Real L89! 1968 Chevrolet Camaro RS/SS 396
Occasionally a classic car will come along that ticks so many of the right boxes that it is simply impossible to ignore. This 1968 Camaro SS/RS Coupe is one such car. It is completely rust-free and has spent some time as a display piece in an automobile museum. Of course, having the L89 version of the 396ci Big Block under the hood doesn’t hurt things either when it comes to desirability. The Camaro has been returned to the roads, which is the place where it truly belongs, but it is now also looking for a new home. It is located in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has reached $37,500, and the reserve is now met.
The Camaro is finished in LeMans Blue and features the White hockey stripe. The owner describes the paint as being 80% original, which indicates that it has received some touch-up work at some point. What he does claim to be 100% original is all of the steel in the vehicle. The floors are genuine and completely rust-free, as is the frame and the body panels. As befits a car that has spent time as a display piece, the panels are laser straight, with no obvious signs of dings or marks. The chrome and glass look faultless, while the same is true of the Rally wheels. The distinctive RS grille is also original, and the light covers are said to work exactly as they should.
Lifting the hood of the Camaro reveals something pretty special. In this case, we get a 396ci V8, which is backed by a 4-speed close-ratio transmission and a 3.55 Posi rear end. The vehicle is also fitted with power steering and power front disc brakes. This isn’t any ordinary 396, because the ultimate version was the aluminum head L89 version, which is what we have here. This is essentially the L78 engine, which was a $240 option on the SS, with the new cylinder heads fitted in place of the standard cast-iron units. The L89 added an extra (and not inconsiderable) $869 to the base price of an SS, and what you had was an engine that produced an official 375hp, which was the same as the L78 version. Do you believe that figure? No, me neither. Now, the bad news here is that the engine isn’t original, but is a CE Warranty engine block. The listing does get slightly confusing here, but it does seem that the rest of the drivetrain might be original. The owner claims that the Camaro has 16,953 genuine miles on the odometer, but then states that he doesn’t actually have records to confirm this. He also states that only 211 Camaros came equipped from the factory with the L89 engine, although my research indicates this figure to be around 270. Regardless of which figure is correct, it still represents a tiny percentage of the total build of 235,000 cars for that model year. As for performance figures, this wasn’t a classic that was going to disappoint. It was capable of sprinting from 0-60 in 5.5 seconds, while the ¼ mile could be demolished in 14.1 seconds. The owner says that it all looks correct and sounds terrific and that it runs and drives really well.
The Camaro’s interior is once again claimed to be completely original, and its condition is quite impressive. If there are faults to be found, these seem to be limited to some staining on the carpet, some discoloring of the kick panels, and the fact that the original AM radio doesn’t work. The radio is the only item that doesn’t function because everything else works as it should. The upholstery on the seats and door trims is close to perfect, and the lack of significant stretching of the upholstery on the driver’s seat does make the mileage claim seem plausible. The headliner is also in very impressive condition, while the dash is free of cracks or damage, and remains unmolested. The floor console is a nice touch, and it features that really cool, although slightly impractical, gauge cluster. Given the overall condition of the interior and its originality, part of me would like to address the issues with the carpet and the kick panels, while part of me wants to maintain the vehicle’s originality. Which way would you go on that one?
It is said that timing is everything, and that certainly seems to be the case at the moment. Over the last 2-years or so, values on the ’68 Camaro have taken a bit of a hit, but there are some early signs that they might be on the point of bouncing back to their former level. If the vehicle is as original as the owner would seem to indicate, then even with the currently depressed prices, it should still be a car that is capable of drawing a valuation of somewhere in the vicinity of $80,000 in its current state. It could also potentially go even higher if the right buyers should happen to come along. If the bidding stays where it is at present, then someone could potentially be scoring a great 1960s classic at a very reasonable price.
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Comments
The ad does not say the car left the factory as an L-89. If he had a protecto plate or some other form if documentation he would have made it clear in the ad. The seller specifically says it has a CE engine and the heads are date coded. This car was pieced together at a later date, that’s why it’s not bringing the high price a documented car would. It’s nice, but it’s current high bid, just under $40,000 is probably close to what it’s worth.
Steve R
What’s with the 4 wheel drive stance? Fore and aft need to be 3 inches lower.
Helps to keep from bottoming out when going through Cleghorn.
Well, some have complained about replacement overseas front coil springs – also making for a rough ride. & i guess the rear was raised to compensate for the front – stiffer leafs or shocks?
Not sure if ANYONE makes exact spec coil springs in the USA for these(or any) cars & there are a lot of possible springs with all the engines avail back then & whether the car had a/c, etc. or not.
& that delux steering wheel is big with a heavy steel center section. Not sure if the standard(or any other available factory) steering wheel back then had a smaller diameter – for ’68.
I think you can still buy any spring you want from Eaton, mfd. in Detroit since the 30’s
Back then some of the hi-pos were ordered w/o power steering so the big steering wheels helped with low speed driving and parking because the bigger wheel gave the driver more leverage.
