Chevrolet has announced its plan to stop production of its iconic Camaro once again at the conclusion of its sixth-generation at the end of the 2024 model year. The final sixthgeneration Camaros will come off the assembly line at the Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant in Michigan in January 2024. “As we prepare to say goodbye to the current generation Camaro, it is difficult to overstate our gratitude to every Camaro customer, Camaro assembly line employee and race fan,” said Scott Bell, vice president, Global Chevrolet. “While we are not announcing an immediate successor today, rest assured, this is not the end of Camaro’s story.” How and when the Camaro nameplate will be continued or revived is not yet clear, but Chevrolet says that the Camaro will continue to compete on-track beyond 2023 and that they are working with motorsport sanctioning bodies to ensure Chevrolet’s presence in racing moving forward. “Chevrolet’s products and our relationship with our customers benefit from motorsports,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S.
Volume 21, Issue No. 3
June / July 2023
Second Class Mailing Agreement #40050183
Publisher: Dean Washington dean@rpmcanada.ca
Associate Publisher: David Symons david@rpmcanada.ca
Managing Editor
Jordan Allan jordan@rpmcanada.ca
Distribution Manager: Brenda Washington brenda@rpmcanada.ca
Copy Editor: Gerry Frechette gerryf@rpmcanada.ca
Advertising Sales: Elaine Fontaine elaine@rpmcanada.ca
Contributing Writers / Photographers:
Jordan Allan
Gerry Frechette
John Gunnell
Cam Hutchins
Muscle Car Plus Magazine is published six times per year by RPM Media Inc.
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vice president, Performance and Motorsports. “Our plan is to continue to compete and win at the highest levels of auto racing.” Chevrolet says they will celebrate the storied vehicle with the addition of a Collector’s Edition package on the 2024 Camaro RS and SS and on a limited number of ZL1-equipped vehicles available in North America. The Collector’s Edition will pay homage to Camaro and resurface ties that date back to the development of the first-generation Camaro back in the 1960s, most notably the program’s initial code name: ‘Panther.’
According to Ford analysis of registration data from S&P Global Mobility, the Ford Mustang is the world’s best-selling sports car over the last 10 years combined. “We’re proud of the entire Mustang family, what it represents to Ford and especially our passionate Mustang owners and fans,” said Dave Bozeman, the Vice President of Enthusiast Vehicles for Ford Blue and Ford Customer Service Division. “It’s our commitment to serving Mustang’s global community, from Atlanta to Adelaide and beyond, that has earned Mustang the honour of world’s best-selling sports car for 10 years combined.” According to Ford internal data, the United States remains the Mustang’s strongest selling market with 78-percent of global sales. Other markets that saw growth in Mustang sales last year include Germany up 17-percent, Britain up 14.4-percent, Switzerland up 14.9-percent and the Middle East up 7.4-percent. Sales of the Mustang could see another boost over the next year with the allnew, seventh-generation 2024 Mustang hitting showroom floors. The new Mustang offers a 2.3L EcoBoost engine option as well as Mustang GT’s most powerful 5.0L Coyote V8 ever. Expanding the lineup for 2024 is the new Mustang Dark Horse which is the first new performance name for a Mustang since the Bullitt was introduced back in 2001, and aims for a new benchmark in street and track performance with a modified 5.0L V8 generating 500 horsepower.
This is the type of story about a car that makes you think great about the guy who had it built, and feel bad about your brother who really needs to step it up. It is also the type of tale that does not come along to a custom car building shop like Jellybean Autocrafters very often.
A fellow buys a great piece of property on acreage in the Lower Mainland of B.C. and finds that after taking ownership, stuck in an out building, is a car. Let’s call it a barn for the sake of creating one of those barn-find stories.
But not any ordinary car - a 1969 Firebird convertible with a 400 and a 3-speed manual with floor shift. The owner contacts Ewald Penner from Jellybean and a visit to the property takes place. The car looks pretty good and has been restored
to some degree, but after previously getting hit and repaired with liberal use of body filler. The owner thinks this is a cool car and other than picking the paint colour and not wanting a hood tach, he leaves the decision making for the car up to Ewald and the crew at Jellybean Autocrafters.
Of course, the car has to ride and handle like a modern car. The kind of dude that can make this happen is used to driving some pretty fast modern cars. Now here is the kicker, and maybe you want to call your brother and talk to him about taking some motivation classes, because the car is being built so it can be given to the guy’s brother.
This car was no slouch in the day, even though the top engine choice, the 400 Ram Air IV did not seem to pack really
Story and photos by Cam Hutchins
big horsepower. But it got the job done. If the job on hand was hard acceleration. Hot Rod magazine tested the Firebird against the big old heavy 1969 Charger with both the 440 and the Hemi 426 and in the short distance it takes to get up to 60 mph from 0, the Firebird bested both the Mopars. Zero-to-60 mph was 5.6 seconds for the Firebird, 5.7 for the Hemi car and 6.1 for the 440-powered Charger. In the longer 1/4-mile run, the bigger cars were a bit quicker. The numbers for the Firebird were 14.1 seconds at 100.8 mph, while the Hemi ran a 13.7 at 104.8 mph, with the 440 taking 13.9 seconds. Very respectable numbers, for probably highly tuned cars, if not outright “Ringers”. Ringers are specially-prepared cars to look dead stock but have some internal goodies to make them much faster for the magazines to get fooled by.
So to make sure his brother can get to the store quicker, Jellybean Autocrafters chose a dead reliable GM LS3 6.2-litre engine with 525 hp and 486 lb-ft of torque. It features an ASA hydraulic roller camshaft with .525-inch lift on both sides, along with 226 degrees duration on the intake side and 236 degrees on the exhaust side. And for durability and to complement the cam, it has higher-rate valve springs which assure the added fun will stay intact when called upon.
Other goodies for the mill include a special engine controller, LS3 Corvette fuel rail covers, and custom oil pan. The front of the engine is looked after by a Holley pulley system, belt, alternator, etc. The stainless steel headers route the hot gas rearward through 2 ½-inch custom dual exhausts. To keep the car cool, there is a heavy-duty aluminum radiator with computer-controlled dual electric cooling fans with shroud.
