QuestionI have a one owner bright green '68 camero convertable. I bought it from my brother-in-law, who was a chevy dealer, in'68. Maybe'69 not sure. It was a brass hat car and had very low mileage on it. Something was said at the time about a pace car but I know the pace car in that year was a ford. Could it be a prototype car? I am having it restored but it does not seem to be a run of the mill camero. It has front disk brakes, white stripes around the nose, no stripes on the hood, spoiler, 327 engine, 275 horse power, 3 speed on the column, turbo shift automatic. VIN#124678N438539...ID Plate...st 68-12467 nor139320 Body
tr 711 J1 Paint
I am having it restored as I stopped driving it in about 82...It has white leather interior, and white automatic convertable top. It has a little over 100,000 miles on it but the engine is in good working order. It can be driven now.
Can you help me on the value of this car and having it restored. The family is very attached to it and we would like to keep it if it is worth it. Thanks Betty Hattan
AnswerAny 68 Camaro Convertible that is still owned by the original family is a hot item in the muscle car market, but I am not the person to tell you what it is worth.
My advice is to get yourself a copy of the Old Cars Price Guide published by Krause Publications of Iola, Wisconsin. You sould be able to find a copy of this in the library, or you can contact the publisher for a copy.
Read the magazine very carefully, paying particular attention to the conditon codes - and decide after reading them what condition code applies to your car. Then you have a chance of guessing close to the true value of the car.
The various things we are told about the history and provenance of old cars is usually ignored by buyers, I wouldn't both trying to research the car, I think it is probably a waste of your time. What is important is what condition is it in NOW.
You mention a couple of things that sound odd to me. Leather was not offered in Camaros - are you sure it isn't vinyl? A "3 speed on the column" is the way one describes a standard manual transmission. An automatic would be either a Turbo-Hydramatic (3 speed) or a Powerglide (2 speed).
The other items you mention (paint stripes, disk brakes, 275HP engine) were all optional equipment for that model, and are not unusual - but the brakes and engine are certainly desireable options.
The value of the car is in the enjoyment of driving it - in my opinion, it doesn't matter what it would sell for unless you are hoping to make a profit after the restoration is completed. This is pretty hard to do these days - the cost of the restoration is almost certain to be much higher than the selling price of the car.
Good luck with it,
Dick
