Ive never heard of a Bill Mitchell having a concept car. I would definitely hold on to it until you find the info on it. I remember Mickey Thompson building a third gen once with a big block. You have my curiosity up now, I'm going to search the web and see what I can find. I did find this though - A pic of a 1980 version - Also found this, sorry but nothing on the 79 version.-
From the info that I have read it seems they are turbo cars and very rare. I think the 1980 model less than 100 were made. Sounds like you may have hit the jack pot. Please keep us informed
sorry that its taken me so long to get back to ya, I have not been able to get back in touch with the elder lady that owned it, she says she has all paper work that her husband ever got with this car, but she has now idea about it at all. Now, i will say this i've heard of some of the camaros back then being turbo but this one is not(dam it). I guess i'm just wondering if i should sell it or maybe store it for my daughter, shes 2yrs old
I would def keep it untill you can atleast find more info out it.. It would be terrible to let it go only to find out later that is it worth alot.. Just keep doing your research.. Perhaps Scott Settlemire (Fbodfather) can shed some light on it.
I know there were NO turbocharged factory cars sold in the second gens there were a few prototypes (see turbo ultra Z thread in this section) but I dont believe it was ever sold to the public.. this would be for the Z28s there were turbo T/As in the late 80s (301 Pontiac engines). The mitchell cars were all non factory models built after GM built them by an aftermarket builder very few records on production are available for this type of car ..
There wasn!t one in 1979.But there was one in 1980 called the "Hugger" It has an IMSA/IROC inspired air dam in front .And a turbocharged small block. IT was a "tuner car" of that time. Just look up 'Bill Mitchell 1980 Camaro "Hugger "car. for more information. And you could always build a "tribute car" and or your own version like I did mine. My 1979 Z-28 RS Camaro Pro-Touring Car. And its far from stock underneath . #ad
The Concept Camaro story begins with General Motors engineer Bill Mitchell–not to be confused with the famed GM designer of the same name. During his career at GM, Mitchell worked closely with Donohue (a chassis setup savant) in the development of the Camaro for its role in the International Race of Champions. Sadly, Donohue passed away in 1975 at the Austrian Grand Prix, but those work experiences left a lasting impact on Mitchell, as well as a desire to iron-out the faults of the contemporary American performance car. So in 1977, he opened his own firm–Special Vehicle Developments in Cheshire, Connecticut–and got to work building a Camaro with responsive and compliant handling characteristics. These Concept Camaros thus featured specially tuned Koni adjustable shocks, upgraded sway bars, brake pads and lines, alignment modifications, Minilite racing wheels, rump-hugging bucket seats, and Racemark steering wheels. The Camaro’s aggressive air dam and “special vehicle developments” badges gave a hint that these were something truly special. The “concept” wasn’t set in stone, however. Mitchell offered extra modifications, including a turbocharger. Bear in mind, this was 1979 when the Camaro mustered only 175 horsepower. According to the seller, this Concept Camaro (one of less than 20 ‘79s claimed built) features the original non-turbo 350 cu. in. V8, along with the original four-speed manual and posi-traction rear end. It may not be the fastest from light-to-light, but the rare Concept Camaro holds an interesting benchmark in the history of the “pro-touring” muscle car movement.
There was a car similar to the Bill Mitchell cars by Don Yenko that were turbocharged ,Along with some with a similar nose and a "whale Tail"These were the "tuner cars " of that era. They drew upon the IROC ,SCCA and IMSA race cars of that period.
I have never heard of a Don Yenko late Seventies Z/28. I have done a fair amount of researching on the 1979 Z/28s Do you have any info to back it up?
What can you say? Don Yenko, the son of the founder of Yenko Chevrolet, was the man behind the '69 COPOs, and was probably the best known and largest supplier of muscle cars back in the 60's and 70's. Don started using GM in 1965 to get special Corvairs, then moved on to transplanting 427s into Camaros in '67 and '68. In '69, Yenko used the COPO pipeline to get factory 427s in Camaros and Chevelles, then transplanted a few 427s into some Novas. In '70, he again used his COPO ties to get an LT-1 equipped Nova. From there, he began hot rodding Vegas and then produced a few hi-performance Camaros in '81.
there was no 79 yenko but there was a 81 and there is no bigger name in camaro then yenko today they are the most admired cars weather it be a corvette or nova or camaro yenko is top dog.