To best the floor-mounted three-speed manual transmission the car was born with, a Tremec six-speed manual transmission with hydraulic clutch slave cylinder, and short throw shifter was installed. This necessitated some minor modifications to the transmission tunnel and cross member to fit the bigger transmission. In the rear, there is a rebuilt 10-bolt differential, with 3.73:1 gear ratio with Positraction, and a heavy-duty aluminum differential cover to make it look as good as it performs.
To stop all this power safely, the four-wheel drum brakes were ditched for modern 14-inch Wilwood four-wheel disc brakes, six-piston calipers front and four-piston calipers rear. To keep it going straight and making sure there are never any reasons to avoid attacking some twisty roads, the Speedtech GT Performance Package was used. The front subframe and suspension were powder coated and then Speedtech supplied the close-ratio power steering box, tubular front control arms, and one-inch performance front sway bar.
The bottom of the car got undercoated in black, and a Speedtech threelink rear suspension with Track Bar, and Viking double adjustable coilover shocks on all four corners took the ride and handling to the next level. The Firebird rides nicely when driving normally, on date nights, etc. but when you put the hammer down, it comes alive; throw it into any corner and it’ll pull through with confidence and ease of control.
The interior got some special tricks, and the biggest one might have been the factory gauge cluster, with speedo, tach, gas, amps, temp and
oil pressure all looking like they were designed that way from Detroit. But the car came with a meager set-up without a tach, and with more idiot lights than gauges Jellybean Autocrafters designed a special dash to look stock and had it 3D printed, and it also houses the state-of-the-art stereo and navigation system. Everything is kept connected with a new American Autowire electrical system.
To further finish off the interior, Camaro ZL1 seats were modified to fit the car, to grip the driver and any soonto-be-terrified passenger, and look great doing it. New door panels, carpet, console with removable cup holder, performance leather steering wheel, air conditioning, and power windows can fool you into thinking you are in a new car.
The customer did not want a hood tach, but they were okay with a reproduction “Trans Am” hood and Trans Am rear deck spoiler to match the newly-installed front chin spoiler. The rear spoiler comes in two thicknesses and the thinner one was used, and the back edge is straight as on the original Trans Ams. The mounting stanchions were shortened by 1 ½-inches to provide a modern look, and the rear was curved to match the back side of the car.
To make the outside look great, all the shiny stuff was either restored or replaced. The “Midnight Blue” paint was picked by the lucky recipient’s brother and his wife. The car was found with a teal colour and they chose the stunning deep blue that looks perfect on the car. After looking at every wheel on every cool Firebird and Camaro online, they finally decided on the wheels she rides on now. G-MAX high performance tires, 235/40-18 front and 255/40-18 rear are mounted on Billet Specialties aluminum mag wheels, 18x8-inches front & 18x10 rear.
A new Haartz Cloth convertible top was installed and the power roof mechanism was also restored to function perfectly. The car got a great paint job - base clear paint with three coats of clearcoat, but not the kind you only want to keep locked up to keep it perfect for awards, because this car has some driving to do, and much of it fast!
...or the lack of it. Form the Pontiac sales brochures and magazine ads.
It doesn’t take much figuring to understand why we call this year’s 400 the Big Daddy of the Firebird series. 400 cubic inches of V8. 330 hp at 4,800 rpm. 430 lb-ft torque at 3,300 rpm. 10.75:1 compression ratio. 4-barrel carburetion, heavy -duty, fully synchronized, 3-speed transmission with a Hurst Shifter. Dual exhaust. Redline wide-ovals, And an extra-firm suspension with Firebird’s new composite U-joints for a quieter, smoother ride. You sure wouldn’t call a machine like that “Mom”!”
It then goes on to state there are two better 400 cu. in. engines, one called a 400 H.O and a more powerful 400 Ram Air IV. So after stuffing in a higher-flowing carb and free flowing exhausts, you get a couple more ponies in the power equation, but the same lb-ft of torque. Now add flat top pistons, with valve indents, an even hotter cam, oversize valves and springs, two functional hood scoops with Ram Air IV and the ponies go up a massive 15 to 345 but the same torque rating. Pontiac must have thought the insurance companies were crazy and not able to figure out they were going to have to insure some kid with a 426 Hemi worth of power for the lower price, due to a claimed number.
Further down on the brochure it claims... “Other nifties you might want to order include mag-type Rally II wheels. A hood-mounted tach. Single piston front power disc brakes. A rear mounted power radio antenna. Variable ratio power steering. (The farther you turn, the faster you turn.)
A close-ratio synchronized 4-speed. Or our 3-speed Turbo Hydramatic which comes with a rally sports shifter when you order a console. Big Daddy? Big Daddy!”
Other golden oldies award winners of the advertising world could be “Firebird H.O. was never meant to stand still for any length of time.” or “That H.O. definitely doesn’t stand for hands off. No sir. The H.O. means high output.”
But there were lots of magazine ads as well, from the era, that are brilliant, if not totally honest. The unveiling of their “Trans Am” model named after the racing series called Trans Am featuring other pony cars like the Mustangs, Javelins, Cougars, Camaros etc. was for cars with a maximum engine size of 305 cu. in or 5 litres.
The main slug was “Announcing Pontiac’s new pony express. Firebird Trans Am.
Other classic 1969 Firebird ads is the one printed sideways in the magazine, so you had to turn the magazine like you were looking at the centrefold in Playboy.
“The Graduate” A large image of the side of a silver Firebird with a fellow standing behind it holding a motorcycle helmet. At the bottom beside the advertising copy is a photo of a motorcycle with a “4 Sale” sign on it.
