(first posted 1/3/2016) Over twenty years ago and when I was a teenager, my parents pulled up stakes, moving our family from Flint, Michigan, where I was born and raised, to Ft. Myers, Florida in the southwest region of that state. I had just graduated from high school, and had summer visions of cruising palm tree-lined boulevards, sunny beach days, exciting new friends, and – not of small importance – a “southern car” without any of the rust that was everywhere on Michigan cars within my teenage price range. The search for the car of my dreams started almost immediately upon my arrival to Lee County in the early 90’s, with me regularly collecting and poring over local editions of “Auto Trader” to see what I could get for about $1,500. (How I miss picking up “Auto Trader” before the internet age and flipping through its newsprint until my fingertips were stained with its ink.)
I spotted this Camaro on Christmas Day of 2015 on the way home from church with my mom. She was driving, but she had no problem pulling over so I could get in the driver’s seat and take us back to where this car was parked so I could get a few photographs. Parked near a ten-minute oil change business where I used to bring my old ’88 Mustang for service back when I lived here, the sight of this Camaro triggered feelings of both longing and unease. You see, this would have been the exact car I would have wanted for my money – albeit in better shape – when it was between ten and fifteen years old.
This car would also have been pretty close to new during my first family trip to Florida when I was a young kid. I can’t vouch for its being an ’80 or a true Z28, as it appears to combine elements from different years (1978 – ’79 Z28 hood scoop, lack of both the vented front fenders and the ’79+ front spoiler exclusive to the Z28, and differing grille pieces). I chose the year 1980 only because of the texture of the upper-grille. This was likely a lower-tier Camaro with some Z28 bits added on. Part of me really liked that it looked like a former shop-class special, which probably would have put it more within reach of my young budget.
On the drive back to Mom’s house from here, I struggled hard trying to figure out exactly why this car made me feel so conflicted – why I was simultaneously drawn by the allure of its still-gorgeous lines and also repulsed by its vulgarity and obviousness (not to mention its condition). Thinking hard about this, I wondered if maybe the easiest and best explanation might have been related to feelings of unrequited love of sorts: I ultimately never got to purchase an example of one of my childhood dream cars once I was old enough and had the means to do so. Naturally, and now lacking access to a parking space, I want one of these late-second generation Camaros even more than I had before. Meanwhile, unabused examples worth owning are creeping up to somewhat cost-prohibitive pricing. A dream left unfulfilled, blah, blah, blah…cue the violins. Or, maybe there was something else to this…
This particular, faded-blue Camaro seemed very much a sculptural, physical metaphor for my experience of Ft. Myers once I had spent a considerable amount of time there. I’d voluntatily return to The Fort (as some of us called it) every summer between school years when I was in college in the mid-90’s, but my first summer spent there immediately following my high school graduation felt particularly brutal. Much like the still-great lines of these Camaros, Ft. Myers seemed superficially beautiful when I first experienced it. There is / was much to love about its warm climate, relaxed demeanor (compared with Flint’s hardworking, Rust Belt, car-building pace), charming downtown buildings with their old-world architecture, and sandy beaches.
However, a closer inspection of this town revealed things diametrically opposed to how I thought my cool, new Florida life was supposed to be. As a “practiced extrovert”, I had learned how to be reasonably outgoing as a Michigan teenager, but all the “cool kids” in this area either seemed to come from families with money or did things I knew would probably fast-track me to ruin if I wasn’t careful. There didn’t seem to be a middle class of any ethnic minority group, despite a population with a very substantial African American and Latinx presence. Our 70’s-built subdivision mostly didn’t even have sidewalks, which also contributed to my feelings of isolation in a new environment that was supposed to feel like paradise compared to Flint’s no-nonsense, earthy, blue-collar simplicity (qualities I have since come to cherish and embrace). A really straight-laced kid up through my early adulthood, I had then “mastered” smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol while living in Lee County, Florida.
Back in Michigan, though, I did have a chance to test-drive one of these Camaros – a burgundy, ’79 Berlinetta, when I was a high school senior. If I recall correctly, the sellers were asking $750 (about $1,300 in 2015) for their well-running but somewhat rusty example, but I was a sucker for its lines. And, come on…it was a Camaro, Dude. Totally rad, in all seriousness, even if it was the Broughamaro submodel. The lady of that household drove it straight to our driveway from Flint suburb Grand Blanc so I could take it for a spin. I couldn’t wait to get behind the wheel of that car, a radio-controlled toy model of which I still owned at that time.
