I may be going out on a limb here, but I think it’s safe to say that the first generation Camaro’s (1967-1969) are some of the most restored, most collected, most modified, and most desired Camaro’s out there. The 1969 Camaro in particular is the golden standard in the world of Camaro fans . Head to any car show, any collector car dealer, or pick up any car muscle car magazine – and you’ll be almost guaranteed to find a 1969 Camaro there. There are always at least a few ’69’s listed here at The MuscleCar Place. Believe it or not, if you’re so inclined, you can purchase a brand new 1969 Camaro from Year One in the crate and build it from the ground up with all of your favorite performance goodies…..no need to muss and fuss with rust repair, right?

That being said, I do like the 1969 Camaro and would take one in a heart beat…..but it’s not my favorite. For my money, the coolest Camaro in the world is a ’67…..specifically, the black 1967 Camaro from the 1980’s cult classic movie ‘Better Off Dead‘!

The ’67 was an RS/SS 350 car and spent about 3/4 of the movie parked on the main character’s (John Cusack) front lawn under a tarp. Cusak’s character lacked the self confidence and knowledge to get the car running, especially after his girlfriend dumped him for the Captain of the Ski Team….and honestly, who can’t relate to that? Moving on. Luckily for Cusack, the French foreign exchange student girl next door knew all about 67 Camaro’s and helped him get the car, and in turn, his self confidence back in shape.

The scene where the car takes it’s maiden voyage may be one of my favorite car movie scenes of all time. It’s definitely in my top 10. The scene starts tightly focused on the grill of the Camaro…..and then ‘Mannish Boy’ (by Muddy Waters) starts playing….and then the Camaro fires up….and then Cuscak ever so slowly pulls the car out of the garage, heads down the driveway, and off into the world.

Since the wrap of the movie, the car (like most movie cars) disappeared and headed into a state of disrepair unfitting of a huge Hollywood movie star. Luckily though, someone much more dedicated than I went on a quest to find the car and restore it……and he did! Better yet, he’s got a full website dedicated to the car, the find, the restoration, and the like! I’m hoping to have him on a future podcast show as a guest.

http://www.betteroffdeadcamaro.com/



From the day I saw the movie Better Off Dead I’ve always loved ’67 Camaro’s, especially RS models with hidden headlights – thanks to the scene in the movie I described. If you’re a Camaro fan (or just a muscle car fan), head out and find yourself a copy of Better off Dead and watch it sometime soon. I think you’ll agree that the ’67 Camaro is the COOLEST Camaro there is…..and if you don’t, well, at least you’ll get a couple of hours of fun 1980’s entertainment.

-Robert Kibbe

The MuscleCar Place – Great Muscle Cars for Sale