Another full page ad from January 1969 Road & Track inside front cover claims “We’d Like to put in a good word for hoods.” It shows a red Firebird 400 convert in front of a Green GTO with a Grand Prix in the back. The copy goes on to say “Why not? We’ve got the toughest looking cars in the business. Take the sweep of metal on the ‘69 Grand Prix. You won’t find a longer stretch from Sing Sing to Alcatraz. The two bulges on Firebird 400 and GTO are pretty unsubtle, too. They’re air scoops. Functional when you order Ram Air.”
Another full page ad shows the classic illustration of a Firebird with spectators looking on at a dune buggy race. The caption reads “A sports car that rides as good as it looks. That’s a Break Away!” Break Away? To be fair, Detroit had not won the Stanley Cup since 1955, so maybe they did not know what a break away was any more, and dune buggies are not sports cars.
MS Tools is hosting three big Charity Show & Shines this summer at their stores in Coquitlam (June 17), Edmonton (July 8), and Calgary (July 29). Pre-register your vehicle for only $15! (or $20 on show day). Be one of the first 150 people to register, and get a grab bag with a dash plaque, a T-shirt coupon, and much more! Exhibitors will have a chance to win thousands of dollars in prizes, plus unique laser-cut trophies for the top three vehicles in each category. Free admission for spectators! Join us for hundreds of beautiful classic and custom cars, live music, FREE smokies & pop, a vendor competition, and loads of prizes! For specific details about the show closest to you, go to www. kmstools.co m
The Jellybean AutoCrafters 18th Annual Canada d’Eh Celebration & Car Show returns this year, at the Langley Speedway at the south end of 208th St. on July 1. Gates open at 9:00 am,
and there will be food trucks, a live band, and fun for the whole family from 10:00 am till 3:00 pm. The Jellybean AutoCrafters Fall Colours Tour is a four-day driving event that takes in some of B.C.’s most beautiful scenic sights, small towns and great drives on 1,100 km of paved roads, with a few surprises that you most likely wouldn’t experience unless you are on such a tour. The event is from September 22nd through the 25th, and registration is open to all specialty vehicles with preference given to pre-1986. The $1,000/vehicle entry fee includes 2 people, 3 hotel nights, 2 meals and taxes. Best of all, the route remains a
secret until the day of the drive! This event is limited to 25 cars, so register early and join in the fun. For more info, go to www. jellybeanautocrafters.co m
Vernon Sun Valley Cruise-In
This year marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of Vernon B.C.’s Sun Valley Cruise-In, running from July 7th to 9th. The event is open to all special-interest vehicles, old or modern. Opening day on Friday sees a meet-and-greet BBQ with live band. Unique among
outdoor car shows, there are two distinct sites for the event on the weekend. On Saturday, after a pancake breakfast and the Back Country Cruise, it takes over the streets of downtown Vernon. Sunday sees it shift over to nearby Polson Park, again with live music, food and vendors, a Pin-Up Contest, a swap meet and other special events. For more info and to register, go to www. vernoncruisein.co m
Michener Allen Classic & Collector Car Auction
Michener Allen Auctioneering Ltd. presents its 24th annual Classic
& Collector Car Auction, Saturday, July 22nd, 2022. This will be an online timed auction with inventory at two locations – Calgary and Edmonton. For information on consigning your classic or collector vehicle in this auction, call Bob Knutson at 780-470-5584 or 800-665-5888. Timed auction bidding will open on Saturday July 15 and close on the 22nd. Visit our website to view auction items and register to bid: www.maauctions.co m . Live viewing at both locations. The website listing for each item will indicate where it is located. While there, be sure to check out the Auction Results from last year’s sale.
Mecum Auctions Harrisburg 202
Mecum Auctions, the world’s largest collector car auction company, will produce Mecum Harrisburg 2023 this July 26-29 with an estimated 1,200 American muscle cars, classics, Corvettes, trucks, exotics, Hot Rods, customs and more to cross the auction block and be broadcast live on MotorTrendTV and MotorTrend+. Mecum Auctions continues to attract Canadian buyers and sellers
with nearly 700 Canadians purchasing more than $200 million in consignments at Mecum Auctions since 2020 including at Mecum Kissimmee, the world’s largest collector car auction conducted annually in Central Florida in January. Options for in-person, telephone and internet bidding start at $100, and standard, inperson bidding includes admission for two persons to all auction days. For more information, check out www.mecum.co m .
Motorsport Auction Group is a collector car auction featuring muscle cars, street rods, classic cars, vintage cars, and leading automobile products, and they will be conducting the auction during Hot August Nights in Reno, Nevada, August 3-5. Not only will there be over 600 cars crossing the block, automotive-related vendors/exhibitors and lifestyle brands will be displaying and selling their products to the public, and auto memorabilia will be up for auction as well. Consignments and pre-bidder registrations are now being accepted. As well, live online bidding will be available
during the event. For further info, phone 1-888-330-0749 or go to www.MotorsportAuctionGroup.co m .
Rock’n August is a summer-time tradition in St. Albert, Alberta. This year, the 27th annual event will take place from August 8th to 12th. It is one of the largest events in Western Canada with over 800 cars in attendance. Billed as “The Festival of Cars and Music,” Rock’n August will feature a Cruise, four Show & Shines including the main event on Saturday, a Poker Run, pancake breakfasts, a street dance, and evenings at the Century Casino, just to name some of the attractions at this 5-day Festival of ‘50s and ‘60s Cars, Music and Culture. Rock’n August is a char -
WWW.ROCKNAUGUST.COM
ity event in support of the Alberta Diabetes Foundation. See www. rocknaugust.com
On August 11th and 12th, six city blocks in downtown Kamloops, B.C. will be closed off to allow over 500 Street Rods, Customs, Muscle Cars,
afternoon at 3:00 pm with a Poker Run, followed by the Dubs Kustoms Pedal-Powered Drag Races and then the Truck Light Show, while the Show & Shine itself begins at 9:00 am Saturday, with entertainment on two stages during and after the event. Trophies will be awarded at 4:00 pm. New this year is an automotive swap meet and sale on Sunday 13th, at 10:00 am, at Kamloops Race Central. Hot Nite In The City is a family fun event that is enjoyed by over 30,000 people. For all the details, go to www.hotniteinthecity.com
Port Coquitlam, B.C. will host its 17th annual Downtown PoCo Car Show on Sunday, August 20th, from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm, presented by Metro Ford. This event has grown into one of B.C.’s most anticipated,
and all sorts of other specialty vehicles to line the streets for the 28th annual Hot Nite In The City Show & Shine! The event begins Friday
and largest, specialty car events, with hundreds of vehicles and 70,000 spectators taking over the main downtown streets of PoCo. There will also be vendor displays, children’s activities, live entertainment until 7:00 pm, beer gardens, great food, workshops, and more. The evening before, many of the vehicles will tour the streets in the PoCo Car Cruise, preceded by a BBQ dinner, all included in the car show registration. For more info, go to pococarshow.ca.