Though beautifully-styled on the outside, a solid runner, and comfortable on the inside, my test drive of this Camaro ended up shattering so many illusions I had held dear up to that point. The seating position felt like I was sitting in a bobsled – but not in a fun way, and though I was reasonably tall for a 16-year-old, the leading edge of the front bumper cover might as well have been in a different zip code – it seemed so far away. The sheetmetal was free of dents, but the rattle of the body panels and (super-long) door glass was disconcerting when I had inadvertently driven over a few potholes. In short, a closer examination of this car led to the death of a fantasy and, needless to say, I passed on it.
It took a few years, but I finally made peace with Ft. Myers and my parents’ choice to relocate there. I made good friends (some with whom I am still in contact today), felt included, and experienced many facets of the uniqueness of being a youth in this part of the country. These included late nights at one of two Waffle House locations, going mudding with friends (who I had actually, originally met at a Waffle House) out in nearby Cape Coral, going to American Legion Post 38 in Dunbar to jam to some then-old-school R&B on Saturday nights, playing Uno for hours on end at downtown’s Black Coffee Café, shooting pool at the Indigo Room…the list goes on. I had found good in Ft. Myers, after all. Similarly, it seems my affection for this particular generation of Camaro has only grown stronger, despite my initial disappointment with one (which is going on something approaching a quarter-century).
I may never live in Ft. Myers on a permanent or semi-permanent basis, ever again. I’m entirely too much of a Midwestern, Michigan guy to ever try to fit into any lifestyle that region of the U.S. has to offer someone like me. I do, however, continue to enjoy visiting with family and friends when I’m there, and feel more at ease with the idea of thinking of that city as my family’s adopted home. And, curiously and with increasing frequency, I have found myself checking Google sales listings for 1978 – ’81 Camaros. I don’t want a Z28. A nice base model, Rally Sport, or even the right Berlinetta (navy with chamois cloth interior) might do it for me. Maybe I spoke too soon…my Camaro fantasy suddenly seems far from dead. Just as downtown Ft. Myers has experienced something of a renaissance within the past five years, perhaps this Camaro will be brought back to life for another chance at redemption.
The subject car was photographed by the author on Christmas Day, Friday, December 25, 2015 in Ft. Myers, Florida. Seafarer’s Village Mall (since demolished) on Ft. Myers Beach was photographed by the author on Thursday, December 23, 2010.
I also miss buying printed AutoTraders! Sure online is more practical, but it just doesnt provide the same fun as getting a new copy and seeing what treasures it may hold. I think part of it is the printed version had all makes and models in one place and you could see them all. Now you have to purposely search for what you want to see and stand less chance of happening on something unexpected.
Nice story. I identified with it because my family also moved to a new state right after high school (VT to AZ). Big switch, but I eventually came to feel like Arizona was home.
This was my argument when library’s started computerizing their card catalog. You can’t browse a computer like you can pages of printed ink.
I STILL have the copies of the Auto/Truck Traders from which I purchased a couple of vehicles, which I also STILL have!! LOL!! 🙂
Same for me–the printed Auto Trader was always a favorite of mine. The unexpected finds were the best ones, or the “I haven’t seen one of those in years…”
I’ve been to Flint, Michigan once. In 1981, the major shop classes from my high school in Sarnia, Ontario went on a tour of the Buick plant. I always liked the second generation Camaros, and by the late ’70’s they were better than any Mustang of that time period even with the emission-control-strangled 350. As for Florida, I love to go down there to get away from a Toronto winter for a little while but I think I’m still too much of an Ontario boy at heart.
at that time, the Camaro was the real ponycar and the Mustang was as if the Camaro had been canceled and they restyled the Monza and called it a Camaro.
I also toured the Buick plant, most recently the summer between my junior and senior years of HS. They were building LeSabres. From what I’ve read, ’81 would have been around the time that GM plant layoffs started their long, irreversible decline in my hometown.
What I remember about Sarnia is that some of my skateboarding friends would drive there from Flint just to go to the skate park, which I heard was pretty awesome.
Fort Myers: Nice place to visit, but don’t plan on staying. Kind of like the ’77-’81 Camaro itself.
I’d love to see GM do a retro riff on this generation of Camaro instead of the endless permutations of the first generation. That would be much cooler.
Just yesterday I was thinking the same thing and the (possible) reason I came up with for why the new 2016 Camaro doesn’t look like a 2nd generation Camaro is that GM actually has a prototype all ready to go but is holding it back until sales of these ’69 model “clones” falls off a cliff.
That’s a possibility, but not changing the existing hard points is another – they could only double down on the ’69 look.
