1997 Chevrolet Camaro

1997 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 Convertible When asked about the meaning of the Camaro's name, Chevrolet representatives defined it for the press as a small, vicious animal that eats Mustangs. On a more literal note, many sources suggest that the name, Camaro, was actually found by Chevrolet designers in a French/English Dictionary. In French, Camaro translates to friend. For consignment, a 1997 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 showing 191,555 miles, but the true miles are unknown. Lots of newer items have been added in recent years including head gaskets, AC compressor, a full on tune up, new alternator, new brakes, and more.   Exterior Fronted by a razor sharp pointed nose, our Z28 is bathed in GM's Bright Red paint complemented by black painted bezels into which recessed headlights reside, just one year before composite headlights would appear. In profile, the distinctive Z28 emblem is clearly visible while a black canvas top and steeply raked a-pillars the car a classic, sporty American F-body profile. 16-inch five spoke chrome wheels carry 245/50R16's with a date code of late 2021. Out back, the integrated rear wing is wide and hovering over three part Camaro tail lights, a smooth valance, and split exhaust tips that are polished and enormous. There's some overall patina here with a fading of the black top and some of the softer body panels, flex cracking in the paint, chin scrapes, touched up blemishes, a dent at the door gap, various other scuffs, dings, and scratches and curb rash on one wheel Interior Opening the doors to reveal the interior, we are met with black door panels holding the switches for the power windows, power locks and a toggle for the driver's mirror. As we slip inside to the curvaceous charcoal black leather seats, we notice compression creases on both seat bottoms and the mirrored motif on the rear 2+2 rear seats are in good condition. A clean dash houses various analog gauges and an analog odometer is fronted by a steering wheel with plenty of patina and an aftermarket wrap. Neatly clustered in the center stack are climate controls and an AM/FM/CD stereo. Between the seats is a charcoal black plastic console complete with cup holders, and armrest/storage bin and the automatic shifter, again showing some light patina. The grayish carpet below is in good condition, showing some age, and the narrow but deep trunk is lined with gray felt line panels.  Drivetrain Flipping the lightweight hood, sandwiched into the rearward portion of the engine bay, is a 5.7 liter LT1 V8, complete with electronic fuel injection and a cold air intake kit in what we would call clean, driver quality condition. It's backed by a 4L60E 4-speed automatic transmission sending power to the 10 bolt axle with 3.23 gears. In recent years, the work completed includes new head gaskets, tune up, oil change, A/C service, water pump, thermostat, distributor, rebuilt throttle body and a slew of other maintenance including a new belt, tensioner and alternator.  Undercarriage As expected for higher mileage car, some surface rust is making an appearance on the untreated components but dry conditions prevail. Independent coil spring front suspension and a torque arm and coil spring rear suspension along with power disc brakes with new cross drilled and slotted rotors and new pads on all corners is also seen. The stock style dual to single to dual exhaust with a muffler delete is in place and looks good.  Drive-Ability This ol' girl's got some life in her and was quick to start and eager to please on the test loop where fine acceleration is noted, straight tracking, a raucous exhaust note, and on point stopping. Good maintenance pays off and the only function that doesn't work is the passenger mirror that will not go up or down. All else works as intended. While Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions were working at the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions will be working at the time of your