It is a curious thing that often the most magical cars get passed around from collector to collector without really being cars anymore. Luckily that trend got reversed when Todd Dixon of Regina, Saskatchewan got the chance to buy a 1970 Shelby GT 500 in the one year only, Ford colour of Silver Jade. Well kind of one year only. This is a story about a 1970 Silver Jade Shelby GT 500, and this is why it is painted a 1969 one year only colour. This car was built in Febru-
ary of 1969. So you can count to two, and you have figured out that Silver Jade was on 1969 and 1970 cars; what sort of trickery is this?
It all boils down to such poor sales of the 1969 Shelby GT 350 and GT 500 models that under the supervision of the FBI, almost 800 cars got rebadged as 1970 models with new VIN numbers and VIN tags after they were unsold during the 1969 marketing year. A carburetor modification to conform to 1970 specs with “ed” added to the tag to verify it had been edited, and a 1970 distributor. This new more smog-friendly lease on life helped the big thirsty 428 meet the smog control regulations for 1970. Visually, the 1970 Shelbys got two black hood stripes and a chin spoiler, but were identical to the 1969 models they had shared the assembly line with.
Can you imagine a car as magnificent as this was stuck on some lot for a long time before getting sold? Well there was lots of competition in 1969 for performance cars and the new Mopar Challengers and Cudas with Hemi’s were being shown in car magazines. The car also got a bit far from Carrol Shelby’s version of a stripped down Mustang with a roll bar instead of a back seat, and along with more power, got racing shocks and all the press coverage you could handle. Shelby’s vision got bigger along with the Mustangs, and in 1968, Ford took over production of the Shelby GT 350 and GT 500, and part way through 1969, Carroll Shelby was done with Ford and walked away from his baby, now an over-
weight five year-old! The 1969 and 1970 versions no longer had Cobra in their name. The cars were now built by A.O. Smith, a contractor for Ford.
It is not just the rarity of the Shelby GT cars that makes them stand out. Shelby took a “secretary’s” car and took it racing, and did not build that many of them. So when you see one at a show you know there is a story to be told. The last couple of years’ production were a bit on the expensive side and they got bought by the more “well to do” buyer, who probably did not abuse them. The 1969 cars were fairly luxurious for the era, and pretty quick off the line in the zero-to-60 mph runs. Typically the 0-60 mph times have been the benchmark for comparing acceleration. In our metric country, it is a little slower than 100 km/h.
If you have ever been in one of the bigger Teslas, the GT 500 will not kick its ass at a streetlight, except for looks. The Shelby GT 500 of 1969 would reach 60 mph from a standing start in a not-too-shabby 6.0 seconds. Consider other cool cars of the era:
The 1969 Mustang with the big block 428 Cobra Jet weighed 200 lbs less than a GT 500 but curiously, 59 percent of the weight was over the front wheels, which did not help the tiny tires of the ‘60s to get grip. The GT 500 was the heavier of the Mustang siblings, but with a better 56 percent on the front wheels helping out with traction. The GT 500 had numerous fibreglass pieces up front to aid in the lighter weight front end, including hood and fenders.
The 1969 Shelby cars were produced by A.O. Smith, and although Mustangs were available with over 20 exterior paint choices and a huge amount of interior colours, the 1969/70 Shelbys were only offered with Black, Red or White interiors and only 13 paint options. Arguably the really great paint colours! Candy Apple Red, Black Jade, Gulfstream Aqua, Acapulco Blue Metallic, Royal Maroon, Silver Jade, Pastel Gray, Wimbledon White, Competition Red, four specialty colours known as Grabber Orange, Grabber Yellow, Grabber Green, and Grabber Blue. But this is not to rule out the odd specially-ordered car painted another colour, as when A.O. Smith was assembling them, a customer could have anything they could pay for, back in the ‘60s.
The late ‘60s were a bright time. Chrysler offered many wild colours and Ford’s answer to the small cars was the introduction of the 1970 Ford Maverick in the Spring of 1969 with some insanely creative colour names. The colours were not necessarily changed, just the names. “Champagne Gold” on Mustangs became the Maverick’s “Good Clean Fawn”, the respectable “Dark Bright Aqua” became the inventive “Young Turquoise”, while the Mustang’s awesome name of “Grabber Yellow” became the much more creatively named “Last Stand Custard”.
Others for comparison, with the Mustang’s name first followed by the name for the new Mavericks with the wow factor:
Indian Fire = Original Cinnamon!
Dark Ivy Green = Bring-em Back Olive
Medium Blue Poly = There She Blue
Bright Golf Irid. = Freudian Gilt
In the 1969 Shelby GT 350/500 sales brochure, (I was not able to read a 1970 brochure, if indeed one was produced,) there were two versions of the GT 350, the standard 351 engine and one with a Boss 302 engine and 4-speed. The brochure was printed with a smiling Carroll Shelby leaning on a red GT500 Fastback....the good old days! Inside the brochure, like all ‘60s and ‘70s brochures, is a fine example of grandiosity wrapped up in hyperbole.