If they had gone 2nd Generation in 2016, they might, might, have had me for a buyer in 2018. Until then, hello Challenger, my favorite car of all I’ve owned, period.
I hate, and have always hated the Camaro’s looks from the time it was reintroduced. The awful trunk opening is useless, and IMHO, the greenhouse is too small, which is one of the things I used to complain about all the time on other cars. Now they have gone too far the other way in some cases, but generally, I like the smallish greenhouses better than the other way. Now if they would just tone down the “angry bug” look so many cars and trucks have, I would be happy.
Great story Joseph. The Camaro is such a plug and play car that when you look at the example you found, it is fun to think of of how many young owners have made it their own over the years. I hope this Camaro finds another generation to show it love and drink in the heritage.
Your way pickier than I am about cars. I would gladly drive that Camaro. Its my kind of patina. Unfortunately probably more than I would want to pay though. After all your reading a post from a guy who in 1986 had a 74 Maverick and a 74 Pinto wagon and by 1999 had upgraded to a 76 Maverick and a 76 Pinto wagon. Still drive the 76 Maverick, but lost my beloved 76 Pinto to a wiring fire in 05. Bought a 79 Thunderbird in 02 that is my second ride now. Also have my mom’s 74 Mercury Montego they bought new, and my Grandma’s 74 Impala. So that Camaro would fit right in. If only I could get it for 6 or 7 hundred dollars!
Interesting story, with several parallels in my own life. I moved to north Florida from a small town in Pennsylvania before my 20th birthday, and moved away a few years later….then back and forth a few more times. Yet, as much as this area has going for it, I miss my hometown.
As to the Camaro, in the late 70s I owned a nearly new Nova. The main reason why I traded it for my 80 Fiesta was that the Nova was incredibly space inefficient. My boss had a late 70s Z28 and let me drive it a few times. Even though that Camaro was less than 5 years old it was pretty worn out looking and feeling.
The only way I’d ever want one of these is because they are good looking, for driving enjoyment I can think of many other cars I’d rather have.
BTW, we have a local auto-trader type of magazine…actually, there are 3 in this area. The downside though is that they feature cars and trucks ONLY sold at dealerships…..large and small.
I would love to find a faded but rust-free F-Car of this vintage and upgrade the V8 and chassis while keeping the original patina.
The F bodies were the only American cars of 1980 to interest me. A bleak period for Detroit and most American car fans.
FWIU from 1977-81 the F-bodies were the heaviest passenger cars GM made (apart from the Caddy limo). The secondgen was already a retro car, especially the 455 Firebirds which outlasted all other big-block musclecars.
Awesome story, Joseph! Your characterization of the demographics of Ft. Myers should be familiar to any transplant to the American South. As an adult, it’s a tough environment to make friends in, especially if you’re quirky and don’t assimilate easily!
Wow, great story and earily parallel with my own. My family moved from northern Michigan (Traverse City) to Clearwater FLA in 1985 when I was 15 years old. I too had visions of what it would be like in Florida–mostly from Miami Vice, LOL. Need less to say, the Florida that I found was beautiful in some places but also full of strip malls, tourist traps and suburban neighborhoods where people didn’t know their neighbors much at all. I moved around and have now found a coastal Florida town that is a great place to live—any my Dad and Brother still live in the Clearwater area and like it. I have such mixed emotions about it when I go back–envy my brother’s deep connections in the area, but also still dislike many of the same facets of the area that led me to leave.
I also came to florida with huge car asperations and read EVERY SINGLE PAGE of each new autotrader. In fact I still have a box of them here from back in the late 1980s/early 90s. Thanks for sharing your story.
I drove a friend’s Camaro of that vintage. A beautiful low mileage car. It rattled and shook even on the smoothest road. I found it is not the kind of car I would want to drive for its driving qualities. But on that short Sunday afternoon ride through the county side I collected more thumbs up than ever. That could be a reason to drive it on sunny days.
We also visited Ft. Myers, Sanibel Island and the Edison and Ford Winter Estates some 27 years ago.
The Camaro I test-drove definitely had a big “go-kart” quality about it, for all the rattles, squeaks and low driving position. But there was still seemed to be something great about the car (or about what it probably used to be like when newer).
Not a Z/28… Missing the front spoiler, side flare wheel spats, and fender gills.
Looks like a plain Jane Camaro, with a rear spoiler and Z/28 hood added on.
Hopefully, it’s not a V6. Lol
* Real deal Z/28… Badass.
I remember reading that the EPA rating of the V6 improved both the EPA city and highway estimates by only 1 or 2 MPG over the small V8. If real-world driving produced the same difference in fuel economy, the V6 (while probably cheaper to insure) would not have been worth it.
