When I was 15 or so years old, I noticed that one of the neighbors would have a family friend visit on sundays. This older lady drove a 1970 to 1973 4 door camaro. It had a little rust on it. I absolutely know what I saw, and was a car nut at 15, so I could not be making a mistake. That was 31 years ago now, and in doing some research I have been told that the camaro has never ever been made in a 4 door version. This car was not a custom car, and who would customize a car by making a sporty car into a family cruiser. I have also been told that there were cars around that were called “test bed” cars, and it’s possible that is what I saw. Please help. I know what I saw.
I am certainly not going to argue with you regarding what you saw (or what you think you saw), but the fact remains that there were no 4-door Camaros manufactured for sale to the general public.
The only possibilities, as I see it, are:
This was a “chop shop” extended-wheelbase version of a Camaro, made for someone’s special…(ahem)…taste. After all, since a few folks had old VW Beetles made into stretch limousines, anything is possible if someone wants to pay for the conversion–no matter how bizarre it might be.
This was actually a Nova or other 4-door model, on which somebody whimsically placed a Camaro placard.
This was a genuine “test bed” car made by GM and shelved, rather than reaching production. I doubt that they actually built even a prototype like this but…you never know.
I don’t know about 4-doors, but GM built a few prototypes of station wagon (kammback) Camaros in the early-70’s. Some time later a custom car maker started making fiberglass replicas of them. So as sort of a sub-option to VDC’s first possibility, there could have actually been a company manufacturing the things.
I agree - I’m guessing it was some other Chevy with “Camaro” name tags, or, if it absolutely had a Camaro front and rear, it was a custom of some type. No 4-door Camaros were ever built by the factory.
possibilities:
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It would have only been an 5 to 7 year old car at the time, and it was starting to rust behind the rear door. (pretty common). It was also a gray haired lady that picked up my elderly neighbor for church, not really a custom car type of person.
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Absolutely no possible way that it was any other model beside a camaro year 70 to 73.
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Seems to be the best possibility. How does one find out for sure.
I’ve also been told that a camaro station wagon could only be a custom build. Which I have since found to be untrue. I know what I saw, and it was a factory manufactured 4 door camaro. May have only been a dealer test car, but it was not a chop shop special.
Well, if GM made it, it wasn’t a ‘factory manufactured’ car. They, or a shop they contracted, made a ‘one of a kind’ vehicle. None came off the assembly line. I’m sure you saw it, just trying to help describe it.
What do you mean, that the station wagon wasn’t custom? How do you know this?
Track down your old neighbor (and their friend) and ask them about it.
31 years ago, but I’ll give it a try.
I don’t know about early Camaro’s but check out this new generation 4 door Camaro. I think they would sell like hotcakes.
Nah, I’d rather they sold the Caprice police car (4-door version of the short-lived GTO) to us civvies:
You did not see a 4 door Camaro. I’m not clear on how you can be sure that you didn’t see some sort of custom car. I don’t mean to be insulting here, but if you were unaware that Chev was not making a 4-door Camaro, and you saw a custom 4-door Camaro, how do you know that you’d have recognized it as a custom?
I highly doubt it was a test bed car. The very few testbeds / prototypes that make it into the public sphere sell for tons of money at auctions. Anyone who used one as a daily driver, especially to the point of getting it rusty, would be a grade-A moron.
The other possibility is that Grandma was driving her grandson’s Nova, and he stuck Camaro badges on it, kind of like the kids with Hondas try to convince you they’re driving more than they are by putting stickers all over their cars.
Oh, as to who would customize a sporty car into a family car, the Sultan of Brunei has two Ferrari station wagons. . .
If you’d like a more ‘authoritative’ answer, post this in one of the classic Camaro forums. I know they’ll have folks who know exactly how many of every model ever came down the assembly line.
As far as know, and remember, the Camaro was originally to be called a Camara and it was to be a station wagon. That was before the first generation Camaros appeared on the market and that picture you posted (which may or may not be a photoshop job) is a second generation car.
I saw a few pics some years ago of a second generation Firebird station wagon but GM did not build it. It was a custom job; and as ugly as a Bolivian mud fence in my opinion.
It’s quite possible that a 4 door Camaro or Camaro station wagon may have been built but it did not roll off of a GM assembly line.
If memory serves me correctly, did you not start an identical post to this one about a year or so ago?
Not on car talk forum. I had to sign up for a new account here. I did start my researching about a year ago and posted on some kind of a camaro forum. I don’t remember exactly which one. I just recently had another conversation where someone told me that I could not have seen what I saw, and it got me going again.
I don’t doubt you saw it - but why don’t you think it could have been a custom job?
The reason I mentioned what I did is that while I don’t remember your ID the post is almost verbatim what was posted before.
Seeing as how I’m not a member of a Camaro forum at all I did not read this there.
Because of the old lady driving it. At the time the woman driving it had to be in her late 60’s early 70’s. She picked up her friend who was in her 70’s for church on sunday mornings. At the time, we were all crazy about s/s cragers, and keystone rims, raised white letter tires, and this thing had regular tires with hubcaps. Rust around the back quarter panels, definitely not something somebody would painstakingly put together as a custom car.
It could be possible. I don’t know.
OK, well somehow she got a hold of an older custom that got some rust on it. No 4 door Camaros were ever made by the factory.