The first paragraph claims that once you “Place yourself in the cockpit of a Shelby GT, you begin to get the real picture of just what this car is all about. The first thing that strikes you is the comfort, the unbelievable luxury of this car. The knitted vinyl bucket seats with their comfortable high backs. The leather-textured vinyl covering on the steering wheel, once only race cars had it.” Wow, imagine that, winning Le Mans, or the Monte Carlo Rally in a race car equipped with a vinyl-wrapped steering wheel with leather texture!
The brochure does say about the instrumentation that it comes with a standard tach and 140-mph speedo and real gauges not idiot lights-warning lights. “You can tell that this is a car designed for driving. Real Driving.” There is a big paragraph going on about “Fire and Refinement.” All the big performance phrases are bandied about, but it only comes with a four-speed or optional three-speed automatic. No barebones three-speed manual trannys for this luxury GT car! The cars came only with front disc brakes and rear drums, not optional like on the four-wheel drum-braked Mustang Mach 1, even with the 428 Cobra Jet!
The Fastback or “Sportsroof” models have an integral padded steel roll bar, with quick-detach inertia-reel double shoulder belts. Traction-Lok, Ford’s name for a positraction differential, was an available option for both the GT 350 and GT 500 but not if you wanted air conditioning. Also,
the A/C was only available on the GT 500 with an automatic trans only, but on the GT350 with any transmission. The close-ratio four-speed was standard on the GT 500 but an option on the GT 350. Other notable options were tinted glass, intermittent wipers, forced air ventilation and fold-down rear seat on the Sportsroofs only, tilt-away wheel and F60x15 super low-profile Goodyear Polyglas belted tires. Keep in mind the brochure was printed before the cars were ever made, and the brochures may have been revised along the production run.
In the Fall of 2019, a client of Dixon’s who lived in Weyburn, Saskatchewan had owned the car for 6 or 7 years and he had seen the car. The client offered it for sale, stating that he had owned it for a number of years, but had not driven it recently because of other commitments and a young family. Dixon asked his cousin, who was in the Saskatchewan Ford Mercury Club, to come along and tell him what he thought of the car.
One look at the car, and his cousin said he would be crazy not to buy it! Dixon realized how lucky he was to be in the right place at the right time and being in the investment business, knew it could be a good investment. But it turned out to be so much more than that for his family. The car needed a good cleaning and the gas had dried up, and gummed up the carb, and the fuel pump. But soon it was ready to go for any drive thrown at it. For the first year he drove the car whenever he could and that often included his son in the passenger seat. He went on a few longer drives including a run to Moose Jaw.
The car looked great, but it had only been driven 1,500 miles in nearly 20 years. The paint and stripes were great for being who knows how old. A Mecum auction from many years ago claimed the car got a rotisserie restoration. The paint is old enough that it is almost a certainty that the laser side stripes that were put on are NOS, New Old Stock, probably not reproductions. But somewhere along the line someone had swapped out the factory white interior for black, some of the gauges were wrong and the factory AM/FM was swapped for a more modern stereo, which was decades old at this point. Luckily, the drivetrain looked unmolested and was the proper drivetrain for the car. This is not some Concours car, but a really great driver.
Hanging out with his cousin in the Saskatchewan Ford Mercury Club, he met Ford mechanical guru Mike Keil, and Darren Beasley who had an encyclopedic knowledge about all things Ford. When Dixon got the car, it was missing the “date code correct” carburetor, fuel pump, alternator and original AM/FM stereo radio. Over the span of 18 months, Beasley was able to track down all four pieces to make the car whole, through his connections in the States and abroad. Keil helped out with taking the engine out to rebuild it but found that the bottom end was so good he only had to replace the seals and the gaskets and put it back together.
Dixon and his son helped with the changing of the interior back to the original white and this is part of the value of the car. Of the 788 1970 Shelbys, only 380 were GT 500 Fastbacks, or in Ford’s parlance “Sportroofs” as opposed to Convertibles. Only 208 of those had the C6 automatic transmission, with only eight being painted Silver Jade. Only four of the Silver Jade cars had the White Knit Vinyl Hi-Back Bucket Seats and only this car had all that and an AM/FM stereo radio. One of one, baby! The most magical phrase any car owner can hear!
The AM/FM stereo radio was a big deal. The radio cost $170.76; hard to get all worked up about 170 bucks, but to keep it in perspective, the auto tranny was $30.54, the “Traction-Lok” positraction rearend was $60.97, and the Sport Deck Rear Seat was $91.51, so those totalled up to $183.02, just a few more bucks than just the radio. The tilt-away steering wheel was an additional $62.24 when a tank of 18 gallons of gas for this car would have cost 6 bucks!
Two weeks before the Majestics Car Show in Regina in April 2023, he got his Goodyear Polylglas GT tires to really complete the package. Dixon says he had to bump up his insurance with Hagerty, but now feels like it is ready to start racking up the miles. Dixon is quick to point out that although the car is really special, the meeting of all the great people in the Saskatchewan Ford Mercury Club, including Mike Keil and Darren Beasley, is really what having a car like this is all about.
Plans are made to go to lots of shows and spending some more amazing Father-Son time. Dixon says all the time they spent on the Shelby has turned his son into a true Carnut and now they are building him a 1967 Mercury Comet drag car. It does not get any better than that!
F rom the time he was a kid, Jim Wangers was nuts about cars. Born as Jim Wangersheim, he grew up in Chicago and fantasized about driving to work when he got older. Jim said that he could even imitate the difference in sounds between a Ford flathead V8 and a Chevy “Stovebolt Six.” He collected copies of Life magazine and The Saturday Evening Post just to cut the cars advertisements out of them. So, it’s no wonder that the man known as “the Godfather of the GTO” went to work in the advertising business.
Wangers was still in high school when he entered and won a contest sponsored by Hudson Motor Car Co. by writing about why Hudson was America’s safest automobile. That was during World War II. He joined the United States Navy and was assigned
to the USS Bunker Hill, a war ship that had been damaged by Japanese Kamikaze attack. He made money selling photos of the Bunker Hill to his shipmates. And since the boat was out of action, he had a lot of time to do things, such as writing letters to automakers to get copies of their sales catalogues.
