When Joe Grippo says he’s going to an event and that he’s going to share a bunch of photos with us here at BANGshift, I’m always thrilled. He attends lots of Ford events, and anything else going on in the North East. What he doesn’t usually attend are Chevrolet specific events, and especially those that are Camaro centric.
(Words and Photos by Joe Grippo) When I heard the 2022 Camaro Nationals were going to happen 12 minutes from my house, I immediately blocked out time on my calendar. You read that correctly. This dyed in the blue wool Ford guy was looking forward to being waist deep in Camaros. The truth is, I like just about anything with wheels, and more muscular the better. I had to check it out.
The ‘22 Camaro Nationals were held at the Classic Auto Mall in Morgantown, Pennsylvania. The Classic Auto Mall is an old indoor shopping mall converted into a collectable and special interest car consignment store. It is 8 acres of climate-controlled space housing close to 1,400 cars. The old mall stores that in the past may have been a Gap, Sam Goody’s or Spencer Gifts now showcase Corvettes, Barracudas, Street Rods and more. It’s quite a sight. The total property is 40 acres with paved 28 acres to host car shows and other community events. It is only seconds from the Morgantown PA Turnpike exit, so check it out if you are in the area.
The Camaro Nationals is produced by the American Camaro Association, a Not-for-Profit club comprised of Camaro Hobbyists. The ‘Nationals’ are presented by Classic Headquarters, Wheel Craft, and the Classic Auto Mall, and co-hosted by the Long Island Camaro Club, the Northeast Ohio Camaro Club, and the Lehigh valley Camaro Club. Inside the Auto Mall two large “anchor stores” were reserved for the show. One room contained Concours and Survivor Cars that were going to be judged and certified to within an inch of their owners’ lives. I watch a team of judges with clipboards and technical reference manuals devour every inch of these seemingly perfect cars searching any imperfect or incorrect part. A 4-post lift was utilized for undercarriage scrutiny. These dudes were serious. Low mileage Z-28s and Super Sports, rare Yenko’s and one off COPO’s were the norm in this space. Mind blown!
Across the mall aisle was the Invitational Room that was loaded with all manner of Camaro. Survivor Street Machines, Police Packages, modern NHRA COPO’s, Trans Am racers and Pro Street cars among others. This non-judged Camaro collection had something for everyone. I was drooling over the ’67 SS with the bench seat, Grump Lump, Tow Tabs, Cheater Slicks and Lakewood Roll Bar. Chef’s Kiss! The low mileage Baldwin Motion ’67 RS/SS L78 was pretty incredible as well. So much goodness in these two rooms.
Outside the show field was filled with more Camaros of every flavor and every year variety. While I’m drawn to the older stuff the new cars were strongly represented. Wild graphics, Lambo-doors and giant wheels seemed to still be popular with the modern Camaro owners. I was impressed by a bunch of the second-generation F-Bodies, with clean street machines next to patinaed street brawler survivors and perfect restos.
A swap meet and manufacture displays, along with a food trucks and DJ completed the day. While I was only able to attend on Friday, I heard from some friends Saturday was even better attended with a pack crowd and show field. I will be back next year for more. In the meantime, hit the links below for more info and dig into the galleries for all Camaro greatness.
https://www.camaronationals.online/
https://www.classicautomall.com/
