(WORDS AND PHOTOS BY GREG ROURKE) – Called the Nomaro, it’s a 1969 Camaro RS front doghouse on a Nova body. It also has what appears to be Pontiac Ventura taillights, just to further muddle the lineage.
I attend a lot of car events, and see all sorts of stuff. I can always appreciate a well executed car, even though it may not be something I would ever park in my driveway. Lowriders would be a perfect example. I can look at them all day, but you’ll never see me flipping switches in a 63 Impala. The Nomaro just left me, and many other passersby, scratching their heads. I found a few construction photos of the car, it looks like all new aftermarket sheetmetal. And we know the same is available for the Nova, so it’s not like it was done out of necessity.
So what do you think? I stood by this car for about 10 minutes, and most reactions were negative. One gentlemen said to no one, “I wouldn’t be surprised if it had Lambo doors.” So…go or no go?
Don’t do drugs.
I think it’s brilliant! I would have used a 4 door to make a practical family car out of it though.
I am looking at and and I can’t decide if I like it or not. It’s a 50/50 decision. For everything bad I can say . . . I can also praise it just as easily. I must say it is unique.
Me too, I’m kind of on the fence. Although I agree with Andamo that if it didn’t have a vinyl top, it would be a lot better.
It doesn’t really get me excited, but I can’t hate it, either.
Like the above posts …… I’m on the fence myself . On one hand asking why anyone would do this . On the other asking why Chevy/GM never did .. cause I’m betting it would of sold had they done so .
Hmmmn…..
Like the above, I’m just scratching my head and on the fence.
Now shoot me for agreeing with ColoradoKid…..lol
bang fuckin bang
It’s official, everything that can be done to a ’69 Camaro has been done.
I weighed in when the first pictures ran. Great execution, but its a major fail. Fails like the roadstershop’s ’64 Malibu. Who looks at this on the drawing board and thinks its good then once its done continues to believe that…… Likely going to be hired by a major auto manufacturer that wants to go bankrupt.
Funny you should say that. My first impression was that the idea had to have been hatched in Toledo @ AMC.
I kept going back and looking at it over some time and my conclusion is that if it different paint scheme, different wheels and dump the vinyl top, it wouldn’t be too bad. The Camaro front end takes away the boxiness the Nova’s had, yet the 2 platforms seem to work together.
I like it, why not be different its refreshing to see something besides a 32 Ford or 57 chevy!
Think of it this way….If you walked up to this car, and it had a sign that read something like “Rare 1969 (insert name here) from Australia”….like it was a factory Australian Chevy from 1969….Everyone would be drooling over it wanting one. The execution is great. Cool that they made it look like it could have been factory (other than the wheels…which I also dig). They blended two cars from the same manufacturer and the same era. So the design blends well. If you weren’t so used to seeing 8 million 69 Camaro’s and 4 million Nova’s already, you’d like this. It’s just not something you’re used to seeing, so it’s never going to be as good as the original to you. Kind of like movie sequels. Some are awesome, standalone, but just can’t compare to the original in your mind. I dig this thing and wonder why it hadn’t been done already with soooo many donor cars out there.
I tell my boys all the time that if everyone liked the same things it would get really boring fast. The wheels have too much blank space to rule. As I said, execution is excellent, but it is still comes out fugly. If it was a Holden build then it would be more quirky and likely have a ‘so ugly its cute’ quality. This isn’t that. I don’t think losing the vinyl top or changing the paint will help. I just hope two solid cars didn’t have to die to make this. There is different and then there is jumping off the tracks leading to tasteful altogether. This is the latter.
Excatly – are you sure it’s not a Holden Monaro?
I think it’s aweful, but then I am sooooo sick of 69 Camaro’s that I could just puke. 69 Camaro’s are some of the most over done cars ever and I only kinda liked them to start with. I prefer the 67 and 68’s.
I agree that this should have been done with a four door nova and badged up as a Camaro four door. Either way, I think its pretty cool.
Not only no…hell no, waste of a good Nova…………
I guess that if ’69 Camaro cowl hoods look good on everything else in the world, then this is the logical next step and I think I remember something like this being discussed in high school (or school, high). Except, it doesn’t work visually but hey, do what you want.
hell yeah I’d drive it in a four door, right after I sold that set of WTF wheels to whatever crackhead would pony up money for them.
The wheels are a crime against nature, and somebody should lose the ability to reproduce over them.
I’d lose the hood and the Yank-o stripe too… maybe better with an Apollo grill.
Ehh. It’s fine.
I’m pretty tired of high dollar custom 60s-70s iron. If the high and mighty (and well heeled) afficionados are pissed about this one, good.