Upon returning to civilian life, Wangers took advantage of the GI Bill to enroll in college at the Illinois Institute of Technology. However, he wasn’t mechanically inclined and struggled. A guidance counselor pointed him away from designing cars and towards a career helping to sell them. He had worked on the college newspaper and became its managing editor. He also switched his major to Liberal Arts and got a degree in English.
After college, Wangers searched for a job and landed one as a copyboy for the Chicago Daily News. The pay was $27 a week. Wangers knocked on the door at Studebaker’s advertising agency, but didn’t get far. Then, he made a connection with Esquire magazine and became a promotional copywriter for its Coronet publication making $55 a week. He saved up enough to buy a Studebaker Commander Starlight Coupe. Eventually he owned three Studebakers and became quite expert about them.
When Esquire relocated to New York City, Wangers moved to the Big Apple. Eventually, he decided to try to use his writing experience to sell cars and sent a letter to 50 ad agencies. Those handling Chevrolet, Buick, Studebaker and Kaiser-Fraser accounts answered him, but the last agency was the only one offering to fly him to Detroit for an interview. He then went to work for that agency--Weintraub & Co.—for $100 a week. Eventually, he went to work in the Weintraub & Co. Dearborn, Mich. office and when Kaiser and Willys merged, Wangers relocated once again to Toledo, Ohio where he did an award-winning sales catalog for the fibreglass-bodied Kaiser Darrin sports car.
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With Kaiser’s future in car making a bit cloudy, Wangers started looking for other jobs and Chevrolet’s ad agency Campbell-Ewald hired him as a copywriter in March 1954. As an enthusiast, he was exited about the new V8 Chevrolet, especially when a “Power Pack Chevy” performance option was added. He bought a ’55 Chevy Bel Air convertible and started designing ads promoting that model’s race wins in NASCAR competition.
Capitalizing on his interest in racing, early in 1956, Wangers went to work for Dodge, rather than its ad agency. He followed his new boss to Plymouth in 1957. This was about the same time he got interested in drag racing. He connected with a young man named Gil Kohn who had some money and wanted to build a drag strip in Detroit. Wangers had met Wally Parks of the National Hot Rod Assoc. and got his support for this endeavour. This wound up happening and brought the NHRA Nationals to Detroit.
Some people at Plymouth did not get along with Wangers and pushed him out. Early in 1958, he joined the MacManus, John & Adams agency that handled Pontiac advertising. He started as an Assistant Account Executive just as the 1959 “Wide Track’ Pontiacs were coming out. These cars caught on immediately with the public and started a 10-year success story during which time Pontiac became the third best-selling car. Pontiac executives and engineers like “Bunkie” Knudsen, Pete Estes, John DeLorean, Bill Collins, Russ Gee and “Mac” MacKeller transformed the Pontiac from an old man’s car into a young man’s hot rod and Jim Wangers made sure the world knew about it.
A Detroit area Pontiac dealer named Ace Wilson and his son Ace, Jr., came to specialize in building high-performance versions of Pontiac models for drag racing. One of their techs named Milt Schornack was a real “Ace” at making Pontiacs go fast. The dealership in Royal Oak, Mich., developed a hot “Royal Bobcat” package and Wangers made sure that some of these cars got featured in enthusiast magazines.
The Signature Edition GTO got some heavy magazine promotion when it was released. Jim Wangers knew how to drive sales interest among enthusiasts.
Wangers himself was a successful drag racer. Jack Stewart, his former agency boss, said that Jim spent a lot of time on the phone talking to his racing buddies. When Jack needed a project done on a certain deadline, he would take away Wanger’s phone until the project was completed. When he did this, the job got done well and fast! In 1960, on Labour Day weekend, Wangers took NHRA Top Stock Eliminator honors with a Super Stock 1960 Catalina called a “Hot Chief” that had been race-prepped by Royal Pontiac.
Racing on Sunday sold cars on Monday, and Pontiac sales continued to soar. In 1961, a total of 372,871 Pontiacs were registered in the United States compared to 370,685 American Motors cars. It was the first time that PMD outdid AMC and the result was that Pontiac Motor Div. became America’s third largest automaker. The introduction of the compact Tempest model in 1961 added nearly 100,000 cars to the total.
By 1963, Pontiac’s annual sales were up to 590,000 which compared to just over 217,000 in 1958. The new image, the racing, the general higher performance of Pontiacs and the proliferation of models had more than doubled the division’s business. In 1963, the Tempest became a larger “senior compact” model, although it still had a rope drive shaft and transaxle. In 1964, the mid-sized Pontiac grew again and switched to a conventional power train layout with the transmission attached behind the engine.
In the early 1960s, John DeLorean had decided to hold “what if?” meetings on Saturday mornings at the GM Proving Grounds in Milford, Mich. The “birth” of the first muscle car—the GTO--took place at one of these sessions, early in the spring of 1963.
As Wangers would later tell it, a prototype 1964 Tempest coupe with a 326-cid V8 was on a lift. DeLorean, Collins and Russ Gee were inspecting the underside of the car and discussing the chassis. Collins, a chassis expert, casually mentioned that it would only take about 20 minutes to install a Pontiac 389 V8, since the engine mounts were the same. Collins knew it would need heavier front springs. A week later the Saturday morning group members were looking at a Tempest with a 389, a four-barrel and a four speed.
Unfortunately, late in 1963, General Motors had decided to end all factory support of racing. There were corporate rules that prevented the use of the 389-cid V8 in a mid-size car. DeLorean decided to break the rules by releasing the GTO performance package, that included that engine, as a Tempest option. The ploy worked and the GTO was born. Wangers had a new high-performance car to promote and he ran with it. He nicknamed the GTO the “Great One” and the “Tiger.” One famous ad read, “For the man who wouldn’t mind riding a tiger if someone’d only put wheels on it — Pontiac GTO.”
