As Australian and New Zealand race fans prepare to welcome back the Chevrolet Camaro to the top-tier of local touring car racing next year through the introduction of Gen3, Repco The Garage reflects on the nameplate’s successful history.
Arguably, the most famous of these is Bob Jane’s famous orange Chevrolet Camaro ZL-1.
A winner of back-to-back Australian Touring Car Championships in 1971 and 1972 to be revered by race fans on either side of the Tasman.
Jane’s rivalries with Allan Moffat and Ian ‘Pete’ Geoghegan in Mustangs, the ‘Super Falcons’, Porsches, Norm Beechey’s Holden Monaro and the like continue to gain legend even five decades later.
Debuting the Camaro in 1971, it achieved instant success featuring the first Ron Harrop developed brakes and Holinger gearbox in what has since become the normal for race models built in Australia.
This Camaro won first time out at Sandown and also the winner take all final at Oran Park where infamously a spectator drove a few laps during the main event in his Valiant before being apprehended.
The 1970s, right?
For 1972, the Confederation of Australian Motorsport changed the engine regulations disallowing Jane from using the 427ci unit, which was replaced by a 350ci small block. This didn’t change the result as Jane completed the double before the Camaro was outlawed for 1973 as the Group C regulations took over from Improved Production.
Jane did race the Camaro at Calder for Round 2 of the ATCC, but the Camaro now labelled a Z28 was excluded after taking victory due to CAMS determining there were not 25 similar examples in the country.
This proved the end for Jane and Camaro, but development had already started on his Holden HQ Monaro.
In fact, the 427 engine and gearbox took success in the UK when Frank Gardner won the British Saloon Car Championship in 1973 with it installed in his Camaro.
After going through periods as a sports sedan and drag racer, the Camaro was purchased by Jane in the mid-2000s when it was lovingly restored by long-time team member Miles Johnstone.
The Camaro is said to be worth in excess of $1 million.