Seems like this industry just picks a new “it” style or trend, runs it into the ground until Joe Hobbyist is looking at a smoking crater of style points, then picks a new trend.
Lately it’s pro touring late 60s-early 70s muscle cars, resulting in stuff that handles almost as well as an 03 Nissan Altima.
Shrug.
Don’t mind me, I’ll just be in my garage screwing with my budget-rod & kvetching about the rich white guys with high dollar stuff in magazines 🙂
It’s kinda like the ’55 nose, that those kids, had on their ’57 Chevy 4 door wagon back in the day. Sure, it works but it ain’t copacetic
I like the 4-door idea mentioned above!
I personally like it. It is a different aspect and think that it truly is an exercise in ability. I tend to lean heavy toward the quiet approach on radical. This is way cool and sometimes there is nothing better than standing a few feet away to listen to passerby question and ponder. Super cool build!
Well, if you think about everything Chevy makes today, they all have a similar/universal front end. I think the wheels should have been stock rally’s, lose the top and i think that stripe package distracts from what the body lines would look like. I’m not sure I like it in that color either… too much of it.
Someone will merge a Falcon and a Mustang, oh wait, Iacocca already did that!
I’ll combine many of the above comments and say that I am scratching my head with the fence I am standing on . Also, I wonder if the 67/68 Camaro sheet metal would have matched the Nova wheel openings better.
To me. My opinion on what was done is irrelevent. As well as everyone else’s opinion except for one person. The person who owns it. This is the person who paid all the money to build it. It is this person who has think it’s cool every time they look at it. Every time they get in and start the engine.
As a collision tech and old time rodder I can appreciate the quality workmanship..as the Styx song says…Too much time on my hands.
Did Steve Strope do this already?
Whatever.
something to get use to, but the wheels have to go.
Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
They did an excellent job on the transformation and in my eyes that’s what matters more than whether or not I like it. Great job builders keep up the good work
A similar idea was built in NZ a few years ago where they blended a Mustang and a Holden, the result was dubbed the “Folden”.
For the record, I kinda liked it.
http://www.carscoops.com/2010/05/folden-new-zealanders-create-half.html
Aw, beat me to it! I liked the Folden too….but this thing of bolting on sheetmetal that never belonged there was huge in Australia in the 80’s….all the Falcon panel vans had Fairlane or LTD front clips, Holden boys did the same with Premier or Statesman fronts on their plane jane models… I remember seeing a Falcon coupe with LTD front sheetmetal once…I honestly don’t get why people get the shits up over this car….
No, but would not stop me from stealing it and beatinig the hell out of it!
Not too hot on the vinyl top, and can’t quite make up my mind on the wheels, other than that I think it’s sharp as hell!
Look I really am not a fan of Nova’s I think theyre plain and pretty boring to look at and the only good 2nd Gen Nova’s are the Yenko’s but even still theyre boring and ugly. BUT THIS this just makes it a monstrosity its horrendous. Im a Mopar guy first but I love GM and own a few, it has nothing to do with the front being a camaro or the rear being a nova and thinking this is antichrist or anything its just that these two dont flow together. When you see the front of a camaro its body in the front just naturally flows in the curves with the rear naturally with out any accents. The same with the Nova and its boxy styling in the front flowing with the rear. This doesnt flow this just starts stops and starts again and you can tell, EVEN IF YOU HAD NO IDEA what a camaro looked like or a Nova that these two dont belong and there pasted together. Looks have a lot more to do with ebbs and flows, this doesnt have that.
I have a good idea. Why not put a Rolls Royce front on a VW Beetle… Naww pass on that, but as mentioned above, it’s your car do as you want, and dig it every day
Besides the fact that someone ponied up the dough to build it and seemingly likes it – I can sum some of the dislikes up pretty quickly:
The wheels are wrong no matter what.
Proportion and flow are a big part of any successful design. Take one look at the weight and shape of the front bumper then look at the rear bumper and that will basically show the error in the merger.
The vinyl top and quasi-yenko stripe appear to have been done to try tying it all together.
Again – wonderful craftsmanship – still a fail.
It is creative and it works …
The wheels are God awful and destroy the look of that car … hideous!
The vinyl top and the stripe …. eh, not so much for me.
But creative
Creative…? I am not trying to split hairs, but lets get real. It would be ‘creative’ also if they merged a 70s Corolla with it too – doesn’t make it any less of a train wreck. A mudder Trar is creative – just not necessarily tasteful. ‘Creative’ can’t be a an objective or decent subjective measure of success here. If this was a half ‘Cuda/ half Duster its quite possible the Mopar faithful would’ve already hung someone from a tree by their privates. Creative – perhaps, but not something generally accepted as ‘good’.