A First Year Second-Gen 1970 Z28 Camaro Scores a Finalist Spot for the Snap-on Muscle Car of the Year
The 1970 Z28 Camaro marked two milestones for the historic nameplate. First, its LT-1 powerplant was the last of the high-compression, high-horsepower small-blocks before stricter emissions standards kicked in. And second, it was the first year of the second-generation design that would last for more than a decade, through the 1981 model year.
Keller, Texas, resident Tony Kondrotis owns a pristine example of this groundbreaking Camaro in Cortez Silver with black stripes. Tony drove a ’74 Camaro during his high school years, but he always lusted for a 1970 Z28. In 2011, following a four-year search, he found his drean Z in Michigan. The Camaro had been a California car most of its life and was undergoing restoration by the original owner’s son.
After buying the car Tony was able to focus on finishing the restoration, especially hunting down correct NOS pieces and original date-coded parts. That quest lasted five years before the work was complete.
The heartbeat of this 1970 Z28 was the 360-horsepower 350c.i. small-block V8 that featured 11.0:1 compression, a huge Holley 780cfm four-barrel on a high-rise aluminum intake, solid-lifter cam, and performance cylinder heads with 2.02-inch intake valves. Tony’s Z has the M-20 four-speed transmission connected to a 12-bolt Positraction rearend with 3.73 gears. An automatic transmission was offered for the first time in a Z28 in ’70.
Front power disc brakes were standard on the 1970 Z, as well as 15-inch wheels (standard Camaros had 14-inch wheels in 1970) wrapped in Goodyear Polyglas GT tires. Tony’s car also has the optional quick-ratio power steering, which was offered the first time in 1970.
The black interior in Tony’s car includes the optional center console and an AM/FM push-button radio. The ’70 was the last year of the Camaro with low-back bucket seats and small headrests.
The 1970 Camaro also featured several firsts and lasts. It was the last year for engines with higher than a 9:1 compression ratio. It was the last and only year that a 12-bolt rearend was offered in a second-generation Camaro. It was also the only year where side markers didn’t blink with turn signals, the only year with a chrome C used on the header panel and the only year with a “Camaro by Chevrolet” emblem on the trunk.
While only 8,733 Z28s were produced in 1970, Tony’s Z stands out for its detailed and authentic restoration. What does Tony think about the finished product? “Each time I drive it, it brings me back to high school and college when I had similar cars,” he says.
Photos by John Jackson
