Those deeply entrenched in the world of 3rd Gen Camaros will look at this nose and feel like there’s something missing. The Z28 had a different nose entirely, and the base model nose can be spotted by the three vents in the center and the lack of a chin spoiler. I haven’t seen one of these noses in what seems to be like 20 years in person.

When was the last time you saw one of these sans ground effects or a body kit of any kind? Looking at this car is like looking at a Z28/IROC completely naked. This is what the designers intended you to see. Compared to the 1970-81 cars, it was truly a styling coup. Back then, even the lower end cars were striking. I say it still looks great, even like this.

Again, no ground effects, no side trim, no T-Tops, no graphics, and no spoiler makes this car look funny in my eyes, which are used to seeing the higher end models. Note the tiny single outlet exhaust; more on this later.

This car is also sporting steel 14″ wheels, hubcaps, and white wall tires, which again looks strange on one of these cars. Note how high that front end is sitting; it looks like it’s in the middle of an engine swap! Maybe it’s because it’s just missing 2-4 cylinders up there? Maybe it’s the 195/75/14 tires not filling out the wheel wells like the 15-16″ wheels wrapped in fatter rubber do? I don’t know, but it just looks wrong!

Back when I had my Camaro, I would peruse the local pick-and-pull junkyards looking for 3rd Gen treasure. Upon popping the hood, first I’d look to see if it had the tell-tale 2.8/3.1 intake. If I was lucky enough to find one with a V8, I’d look directly down at the core support to see one of these catalyst stickers to see if I struck gold with a TPI 350 or not. In the upper left of this one, only 2.5 Liters of pure GM disappointment are displayed.

And there it is… the infamous 2.5L Iron Duke four cylinder! Designed by the Pontiac Motor Division sometime in the 70’s as a stopgap to fill the engine compartments of various cheap GM vehicles, they were available in everything from Citations to S10’s and beyond. As said earlier, you could also find this motor under the hoods of some AMC’s and other vehicles as well.  As disappointing as it is to see this lump in there, it’s also cool in a weird way. We are all so used to seeing a SBC saddled in between the shock towers of 3rd Gen cars that we often forget that these could have been had with a four cylinder engine. Making just 92hp, the driving experience is more agricultural than sporty, and we’re being generous there. Piloting one of these must have been absolutely miserable with the automatic, but the original buyer of this car was far too thrifty for such luxuries, so at least this one has a 4-speed manual transmission. To date, I have only seen one of these in between the fenders of a 3rd gen in person, and that was years ago in a junkyard. The take rate had to have been very low compared to the V6 and V8 cars.

Inside, it’s typical early 3rd Gen fare, and since this one has just under 10k miles, it’s not as thrashed as most survivors are today. Note that weird early non-Z28 wheel with the giant rectangular horn button, coming from a time where ergonomics were brushed aside for the sake of looking “futuristic”. Also note the three pedals and ultra long throw shifter protruding from the center console. You’re gonna have to work to make this thing move!

If you’ve ever been in a cheap GM car from the 80’s you know exactly what that seat material feels like. And for those who don’t, it’s a combination of tweed, 80-grit sandpaper, and a used SOS pad. You could probably use it as an abrasive to remove paint or rust from metal surfaces! I’m not sure what’s worse, this or the sticky, unbreathable vinyl from the era. Higher end cars got nicer materials, but not by much.

The only flaw I can find inside this car is the cracked dash. 9 times out of 10, if you see a 3rd Gen, it’s going to have these same dash cracks, so I can’t really fault it. At least the car comes with a fuzzy dash cover son you don’t have to stare at that.  Also note the extremely basic blower fan controls and the ultra-base AM/FM-only Delco radio. When was the last time you saw one of those?

Early 3rd Gen Camaros had some of the coolest gauges of the era, with that wacky double-ender speedometer. While most cars received a tachometer on the right as well as a number of other auxiliary gauges in the other pods, this one left the factory with “simulated” center gauges surrounding warning lights and a double-ender fuel gauge that displays BOTH gallons AND Litres! I have never seen such an elaborate, huge fuel gauge in all my years of gawking at cars.

This car also somehow retains it’s original rubber floor mats. They might very well be the only option the car has.

Underneath the car, you can see how incredibly clean it is. No Rusty Jones treatment on this one; it’s all original GM paint as applied on the assembly line. It even retains it’s puny stock exhaust with the pellet-style catalytic converter. This is as painfully bone stock as it could get! Something else of note: this car was also equipped with a 3.42 ratio open rear end, which is probably the only way they could get this thing to move around under its own power. It was likely added to the base package out of sympathy.

This thing even comes with much of the original paperwork, including the RPO sheet (top right). I’ve seen many of these over the years, and I have never seen one so devoid of text! I would LOVE to get a close-up of that sheet and compare it to, say, a Z28 from the same year.