Very First Big Block '67 Camaro Proved to Be a Handful
Can a car really be too powerful? According to the first people to ever drive the first ever big block Camaro, that was certainly the case.
Slightly Sketchy
We can't possibly imagine what it was like to drive the very first big-block Camaro ever built. It had to be quite the thrill, we imagine. But we can relive that experience thanks to this very cool article from Super Chevy. And as it turns out, the experience we're talking about was actually more sketchy than fun.
Photos: Super Chevy
Going Big
As legend has it, Hot Rod Magazine acquired the very first 1967 Camaro test car and proceeded to drive and mod the heck out of it. That eventually included yanking out the original 350 and replacing it with a brand new 396 with an eye toward racing the car in the new Super Stock class at the 1967 Winternationals.
Photos: Super Chevy
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Total Breakage
But on the car's first trip to the track, things immediately went south. "On the second run, top of third gear at about 6,200 rpm, a rod bolt parted company and suddenly we were sideways covering both lanes with six quarts of oil soup." said then-editor Jim McFarland. "Back at Thomas' shop, we surveyed the damage—broken crank, camshaft in two pieces, both heads cracked, seven broken valve springs, eight pistons, and seven connecting rods. Two weeks later, in a carefully wrapped and hand-addressed box, came rod number eight from Lions manager C.J. Hart. A grass mower had spit it out about 50 feet from the track."
Photos: Super Chevy
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More Breakage
Thus, out came big block #1 and in went big block #2. McFarland then took the Camaro to Irwindale, where it proceeded to break more stuff. The car "annihilated two sets of spider gears in one day," McFarland said. But they still managed to score a win against legendary racer Bill Jenkins when he red-lighted against the "scary" Camaro.
Photos: Super Chevy
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Epic Achievement
Once the crew got everything sorted out, however, this Camaro proved to be quite competitive. With extra weight in the car and entered in the A/MP class at Famoso, the Camaro pulled off an 11.84-second run at 119.86 mph on its very first pass.
Photos: Super Chevy
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Early Retirement
Sadly, that was the beginning and the end of this crazy project. "We retired the car from competition on the spot," McFarland said. The small-block went back in the car, and it went back to the mundane life of a parts development mule for 16 different aftermarket companies.
Photos: Super Chevy
>>Join the conversation about the first-ever Big Block Camaro right here in LS1 Tech Forum!
Good Kind of Fright
Even though this Camaro's racing career was short-lived, we call it a resounding success. After all, we're talking about a brand new model with zero aftermarket support at the time. And as they say, if your car doesn't scare you at least a little, you're doing something wrong!
Photos: Super Chevy
>>Join the conversation about the first-ever Big Block Camaro right here in LS1 Tech Forum!
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