and rear bumper. The grille had fewer horizontal bars and larger holes than the previous year’s model. Taillights were wraparound with built in amber directional signals and clear backup lights.
Three models were available in 1978: the Sport Coupe or Rally Coupe, Type LT, or the Z28. Prices ranged from $4,415 to $5,600. The Rally Sport became a model this year rather than just an option as in the past. The Z28 had a new pointed hood panel air scoop with black throater, functional slanted front fender air louvers, different body striping, and a simulated string-wrapped steering wheel.
The Camaro was introduced in 1967 as a compact car in direct competition with the Ford Mustang. It was a pony car built on the same frame as the Pontiac Firebird. The word “Camaro” was claimed to be French slang for “friend” (though there is no such word in French) but in the pony-car world, it meant “Mustang killer”. Four generations of Camaros were produced from 1967 through 2002 when production ended. A fifth generation began in 2010.
The fifth generation came out in 2010 with a dual overhead cam V-6 with 323 hp. The new 6.2L Gen IV V-8 was rated at 426 h. p. in the SS models, rivaling output of the special-order COPO (central office production order) 427 engines from 1969. (COPO cars were cars dealers could order if they knew the right ordering numbers. It was a way to circumvent GM’s policies limiting engine sizes in smaller cars such as the Camaro. Often they were cars the general public couldn’t get or didn’t even know existed.)
In 2014, the Camaro Z/28 had the first factory-installed 427 cu. in. engine since the COPO models. It was rated at 505 h. p. and helped the Z/28 become Motor Trend’s 2014 Best Driver’s Car award – the first American-brand car to receive the award.
Sources: https://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z1460/chevrolet-camaro.aspx
https://oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Chevrolet/1978_Chevrolet/1978_Chevrolet_Camaro_Brochure/1978%20Chevrolet%20Camaro-01.html (Original dealer brochure)