6 Pics of This Barn Find 1970 Camaro
This is one of the best-preserved "barn finds" we've ever come across.
1. A Camaro lover's dream fulfilled
Dean Smarr had been a love of the classic Camaro brand for most of his life. Finally, in 2014, after keeping his eyes open for a vintage sale, Dean was alerted to the presence of a 1970 Z28 that had recently gone up for sale. When he went to check it out in West Virginia, a purchase was a virtual no-brainer. Not only was it an authentic second generation Camaro, the vehicle had been incredibly well-preserved ever since it was put in storage in 1977. Without further ado, a piece of classic auto history now belonged to him.
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2. This 1970 Camaro comes with a sad backstory
While it must have felt like a godsend to come across this well-kept Camaro, this find isn't without its tragic aspect. The original owner had bought the Camaro new in 1970 from Rex McCormick Chevrolet in Kenova West Virginia. Between 1970 and '77, he drove the car a ton; the car was found with 82,000 miles on the odometer. The original owner stored the car in 1977 so that he would have something classy to drive when he retired a few decades down the line. However, not long after retirement the owner sadly passed away in 2010. He never got to live out the dream of driving his Z28 again. The car itself sat in storage until when his wife decided to put it on the market.
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3. The car was remarkably well-preserved... for the most part
The amazing thing about this vintage Camaro lies in how well-kept the car is for something so old. Most of the parts still worked and it's still beautiful to look at since most barn finds look like they came out of a barn! However, due to the amount of downtime, the Camaro wasn't able to start. Fortunately for its new owner Dean Smarr, this dissuaded other potential buyers who came before him. While most thought the engine itself had given out, all that it took was to fix a locked up smog pump and replacing the battery. Adding new brakes and belts to the mix was all it took to get the thing drivable again. Possibly most amazingly, all of the lights and even the radio were still functioning when Dean put the new battery in.
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4. The Z28 boasts an incredibly spacious, well-kept interior
Compared to newer cars, one of the first things you'll notice upon stepping into a vintage car is how much space there is for legroom and storage. Part of how you can tell whether a vintage car's been well-kept lies in the state of the interior. Taking a look inside this Z28, it almost appears new.
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5. All of the vintage documentation was included in the car
Getting the standard documentation and history of a used car along with the pink slip is common practice. In the case of an old car like this, however, it's cool to see the papers that accompanied it. The Z28 also came with all of the original literature, such as the manual. It is rare that a barn find is this complete.
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6. Finds like this '70 Camaro are hard to come by
Only 8333 Camaro Z28s were produced for the 1970 year. That statistic alone would make it somewhat rare by vintage car standards. However, the real significance of Dean Smarr's '70 Camaro lies in its near-excellent condition. Sure some parts needed to be switched out, but this is a better find than you're bound to find in just about any barn in the U.S.A.
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