2800 mile 1977 Camaro on BaT

[tom406]

George Lyons unearths another time capsule.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/19...sport-coupe-4/

[RPOLS3]

Wow - what an untouched time capsule.

I owned a 77 Monte Carlo and the engine was blue rather than orange as this one is - did the change in engine color happen over time throughout the 1977 model year?

[Crush]

145 Hp. Sad times for autos

[TimG]

I'm cleaning the chassis on a 1967 Corvette right now and looking at this car makes me realize that the chassis weren't that nice even when they were new.

[tom406]

There’s discussion of the engine color in the comments. It was a change from Orange to Blue early in the model year, and this is a very early 9/76 build. The change apparently stems from this being the era when some customers were incensed that GM was putting other divisions’ engines in vehicles. There was actually a lawsuit.

[Lynn]

Originally Posted by Crush

145 Hp. Sad times for autos

I agree. Not much American iron from the malaise era I am interested in.

But.... if a 77 Z/28 came along for the right price, I would still consider it. For me, it meant GM wasn't "giving up" on performance. Yes, pretty anemic compared to pre-1973, and especially compared to today. But, it was the beginning of something special, where they decided you could do performance and comply with emissions. Rudimentary for certain, but within a few years, once computers and injection took over... wow.

Hate the giant bumpers, but at least the car doesn't look as bloated as the early 80s Camaros.

[67since67]

Originally Posted by tom406

There’s discussion of the engine color in the comments. It was a change from Orange to Blue early in the model year, and this is a very early 9/76 build. The change apparently stems from this being the era when some customers were incensed that GM was putting other divisions’ engines in vehicles. There was actually a lawsuit.

I was a heavy repair tech in a Pontiac dealership when "Corporate Blue" was standardized for GM "Corporate Engines". Lot's of unhappy BOP B-body owners finding out they had a Chevy 305 in their new Delta 88 etc, leading to legal action. - Bill W

[66cayne]

Originally Posted by Crush

145 Hp. Sad times for autos

yes indeed, my 79 Z28 was rated at a whopping 175 hp! But at least Chevy found a way to hide the hideous 5mph crash bumpers by then

[Tracker1]

Originally Posted by Lynn

I agree. Not much American iron from the malaise era I am interested in.

But.... if a 77 Z/28 came along for the right price, I would still consider it. For me, it meant GM wasn't "giving up" on performance. Yes, pretty anemic compared to pre-1973, and especially compared to today. But, it was the beginning of something special, where they decided you could do performance and comply with emissions. Rudimentary for certain, but within a few years, once computers and injection took over... wow.

Hate the giant bumpers, but at least the car doesn't look as bloated as the early 80s Camaros.

IMHO the Chevy division had thrown in the towel. The Pontiac/Firebird guys were still swinging for the fences, trying to figure out how to make the most of what they had and what they could get away with. The W72 400 (1977-79) and WS6 (1978-79) programs/options were a testament to that. Remember, the NHRA refactored the 1978 and 1979 version of the W72 to 260 net HP because they did not believe Pontiac's factory 220 horse net rating. And even keeping the 455 around in 1975 and 1976 showed they still loved performance and fought many a boardroom battle to keep it alive. A 1978 or 1979 (all W72s were 4-speeds in '79) Formula or Trans Am with the good W72 400 coupled with the WS6 handling package is a fine road car. In my first-hand experience and opinion, superior to any 70's Corvette for ride & handling. Just my .02 cents

[Lynn]

Agree with Tracker 99%. Only difference being that Chevrolet decided to get back in the game in 77; they were just behind the curve because of what Pontiac had going. Got ready to say something in my post about Pontiac never having thrown in the towel; just got lazy.