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Chevy Camaro
After watching Ford take a huge two year lead with the introduction of the Mustang, GM finally retaliated in 1967 with the release of the Camaro. Multiple factory and dealer accessories and several engine packages allowed any thrill seeking car lover to have the options they desired. SS, RS, coupe, convertible, have it however you wanted it, but as long as you opted for the 350 or even better, the 396, one press of the go pedal would let you know that Chevy was now a heavy player in the pony car segment. 1968 models had some slight improvements and cosmetic changes. Added side markers, a slightly different grill design, and deleted vent windows were some of the most noticeable while multi-leaf rear springs eliminated some axle wrap compared to the '67 models mono design.
Fast forward nearly 40 years and any of the 1st generation Camaros have become a desirable edition to many collectors. From original restorations to drag cars with very few OEM parts, you can find them any way you want them, and GMP has found a winner with this '68 drag Camaro. (Continued below...)
Paint
The first thing that catches your eye right out of the box is the deep metallic candy purple paint that has a passion for light. When light hits the car, it dances around like a 5 year old on caffeine. It chases the curves of the Camaros body by changing different shades of purple around every bend. Take the car out of the light and the purple is so dark that it almost looks black. GMP took a huge gamble using a custom color for this car, but they pulled it off marvelously.
The paint itself is a work of art being consistent over the entire car with no orange peel or runs anywhere, even between the body panels. The finish is so smooth it looks like the surface of a pond on a perfectly calm winter morning. The only place on the entire die-cast where the paint could be improved is the hood. The hood is plastic and doesn't reflect the metallic in the paint as well as the die-cast body leaving it to look a shade darker than the rest of the car. With that said, the finished product is still incredible!
Fit
The fit of the body panels on this die-cast is where GMP really works its magic. First, the doors and trunk are perfectly aligned and the gaps are even all around, so much so that you might question whether they will even open at all. But don't worry, they all open with ease and stay open as they should. The hood is removable and there is nothing to hold it in place, but even so, it lies right where it should with even gaps all around. You just have to be careful when moving the car around that you don't let the hood fall off and scratch that custom color. Finding some deep metallic purple for some touch ups might end up costing you more than the car itself.
The rest of the body panels look amazing too. The fenders gently touch the grill like they came straight from GM. Even the tires are tucked under the body perfectly. Just looking at the front tires might lead to the conclusion that they would rub if you tried to turn them, but they turn lock to lock without removing any paint from the fenders.
Exterior
The majority of the body panels are the same as a stock '68 Camaro, but the huge hood and drag tires transform the mild to wild. Just look at the meats on this old girl. The fat slicks out back with the skinny's up front are the first signs that this Camaro might just eat Mustangs for dinner. The cowl hood lets that huge motor breathe a little easier and really adds allot to the aggressive appearance. Both the headlights and taillights look great even when viewed up close and the mesh grill inserts up front add the finishing touches on the front end as they are beautifully done. (Continued below...)
Undercarriage
One look under this Camaro and you will want to find a mirror to display it on. From the brake lines to the sway bars, this die-cast has all the features you expect from GMP. The correct front sub-frame reveals the independent suspension and steering linkage. If you've got a real good eye, you can even see the bottom of the remote mounted oil filter! Look closely at the headers and you will wonder how they squeezed them in there. The headers flow directly into two separate mufflers that are open ended. Moving on towards the rear, the universal joints and driveshaft are beautifully detailed down to the end-caps. The driveshaft aligns perfectly with the rear axle that is mounted on leaf springs. The final detail under the car is the bottom of the fuel cell that is even mounted with correct straps!
Interior
Being that this Camaro is a drag car, the interior has a necessarily minimal design keeping with the motto "Less show, more go"! This is a serious racing machine that has been stripped of carpet and other frills. Even the stock dash has been replaced by an aluminum panel with five gauges. Follow the steering column from the dash towards the seat and you will find a smaller grant style steering wheel.
Just in case something goes wrong while the “go pedal” is on the floor, this Camaro is equipped with a full triangulated roll cage painted black to match the interior. Two black and grey custom racing seats give both the driver and any daring passenger lateral support while the 5-point racing harnesses secure them in place. The seats are beautifully done and really look like something you would find in a 911 GT3. The harnesses are bright red and draw your eyes to them the first time you take a peek in the interior.
Look between the seats and you find a blue nitrous bottle. As if the racing engine wasn't enough, with the press of a button, the nitrous gives this '68 that extra boost of power that can put wrinkles in the passenger seat. Behind the seats a red fire extinguisher is mounted for that added piece of mind in case of an emergency.
Under the Hood
The heart of this beast is one of the most detailed and breathtaking pieces on the entire die-cast model. Even if you don't like Camaros or even Chevrolets for that matter, you still have to admire the 572 Big Block motor under the hood. This is the largest production motor that GM makes and it puts out an astounding 620 horsepower! That's right, 620 horsepower! The heads on this motor are massive. Of course the block is painted Chevy Orange, but that's where the paint ends and the aluminum look begins. From the valve covers to the pulleys, they're all painted to look like aluminum. The valve covers are “engraved” with 572 Chevrolet to let everyone know what you're working with. There's even a plastic fan belt in the correct pattern and rubber hoses going from the radiator to the engine.
The radiator itself is modeled after an aftermarket aluminum radiator with each fin in the correct place. The two steel braided hoses coming from the radiator even have blue anodized fittings and they add to the wow factor under the hood. Everything else under the hood, from the brake master cylinder to the MSD style ignition box looks just as authentic as the rest of the car.
In the Trunk
Finally, let's take a look in the trunk. There's not a whole lot of room in the trunk because this is where the fuel cell resides. The most attention grabbing detail inside the trunk (as well as one of the hardest to photograph) has to be the blue anodized fittings on the fuel lines. They really set the trunk off. The battery is also in the trunk with details you've come to expect from GMP like posts, battery cables, and even a tie-down. The fuel filler and vent both look great as well. Small details like rivets around the fuel cell are easy to miss, but once you see them, you stare in amazement.
Conclusion
GMP is known as one of the heavy hitters in the "extreme detail" die-cast world so every car they produce has some very high expectations to meet and this Camaro has just raised the bar even higher. From stock muscle cars to full-on race machines, GMP does it all, but this Camaro wasn't made for just anybody, it was made for people who have gasoline in their veins. People who love the ground pounding sound of a massive motor that with one press of the accelerator can destroy a set of slicks leaving the number 11 behind for hundreds of feet. People who spend countless hours under the hood of their own cars just to go 1,320 feet. People with a passion for cars, a passion for drag racing, and a passion for life! Great job GMP!
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Chevy Diecast Cars