That looks like a replacement interior. You can tell the true age by the yellowing of the steering wheel. Makes it difficult to believe anything else about the car.
Just for laffs, I put the VIN into a “decoder” ( https://www.decodethis.com/vin/124378N390384 ) and see that this Camaro was built with a 310 bhp 327 engine and Powerglide.
If that’s accurate, it just confirms what I thought when I read the eBay ad: it’s a nicely done restomod, and the seller’s repeated use of words like “original” was done so carefully that there is no out-and-out declaration that this car is an honest, just-like-Chevy-built-it machine.
So I think I’d pass if in the market. It might be fun to drive — assuming all the mechanical details were handled as carefully as the appearance — but it is unlikely to ever appreciate in value.
NO, you cannot decode a 1968 Camaro beyond “V8 coupe” and “V8 convertible”, and the base V8 was a 307 – that is as far as that site can go. There is no VIN marker for engine size (like Mopar had) in a GM VIN before 1972. That is why Z28s and LS6 Chevelles are among the most faked musclecars out there. THIS FEATURED CAR IS NOT A REAL L89 – there’s not a shred of documentation and they admit that “dated aluminum heads” have been used. It’s an assembly of parts. But you cannot tell that from the VIN.
Ray T did his homework. Don’t know how accurate that site is. I worked for GM nearly 50 years ago. Many records were destroyed in a fire. GM of Canada has records. This car was built at Norwood. Without paperwork, walk away. If you want a fun car to actually drive and not worry about some know it all picking apart your car at a show, go for it.
Ask Jerry Mac
Yeah, well, my main complaint on Camaros is all the money spent on them and they get the stripe wrong. The stripe as it comes down on the front fender should be squared off, not sloped like on this car…
I am not an expert on the stripes BUT I can agree that more often than not there is SOMETHING not right about the stripes, especially this hockey stick style.
Wonder if the hood pins could have been a factory order option?
I had a 67 Firebird 400 Convertible, fully documented with just about every factory option imaginable including factory installed hood pins. PHS documented. I bought the car from the original dealership where it was invoiced from as part of a sale of the dealer owners personal car collection. Car was originally white and his wife wanted it red. The hood pins got filled in and painted red. When I found the fact that it ONCE had hood pins, I certainly thought aftermarket after I saw another 67 Firebird 400 bone stock with many options including the hood pins. Started my homework and had PHS verify and it was a factory option. Pretty cool.
This Camaro, albeit perhaps not real, is a very nice car. Worth 40-50K in my opinion.
I am not an expert on Camaros, but the comments were very informative. What I got out of the opinions was, this is avery nice car, but the pedigree, may be a bit distorted. However, it seems the opinion is, if the price stays near were it is, would have a very nice car ,but it may not hold up to the experts opinions. That would be OK with me, don’t need to hang around experts, all the time.
To the comment below, “A fool and his money shall soon be parted”.
To the comment above (Joe) your comments are correct. If you found one of the “rough” barnfinds where the car needs everything, it is going to take the better part of $80-100K, and sometimes more, to build a car like the one in this ad. As stated in many fine ways, if this car is NOT real, it is still a 68 Camaro, 396 4 speed and well done if you buy it for $40-50K. It still has value but NOT the value if it REALLY were born this way. This one you can buy it and drive it. The real one you would be best off putting it in a museum! I am a big 1st Gen Camaro/Firebird guy as have owned and restored many of them.
If Ray T is correct, and it sounds like he is, this car restored to the level it is as a 327 would sell for about $30-35K in todays market.
All great comments and a big help to a potential buyer….up to 46 large?? Wonder if the bid is real..would love to see what its sells for. stay safe.\
Cheers
GPC
Why is this even here? Hardly a ‘Barn Find”. It’s a decently done Frankencar claiming to be something it’s not. It’s about to hit $50K, which means you can find a vetted, documented car in similar conditions. Nice car at $35. Wait 6 mos. It’ll have a Protectoplate, original documents…all available for a price. Frankencars, clones, tributes…call them what you want. They are counterfeits. Try passing a “tribute” $100 bill and see where it gets you. Cars like this have stained the hobby.
A really well done car and with that being said and after reading the comments I certainly wouldn’t feel comfortable buying it at any price!! It just seems that there’s no real way to tell if it’s reall or not!!!
Not much of a barn find… There was a nice barn find on here the other day, so I signed up after I bought that car. :> Keep up the barn finds..
Which car did you buy, Jerry?
What’s up the heater core hoses? Just strapped down to mock big block entry point at firewall? Maybe the heater core is no good, as they look to be shoved under the battery for now. Picture conveniently doesn’t show either end,but does show the”looped” hose on the engine. Also no picture of the 7grand on the tach? Something odd about those seats and the number of horizontal seams. Should have thrown a re-pop wood steering wheel in there for the glam factor. Nice car, but if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck……wait a minute. 😁
Sold $46,600
yery nice 4 corner rat,crying in my cheerois