1971 Chevrolet Camaro Z28
A Rally Sport Runner with Value and Substance
Chevrolet’s first redesign of the Camaro may have come out halfway through the 1970 model year, but it was certainly not by half measures. With the original 1967–69 Camaro, the design team had been required to incorporate many parts from existing Chevrolet products—particularly the Nova—to save money. Everything from the width of the suspension subframes to the height of the cowl to the angle and shape of the windshield was dictated by Nova parts, giving the finished product a rather upright, sedanlike shape, in stark contrast to its sleek fastback rival, the Mustang. Something bold was needed for 1970, and that’s just what Chevy’s stylists—led by design chief Bill Mitchell and Chevy head designer Irvin Rybicki—delivered.
In many ways, the new design represented what Mitchell and Rybicki had wanted to do in ’67. Now that they had the budget to be more ambitious, they drew inspiration from the flowing lines of European GT cars. The long sculpted hood, pushing out to a protruding grille, a laidback windshield, and almosthorizontal rear glass make it look dramatically longer, lower, and wider than the ’69 car. Much of that is an optical illusion—in reality, the two differed by less than 2 inches in height, length or width! The ’71 was almost identical. The most visible change came midway through the year when the low onepiece rear spoiler from ’70 was replaced by a taller three-piece rear spoiler that had previously been available only by COPO special order.
Maisto’s ’71 Z28 represents the first time the company has taken on a 2nd-gen Camaro in 1:18, and it’s a welcome addition to the entry-level segment.
It’s offered in Hugger Orange with black stripes (as seen on our review sample) as well as Mulsanne Blue with white stripes. Hugger Orange was technically a ’70 color (’71 had Burnt Orange, which was a
couple of shades darker), but it looks good so why quibble? Both feature the big spoiler, but interestingly, the end pieces are molded together with the taillight panel, meaning Maisto will be able to produce a low-spoiler ’70 model or even a no-spoiler model without changing the main body casting. Overall, it captures the shape of the Camaro pretty well, with a good shape to the sculpted hood and a graceful rear-deck line. There is an inaccuracy in the rocker-panel area. On the real car, the rockers and sills have a pronounced inward curvature, exposing the tire and giving the Camaro the fuselage-like contours common to European GT cars. The model’s rocker width shrouds the tire. I suspect this was done for manufacturing reasons; such a pronounced undercut to the body casting would have required more complex and expensive tooling—tough to justify on an entry-level car like this. On a brighter note, you’ve no doubt noticed that the front has the highly desirable “split bumper” Rally Sport option. Many assume that all Z28s came this way, but in fact, the RS package was optional on any Camaro trim level. Selecting the RS option (code Z22) changed the entire nose, moving the rectangular parking lights from under the bumper to Europeanstyle round driving lights mounted just inboard of the headlights.
The interior also brought a noticeable new feature for ’71: tall-back bucket seats with integrated headrests, which the model has. The material is black plastic, which works just fine to replicate black vinyl.
The floors are black plastic too, and because the sills are so wide, there’s a huge strip of it just inside the door. The center console is well molded and even includes switchgear, and the steering wheel is the right shape, although it should have an “RS” logo in the center. The chrome inserts for the gear lever on the 4-speed and the optional “rally-gauge” instrument panel are well shaped, if a little bright in full chrome. On previous releases, Maisto has utilized paint to simulate the metal
finish trim and to pick out mold details on the dashboard. That would serve this Camaro well because the mold work has been done here—they just need to highlight it.
The heart of any Z28 is the engine, and in ’71, that meant the LT-1 350—widely considered the best original-style Chevy small block ever offered from the factory. Introduced in 1970, it made 360hp—70 more than the 302 in the ’69 Z28. In order to make them compatible with unleaded gas, Chevy reduced the compression ratio from
11.0:1 to 9.0:1 in 1971, dropping the output to 330hp, but it was otherwise unchanged. Maisto’s interpretation of the LT-1 is a mixed bag. On the surface, the basics are molded correctly:
The dual-snorkel air cleaner, finned valve covers, fan shroud, alternator, and radiator hose are all in the correct places.
But the colors are odd. Using all chrome for the air cleaner instead of a black base with a chrome lid is no big deal, but why go to the trouble of molding finned aluminum valve covers but then paint them orange instead of aluminum? The intake manifold is the right shape, but it is black instead of aluminum. The exhaust manifolds are
OK in black. They’re a shortystyle header instead of the factory log manifolds (a realistic swap), but the driver’s side is bent wildly out of shape—I assume to clear the steering mechanism, which is functional on this model. Oddly, the lower block and oil pan are not part of the engine; they are, instead, molded into the K-member which makesthem sit very low,requiring the steering tie rod to pass straight through the block above the oil pan rather than below it.
While we’re under the Z28, let’s talk about the suspension and chassis. Even though the first and second generations used the same architecture— control arms and coil springs in front, live axle and leaf springs out back—the handling improvement was as different as night and day, thanks to revised spring rates, better geometry, and the addition of a rear swaybar. Maisto’s chassis is basic, but it represents all the correct elements, right down to that rear swaybar. As is its custom, Maisto makes the suspension functional all around via hidden coil springs, allowing the Z28 to settle to proper ride height. Tires are realistic in height, width, and tread, and the molding on the 5-spoke mag wheels, which were standard on Z28s, is pretty good, although the spokes should be shadow gray rather than chrome.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The early ’70s were a tumultuous time for the auto industry, and styling trends— particularly in the sporty car segment—were changing fast. The Camaro’s radical new look was just what the car needed. The enduring 2nd-gen style lasted 12 years, making it the longest-lived and best-selling of any Camaro design. The 1970–73 models were the best years, both in terms of style and performance, and it’s great that Maisto has jumped into this underserved category with an affordable 1:18 replica. It’s not perfect—the engine bay colors, in particular, need sorting out—but the car has the highly appealing RS split bumper and presents pretty well on the shelf, and you can’t beat the price.