Late 1970s muscle cars are perhaps unfairly maligned. Only look at the horsepower figures that resulted from emissions and fuel economy concerns (as well as a re-evaluation of how horsepower figures were calculated, leading to greater apparent drops in power), and you’ll only get part of the story. The 175 horsepower that the Z28 mustered in 1979 might distract you from some more important numbers, such as the healthy 270 ft-lbs. of torque that the 350 cubic inch V8 produces, which helps the Z28 reach 60 mph in a very respectable (for the time) 7.3 seconds. Not as fast as a Camaro a decade before, and no showroom-to-dragstrip champion, but on the street the Camaro demanded respect. And sales figures certainly don’t lie about the Z28’s popularity—more than 80,000 of them rolled off the line, all with the standard V8 equipped. No Camaro before or since has sold as many units. Plus, the integrated and body-colored front bumper introduced the year before make the Z28’s sleek and sporting lines, which were nearly scandalously Italianesque at introduction, all the more attractive.