I’ll take it with Motorhead’s Ace of Spades on the cassette player in tribute to the late great Lemmy. A badass car needs a badass song
Did not know that Lemmy he had passed. Maybe he is jamming with Hendrix now. Jon Lord on Hammond. Keith Moon on drums, Dimebag Darrel sitting in as well. John Entwisle handling the bottom end. Ronnie James Dio would fill out the vocals. Another nail in the coffin for real baddass hard rock as well.
Whenever I rode in a 2nd gen Camaro 3 things impressed me. 1st was how good they looked. 2nd was how that massive door seemed to weigh 500 lbs. 3rd was how the car rattled and quivered going down the road.
Come to think of it why would John Entwisle tale over Lemmy’s job? Well, they could always trade off!
In another CC effect, I am flying to Ft. Meyers this month to visit my brother. First time for me in Florida, I’ll get to experience firsthand what Joseph experienced when he arrived there.
67Conti, I have a cool recommendation for your visit to Ft. Myers – you should check out Ford’s Garage restaurant, downtown. Food’s pretty good, and the atmosphere must be seen to be believed. Given your CC handle, I think you would especially appreciate it. Safe travels!
Thanks for the tip, Joseph. I’ll make a note of it and try to check it out. Sounds like a great idea!
That would be one hell of a Super group!.
RIP Lemmy. The man that change from Jim Bean & coke to vodka and orange cos he thought it would make him more healthy ! Our Lemmy.
I listened to “Ace of Spades” and “Iron Fist” in his honor when I heard! I made sure my DJ played some Motorhead at my wedding just because I thought it would be cool. 🙂
I quite like this alternative version of their classic. I came across it a few years ago.
I’m sure it was used in an advert for Stella Artois (AKA wifebeater) on UK TV. It’s the sort of drink Lemmy would have if it was too early for a Jack And coke!
Aha. Where’s the Belgian pilsener – wifebeater connection ? They drank more of it than any other pilseners ?
Stella Artois is the drink responsible for most cases of domestic violence in the UK. Don’t know if it’s true or an urban myth
LOL – Gem, this is so interesting. Here in the U.S., my impression of Stella is that it is kind of upscale and at odds with that image. It just goes to show how perceptions can differ based on marketing and geography!
Gem;
You may or may not be aware that in the U.S. “wifebeater” refers to a type of sleeveless undershirt, typically worn by working class young men seeking to impress young women with their biceps. I wasn’t aware that in the U.K. the term specifically meant Stella Artois; I was given to understand that it was used generically for any cheap lager or cider. One learns new things every day.
That car would look pretty good with a good detailing. And different wheels.
I’m a huge fan of the 79-81 Z28, more than the Firebird and T/A. But like most older cars you have a tough choice to make. Spend $7,000-$10,000 (or more!) on a really nice example or spend $2000 on a “project” that you may not see to completion.
My dream car as a kid, untill I discovered there was something like a C3 Corvette…..
Well Joseph, there are some cars that were “unobtainable teenage dream cars” that are better left to the past and in dreams. To me the F-Body is one of them. When the 1993-2002 Firebird arrived on the scene, I was in the middle of my 10th grade year in high school. I loved the looks of the car and dreamed of owning one. That dream took 21 years to obtain and in 2014 I bought a 1999 Firebird. The “bird” was updated in 1998 but it was still the same car.
I owned it for a year and a half and then got rid of the car. The seats sucked, the seatbelt was a pain in the butt and it felt like I was in a small tub(despite the car being pretty long and wide). The windows had issues from day one and no matter how many times I took the door panels off to adjust the fitment, I could never get it done correctly in order to ether stop the water getting in or end the wind noise.
In the eighties, my office was located in the building that housed the offices for the San Diego Auto Trader. This was great for two reasons, first that I could always get a free but mangled copy out of their dumpster, and that on Monday, deadline day, I got to see a lot of really interesting cars that were photographed there to make the deadline.
Extra bonus: I figured out the little code at the bottom of the ad so I knew how many weeks it had run, too!
My high school parking lot in the mid ’80’s was probably about 60% full of this generation Camaros and Firebirds. When a friend totalled my ’82 Dodge (Mitsubishi) Challenger during my senior year I was determined to use the insurance proceeds to buy one of these myself. After looking at and test driving several I ended up with a 1982 Dodge Charger 2.2 instead. What deterred me from jumping on the Camaro bandwagon, even as an impractical teenager was the complete lack of utility. Bad in snow or rain, no trunk space to speak of, generally crummy build quality, no space efficiency whatsoever, a nearly useless back seat, and lousy fuel economy. I took a lot of flack from gearhead buddies for buying that little Charger, but it made more sense in every way than their Camaros ever did. On the other hand, how many Charger 2.2s are still objects of anyone’s vehicular dreams today?