Wangers was closely connected to the writing, production and promotion of some of the muscle car world’s bestknown songs, including “GTO” by Ronnie and the Daytonas. Wangers also was instrumental in getting the then-popular rock group Paul Revere and the Raiders involved in the 1969 advertising launch of the famous GTO “The Judge” package. The late Paul Zazarine put together Wangers’ memoirs of the start of the muscle car era in a wonderful book called Glory Days (Robert Bentley, Inc. © 1998.)
After his GTO success, Wangers helped promote other Pontiacs. In September, 1971 he took over ownership of a Chevrolet dealership in Milwaukee, Wis. He envisioned a Royal Pontiac style performance shop that would create special edition cars and he did create a few of those. Later, in 2009, Wangers teamed up with Big Three Performance to build and create the Jim Wangers Signature Edition 1969 Judge GTO. It was essentially an Orbit Orange resto-mod. Wangers also put in personal appearances at automotive events – especially all-Pontiac shows organized by the Pontiac Oakland Club International (www. POCI.org) and the GTO Association of America (www.gtoaa.org).
Jim Wangers passed away in his sleep on April 27, 2023. He was 96 years old. Wangers admirers and muscle car fans who feel that the GTO Legend was started by Wangers were sad to hear the news. The planning for a celebration of Wangers’ life is underway. His family is hopeful of having the memorial (to include a Pontiac Car Show) at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, Calif. An announcement of the exact date and time will be made. Anyone having a fond picture memory with Jim Wangers has been invited to share it. Jim’s nephew, Gordon Wangers can be contacted at: Jim Wangers c/o Gordon Wangers, 20 Via Mantova, Unit 403, Henderson, NV 89011.
Wangers’ signature was on the engine of every Signature Edition GTO made.
Original 194-1/2 Pontiac GTO Sport Coupe was released as a Tempest option.
Chevrolet brought back the Camaro Z28 in 1977, after three years of its being among the missing. To reintroduce the hot performance package, Chevrolet got Daytona International Speedway to host its official return on Feb. 18 at the International Race of Champions (IROC) series opener. “Rising demand for the Camaro and marketplace changes led product planners to reactivate the Z28 option,” Chevy general manager Robert D. Lund explained.
The 1977-1/2 Z28 was hot-looking and a good performer for its time frame. A 350-cid 185-hp V8 (175 hp in California cars) with a four-barrel carburetor was hooked to a Borg-Warner T-10 four-speed gearbox and a 3.73:1 axle. If a buyer lived in California, an automatic transmission was the only option.
Also standard on a Z28 was dual exhaust; front and rear stabilizer bars; 14:1 steering; GR70x15 raised white letter tires; body-coloured styled steel wheels; body-colour bumpers; blackout trim; front and rear spoilers; sport mirrors and Z28 decals and badges.
With a six-month market exposure, the new Z28 sold 14,349 copies. Overall, Camaros did well and outdid the Mustang for the first time. Since it had outsold Ford’s pony car, Chevy tried to keep the momentum alive by releasing a restyled 1978 Camaro. It featured body-colour urethane plastic bumpers. The total design looked more flowing. While most powertrains were continued from 1977, the overall styling was more attractive.
The cast-iron engine had hydraulic lifters, 8.2:1 compression, two-bolt main bearings and a Rochester four-barrel carb. There was no muffler. Chevy used a single catalytic converter and two resonators. This gave the dual exhaust tips a throaty growl.
Drivers found the Z28 a quality ride. Chevy had made subtle improvements to the suspension by adding lower control arm reinforcements and beefing up the rear spring shackles. Aluminum wheels, a $265 option, were a new Z28 option that reduced unsprung weight to improve ride quality and handling. There was a little more “Vette” in the Z28.
Fender vents were new in 1978 and the graphics were bold and colourful.
While raw performance was gone, the ’78 Z28 made a strong visual statement due to a blacked-out grille, a non-functional hood scoop and new front fender vents. It had a race-car look. Evidently, a lot of people liked being mistaken for a race driver, since 54,907 Z28s were built and sold. With a new “string”-wrapped steering wheel, lush interior materials and Z28 identifiers scattered throughout the cockpit, the Z28 was comfy, too.
Car and Driver magazine did a 16.0-sec. quarter mile at 91.1-mph. Top speed was 123 mph and bringing the Z28 to a stop from 70 mph took 181 feet. The Camaro was riding high, and the twomillionth Camaro was built at the Van Nuys, Calif. plant on May 11, 1978. The car featured here was also built at the Van Nuys plant during the fourth week of December 1977. The car stayed in the same family for 45 years, which is why its complete owner history is known. It was well cared for and has only 27,494.5 original miles.
The car was originally purchased from Tripod Chevrolet in Clintonville, Wis. on January 19, 1978. It was sold to Mr. Gary Bruette of nearby New London, Wis. The total price with optional equipment, freight, license plates and title was $6,852.59. Gary traded in a 1975 Chevrolet for $3,540.85 and paid $3,311.74 in cash to own the Camaro.
U.S. Wheel wheels and B.F. Goodrich Radial T/A tires have been added. The engine bay only has been repainted. An upgraded Fujitso Eclipse ESIV radio and Panasonic rear speakers were installed. Some decals have been added. The engine has chrome dress-up parts, an Edelbrock intake, a chrome-plated Moroso air cleaner, high-performance spark plug wires and additional upgrades. A desirable Hurst T-handle gear shifter replaces the factory style and chrome rear traction bars have been installed. Fifteen-inch diameter front tires are mated with 16-inch diameter rear tires. The upper and lower body sections are still painted the factory original No. 24 Bright Blue colour.
The engine is original to the car, but dressed up with chrome goodies.
The LS376/480 was created by Chevrolet Performance engineers by taking a production LS3 and swapping the stock cam for the racing-inspired LS Hot Cam to increase the power and torque by 14%. A superb street engine!
6.2L/ 376 cu.-in. V8
Naturally Aspirated (EFI)
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Offers a modern twist on the classic 350 SBC by using modern LS-style fast-burn cylinder heads. Often paired with the Supermatic 4L65-E 4-speed Automatic Transmission.
