The 1967 Camaro Cherokee convertible was a customized production car that General Motors styling chief Bill Mitchell and Chevrolet performance expert Vince Piggins teamed up on.
That was the first year that GM’s “pony car” the Camaro-hit the showroom. To help promote sales, a brand new Camaro was pulled off the assembly line in the Norwood, Ohio assembly plant and sent to the GM Design Center for upgrades. A ducktail spoiler, Corvette style split bumpers, sheet metal tailoring and custom paintwork were lavished on the car.
The Cherokee originally had Aztec Gold Metallic finish that served as a shiny base coat for a Candy Apple Metalflake Red re-spray. Gold pinstriping accented the red paint.
The Cherokee’s hand-laid fiberglass hood got a hood tach and big-block Corvette scoop with a plexiglass upper panel to show off eight polished ram tubes atop a big-block 396-cid V8. The tubes ran to four 48-mm Weber downdraft carbs atop a Moon “Can-Am” aluminum intake.
The Cherokee also had a Turbo Hydra-Matic 400 automatic transmission, a 12-bolt Positraction axle, J52 front power disc brakes, Koni front shocks and AC Delco rear air shocks. Power steering was fitted, along with special 15 x 6-inch Turbine wheels with Firestone Red Stripe tires. The car’s custom black interior featured a console and Corvette tilt steering wheel.
Augie Pabst noticed the car while his friend Stirling Moss was driving it on a pace lap at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Mitchell gave the car to Pabst later on, and it was traded to a Chevy dealer and went through several hands until muscle car fan Terry Lietzau ultimately took possession.
Article courtesy Speedville.