MTN
You’d be the only one to have one at any car show nowadays. They were of their time.
I still have my F-body from 16 years ago and still enjoy it every time I get behind the wheel. The difference is that mine is a 1981 Trans Am Nascar edition pace car replica with only 2000 examples rolling off the assembly line and she only sees the months of May-October on nice clear sunny days. T-top rattles be damned she is going to be treated to a new set of weather stripping for said tops this year along with some weather beaten interior pieces such as the steering wheel. The best way to drive this car is with the t-tops off and in the trunk. All the rattles go away and the fresh sunny outdoors filters in. The fact that this second generation lasted so long compared to the first is testament to there popularity. It’s a shame however that GM didn’t find ways to update the bodies with more bracing and tighter build but I digress.
I toured the Norwood plant with my Cub Scout troop around 1977 or so, and mainly remember lots of black T/As with tan interiors and that silly screaming bird on the hood…that, and going to McDonald’s afterward…that was a rare treat. They used to store the new cars across the Norwood Lateral(Ohio Rte 562) from the plant…thousands of them lined up. I seem to recall a scandal of some sort…several new cars went missing and nobody would have known the difference until one of them got in a wreck and the police got involved.
My reply to your 85 Pontiac GP article pointed out that the GM G body is a mainstay of “Street Stock” or “Hobby Class” racing at Saturday Night short track racing all over America, on both dirt and asphalt, but this is mainly true where the Camaro has been barred from the class because they are so dominant they will comprise the entire field. The Camaro kicks ass and takes names on all comers. They are usually not barred by name, but by wheelbase rules or a no unibody rule.
For whatever reason, these Camaros just look lower class to me–like what you’d expect of any American car from the Malaise era.
But your story is poignant and touching and well-written.
David, thank you so much for your kind words. I think the negative mental associations many of us carry when these cars were 5+ years old are hard to shake when considering these cars in a new light.
I fell in love with this one I spotted this past summer that I just wrote about: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1979-chevrolet-camaro-z28-paradise-express/
Having owned a 77, 79, and 80 Z28 I will say my 80 was my favorite.
The 80 had the functional air induction which was operated by a switch under the throttle pedal. With the stock 350, automatic running through 3.42 gears and a catalytic converter, the 0-60 and 1/4 mile times were affected by hook up and wheelspin as much as anything else. However they really did handle very well for the cards 1980 technology dealt.
These cars were a joy to drive IMHO.
All of the F bodies that spanned the years of 1970 to 1981 were lookers. They came in various specs, from the rare straight six secretary specials, to the Z28/ Trans Am muscle cars, to the most common lo po small block V8s. They were all objects of lust for so many young guys. While I favor the ’70-’73 models with the lightweight chrome bumpers over the rubber nose models. I prefer these later models over the aluminum log bumper years. My older brother had a ’73 Camaro he bought new, a 76 Trans Am, and finally a ’77 Z/28 with a four speed. Of the three the T/A was my favorite. These cars just looked so good and they were fun to drive and great to be seen in. Those long doors were awful, most examples need to have the door hinges rebuilt.
As much as I love my Mustangs, those Camaros really had them beat for looks.
My mom had these cars and I used to call them “bimbo” cars because they’d get all these looks and compliments, but were awful everyday rides. Noisy, leaky, they rattled, creaked but kept getting compliments. I had my first real job and needed a car, so I had to borrow the Camaro for a few weeks while my mom was on vacation. I just couldn’t believe all the admiring comments. Did anyone complimenting these cars actually live with one of them?
I ended up with a 1992 red Mustang hatch, and it was everything these bimbo cars weren’t. Practical, dependable, well made, and really useful and fun. Could be one of my favorite cars in hindsight. I wish I kept it.
Camaros – nah. Bimbo car.
We bought a ’78 Z/28 new, and sold it to a 17 year old at 220,000 miles after 13 years of ownership. We saw it around ever now and then for the next 25 years. We loved it; however, it was a joke performance wise (as were all cars of that generation), and this was made clear to us when my daughter’s 55 year old third grade teacher driving an ’88 Beretta blew by us on I-57, and we were powerless to do anything about it.
Ooooo, ooooouch. I like the Beretta, but dang. That would have hurt.
It did; however, seeing her teacher zoom on by sure put a smile on my daughter’s face.