Many of us dream of getting a call offering up an elusive, ultra low mileage and unmolested muscle car, but for most, it remains nothing more than a dream. For Stefano Bimbi, CEO of Nickey Chicago, this call has come in more than once. Usually, the potential seller has dreams of retiring to some warmer climate from the proceeds of the sale. More often than not, the “rare and desirable” car is nothing more than a typical used car and rarely worth anywhere near what the seller is hoping for.
Norman was driving home from work in St. Charles, IL. one day in his ’69 Impala Custom when he passed the Fenci-Tufo dealership, just like every other day. But this day would be different, as he spotted something that caught his eye. You see, a friend of Normans had a ’70 Z/28 that he had driven and it obviously left an impression on him, as he decided to trade in his trusty Impala for the Z/28.
Norman drove the car sparingly for the next couple years and only in good weather. One day while the car was parked, a friend of his sisters opened the door of his Fathers ’66 4-door Chevelle into the door of the Z/28. (See the ding in the photo?) This infuriated Norman so much, he put the car away and it has never seen the light of day since 1973. The oil and various filters had never been changed. The back seat had never been sat in. Even the air in the tires is original, according to Norman and his two brothers, who agreed to verify this and other facts on videotape.
Today, the car resides in the collection of Charley Lillard of Woodland, CA He has painstakingly preserved the car, and it is sure to be used as reference in the years to come as the ultimate unrestored and untouched second generation Camaro. This Camaro will remain as found with all of the marks, stickers, undercoating and even the door dent. The car was recently started up and Mr. Lillard is proud to state that it sounds as good today as it did when Norman took delivery back in 1970.
We are proud to announce that Mr. Lillard will be reuniting this incredible bit of Camaro history with the original owner at the Nickey Chicago Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals, Presented by Bill Stasek Chevrolet, November 21-22, 2009. We encourage anyone interested in seeing exactly what a nearly 40 year old un-restored, ultra-low mileage and well preserved original car looks like to join us to witness this rare viewing in person.
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