First Chevrolet Camaro Ever Built Found!

There are few icons in the muscle car world that can stand up to the Camaro as far as what they make people feel. No matter if it is nostalgia for your youth, a matter of they are a piece of American automotive history, racing history or anything else that you can think of the Camaro is an important part of our automotive heritage.

As such the never ending search for the first Camaro ever built has been an important one for many people. The questions of what is it, what were its options or just a plane desire to see a great piece of history have nagged many of us. Well it seems that that question may finally be answered. The Norwood built 1967 Camaro VIN 7N100001 has surfaced and it has surfaced in a rather unexpected form, a former race car. A truly fitting way for the first Camaro built to spend its life in our opinion. It is still early and the authenticity of the car is yet to be 100% verified and there are some pressing questions yet to be answered but it is not looking all that bad in the early stages of research.

Some background on the Camaros from a VIN perspective. There are two VIN #100001 Camaros that were built. One for each of the two plants producing them. That means one from the LOS or LA, California plant and one from the NOR Norwood, Ohio plant. Norwood started it’s production before the LOS plant making the first one to roll off the line a Norwood car from a time line perspective.

The history of the car is still being researched and if anyone reading this remembers this former race car please contact us so that we can pass the information along to the current owners.

What we know of the car currently is very limited and limited to the knowledge of it being raced in the early/mid seventies in Kansas with a blue and white paint scheme and later the Bushmaster name was added to it. The VIN and trim tag for the car decodes as follows-

12337 = Camaro 6cyl Sport Coupe, base model cost $2,446.00

1 = Chevrolet
2 = Camaro
3 = 6cyl engine
37 = 2 Door Coupe.
7 = 1967 model year.
NOR = Assembled at the Norwood, Ohio assembly plant.
100001 = Individual vehicle identification number.
Base shipping weight: Front – 1,605lbs, Rear – 1,165lbs, Total – 2,770lbs.
Base curb weight: Front – 1,605lbs, Rear – 1,305lbs, Total – 2,910lbs.

General Body Information.
09 = September of 1966 build month.
B = Second week of the month.
G = Gold interior paint.
12437 = Standard interior coupe.
NOR = Assembled at the Norwood, Ohio assembly plant.
860 = Vehicles individual body sequence number.
709 = Standard Gold bucket seat interior.
Z = Bucket seats without head restraints (headrests).
G = Granada Gold lower body paint.
G = Granada Gold upper body paint.

Optional equipment.
Group 5 Options
Y = RPO A39, Deluxe front & rear seat belts. Cost $6.35, production total – 51,247.

Here are a few pics of the car for those that are waiting on the edge of their seats.

VIN tag-

Trim Tag-

Vintage Race Pictures-

As it sits today-

More images of this spectacular find can be seen on our forums at-

http://www.chevroletcamaros.com/forums

More information will be posted as it becomes available here or in our forums so check back soon.