1968 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible

• The 1968 RS version of the manual Camaro SS convertible is among the rarest of examples
• 5.4-litre (396ci) V8 engine coupled to a Hurst Shifter manual transmission
• Sourced directly from the US in 2015 to join our vendor's extensive UK-based collection
• The RS version of the SS featured distinctive options such as retractable headlight covers
• UK-registered on the 29/09/2015, the car is ready for less than subtle summer motoring

Chevrolet may have been caught off guard by Ford's all-new Mustang in 1964, but by 1967 it had its own highly successful pony car in the Camaro. Inspired by the Super Nova show car displayed at the 1964 New York Auto Show, the Camaro featured the clean flowing lines and rounded contours that characterised Chevrolet designs of the mid-60s. The Camaro was in fact one of the purest designs ever issued by Chevrolet, embodying everything designer Bill Mitchell believed should constitute a proper sporting automobile; a clean attractive shape uncluttered by details, a high-performance drivetrain, bucket seats with a floor-mounted shifter and seating for four.

That Chevrolet would offer a Super Sport package for the Camaro was a foregone conclusion, as was the availability of big-block power. When the SS396 debuted in late 1966, its performance was hampered by the mono-leaf rear springs carried over from the Chevrolet Nova, but that was solved in 1968 with the introduction of multi-leaf rear springs and staggered shocks that transferred all the Camaro's power to the ground. The RS was an appearance package with special grille treatment that included hidden and different headlamps from the standard Camaros, special RS badging and special chrome and blackout trim all adding some extra style to go along with the extra power of the SS.

Our vendor, a collector of American motoring icons from the 1930's through to the 1960's, purchased this left-hand-drive example directly in the United States, initially for his Bahama-based collection. The car was twice invited to the Boca Raton Concours, but with UK-based business interests taking up his time, the offers were regretfully declined. UK-registered in 2015 the car has been enjoyed in dry weather only, with top-down spins along the boulevards of Poole and Sandbanks adding a few miles to the odometer that now shows, at the time of cataloguing, some 59,800 miles.