350 cu.in- V8
Naturally Aspirated (EFI)
405 HP @ 5,600 RPM
406 lb.-ft TQ @ 4,600 RPM
Camaros had a 13-symbol vehicle identification number (VIN) on the upper left-hand surface of the instrument panel visible through the windshield. The first symbol 1=manufacturer: Chevrolet. The second symbol Q=model: Camaro Z28. The third and fourth symbols 87=body style: Sport Coupe. The Fifth symbol L=engine type: RPO LM1 350-cid 170 hp V8 with four-barrel
radiator ($31); aluminum wheels ($195); auxiliary lighting ($34); the Camaro Z28 Sport Coupe Package (no charge); white vinyl bucket seats (no charge); bright blue metallic paint (no charge); a chrome trailer hitch ($31); rust proofing ($85) and the Camaro Style Trim Group ($70). As the accompanying photos show, tires, stereo, radiator and wheels are changed from original.
This car weighed in at 3,616 lbs. and 50,907 Camaro Z28s were built in 1978, but only 24,828 Bright Blue cars were originally built. The overhead valve V8 engine has a cast iron block and cylinder head. With a 4.00 x 3.48 in. bore and stroke, it displaced 350 cu. in. With an 8.2:1 compression ratio it produced (Calif.) 175 hp at 4,000 rpm. It had five main bearings, hydraulic valve lifters and a Rochester M4MC four-barrel carburetor.
Although not 100 percent original, this ‘78 Camaro Z28 is in close to No. 2 (Fine) condition. The low mileage and the reality of one family ownership history add to its Fair Market Value which is estimated to be around $25,000. However, we’re sure that current owner Cindy L. Berkhahn has more fun driving her car than thinking about its value. In addition to being a treasure, it’s a family heirloom.
carburetor. The sixth symbol indicates the model year: 8=1978. The seventh symbol indicates the General Motors assembly plant: L=Built at Van Nuys, Calif. assembly plant. The last six symbols are the sequential production number at the assembly plant starting with 100001.
The base price for a ’78 Z28 with standard equipment only was $5,604. Of course, few cars—including this one—left the factory without any extras. Those added to this particular Camaro included an adjustable driver’s seat back ($21); tinted glass ($56); colour-keyed floor mats ($20); a centre console ($80); a Positraction axle ($59); a close-ratio four-speed transmission (no charge); the standard Z28 suspension system (no charge); a Comfort Tilt Steering Wheel ($69); GR70-15 white letter tires (no charge); a stereo tape system and AM radio ($229); a heavy-duty
A black grille was another element of the Z28 performance package. U.S. Wheel wheels and B.F. Goodrich Radial T/A tires have been added.
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BOLT Locks are designed to deliver both convenience and security to trailer owners while also preventing trailer theft, which is ideal for protecting your race car and tools in your enclosed hauler. BOLT Locks feature patented Breakthrough
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Wilwood Racing has engineered an innovative new Lug-Drive dynamic-mount rotor system specifically for race cars using Wide 5 and 5x5 hubs. The new floating rotor Lug-Drive system simplifies assembly with a single snap ring in place of rotor bolts and safety wire. The floating rotor eliminates heat distortion from thermal expansion for a more predictable pedal feel and extended pad and rotor life. The lighter and simpler attachment system allows rotors to stay flatter and run truer, ensuring optimal pedal feel even at extreme temperatures.
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Auto Meter’s Invision LCD Dash Kit for the 1969 Chevrolet Camaro is a complete, direct-fit system that monitors speedometer, tachometer, water temperature, oil pressure, fuel level and volts all in a high resolution and colourful display. The 12.3-in. LCD display offers four user selectable screens and features integrated notifications for high beams and turn signals as well as instrument warnings and a user selectable warning light. The kit includes steering column neck sleeves, universal wiring harness and sending units for water temperature and oil pressure as well as a joystick dash customization.
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GLA - Golden Leaf Automotive is your unique source for restoration parts store. We are committed to sell only the best restoration products available and providing lowest price to our valued customers.
Golden Leaf Automotive is the Canadian extension of Dynacorn International Inc. Located in Ontario Canada, over 40,000 sq/f of warehouse stocking inventory to provide the best service for what you need when you need it. No more cross border shopping and hassles with wrong parts and the damage. All product shipped from GLA are carefully inspected and packed to ensure no damage and on time.
Hooker Blackheart’s Cat-Back Exhaust System for the 2020-2023 C8 Chevrolet Corvette features a non-muffled, straight-through design that not only gives your car a distinct rumble, but also reduces the weight of the overall exhaust system. Included in
the system are AFM valve simulators that reuse the factory valve actuators to eliminate faulty check engine lights. While designed for Corvettes without the factory NPP dual mode exhaust option, the system can still be used with NPP-equipped Stingrays if NPP simulators are used. The system includes mandrel-bent 3.00-in. tubing to maximize exhaust flow and is finished off with four, 4.00-in. double walled black stainless steel tips.
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K&N’s Dryflow Air Intake system replaces the 2017-2023 Dodge Challenger Hellcat’s restrictive air filter and air intake housing and is designed to provide a smoother and straighter air flow which allows the engine to inhale a larger amount of air than the factory air filter assembly. More air means more usable power and acceleration throughout the RPM range. The system uses an oil-free synthetic filter media providing increased airflow and exceptional engine protection without requiring oil. This allows for cooler, denser air to be directed through the intake tube into the engine’s throttle body.
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Easy Build Structures pre-engineered 2” x 3” galvanized steel framing system uses a unique “slip-fit” design that simplifies the installation process with the added strength and durability to withstand our Canadian winters. Whether you are looking for roof-coverage only to protect your investment or fully-enclosed garage and warehouse packages, Easy Build Structures has the building for you.
Our sales team will work with you to customize your structure package to meet all your requirements. Easy Build packages come complete with everything you need, ranging from overhead and man doors, windows, insulation options, sheeting and flashing colours, and hardware.
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