This 1967 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 had a bit of a late start to its racing life. Originally intended to race in the Trans Am series when it was new, its owner suffered an illness which meant the car didn’t hit the track until 1971. However, since then it has raced each and every year.
This clip shows it qualifying for the Heritage Touring Cup here at the Spa Classic. Although it can’t hope to match the pace of the JD Classics Capri RS3100 (actually, nothing in its class can match the howling Ford), it chases down and then gobbles up an Alfa Romeo Giulia, BMW 528i and then an Alfa Romeo GTV. In fact, despite a weight disadvantage it seems pretty well-behaved in the corners, too.
Between ’71 and ’81 it competed in the States and Canada in amateur racing. Then, a new owner heavily modified the car, fitting wildly flared wheel arches and a much more powerful motor in the process before the car changed hands again in the late-Eighties. The car’s next owner returned it to its original Trans Am specification, although by now the car was considered a classic and so raced in the SVRA (Sportscar Vintage Racing Association) series where it carried on racing, season after season …
The Camaro’s current owner Eric Broutin acquired the car in 2013 and took it racing in the Heritage Touring Cup. ‘It’s so thrilling to drive. Wonderful!’ he tells us. ‘And the power to price ratio is very good too.’
So far this year he’s taken the car to Vallelunga and now Spa. Next on the agenda is Dijon, Monza and Paul Ricard. We get the impression from talking to him that he’s a man very much in love with his heavy Chevy, which he confirms when we ask if he’d consider moving it on. ‘Oh no’ he says with a contented smile. ‘No plans to sell. But if I did then the new owner would have to swear that they keep it racing every year!’
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