Bloomington Gold adding Camaro's for 2019

[68camaroz28]

This is a hot topic over at the Corvette Forum. No judging as of this 2019 but possibly in the future. The bad news for some might be the same weekend is the Frederick, MD Camaro Nationals, and Chevrolet Nationals in Carlisle.
https://www.corvetteblogger.com/2018/12/28/bloomington-gold-to-welcome-camaros-for-2019-event/

[Mike S]

"the Camaro] is a nice stepping stone before entering the Corvette hobby"
What a crock. If I wanted a Vette I'd buy one instead of a Camaro. Sorry for the rant but I do get sick of the nose in the air attitude of many Vette owners.

Mike

[cook_dw]

"the Camaro] is a nice stepping stone before entering the Corvette hobby"
What a crock. If I wanted a Vette I'd buy one instead of a Camaro. Sorry for the rant but I do get sick of the nose in the air attitude of many Vette owners.

Mike

100% agree.. 

[ericisback]

Um..... I can collect any kind of car I want, and I CHOSE a Camaro.... please!

[BULLITT65]

Funny reading the comments as well on that forum. Seems the corvette guys are not happy about the new addition.I thought while I was reading, why add the Camaro now? I thought they must see dwindling numbers on the corvette side. Guy Larson, obviously agreed and said they need to pump some new blood into the corvette hobby. A C2 Vette is on my list, just waiting for more white haired vette owners to take a dirt nap, so I can get one... 😈

[X33RS]

The stepping stone comment is funny.  It was the other way around for us.  We owned corvettes before Camaros.  Had 3 different vettes. 67, 72, then some Camaros, and ended the vette addiction with an 02 Z06.   In the end still have Camaros, got rid of the vettes.  Quite frankly we found them not very practical for much of anything other than a toy.  These days since we multipurpose our classics as drivers and toys we no longer have the desire for a corvette anymore.   We need a trunk and 4 seats minimum.

[camaronut]

Why go to an event that we're not welcomed at.
Screw them.

[bcmiller]

Being 100% honest with no bias, I have driven several Corvettes. It’s a different feeling for sure. I definitely prefer the feeling of driving a 67-69 Camaro.

[69Z28-RS]

The stepping stone comment is funny.  It was the other way around for us.  We owned corvettes before Camaros.  Had 3 different vettes. 67, 72, then some Camaros, and ended the vette addiction with an 02 Z06.   In the end still have Camaros, got rid of the vettes.  Quite frankly we found them not very practical for much of anything other than a toy.  These days since we multipurpose our classics as drivers and toys we no longer have the desire for a corvette anymore.   We need a trunk and 4 seats minimum.

X2...    in particular ' Quite frankly we found them not very practical for much of anything other than a toy.'
...  but nowadays the first gen Camaro is mostly a 'toy' as well...

Some Corvettes do have trunks, although limited in their capacity, and frankly the trunk of a Camaro is not much more... although I did screw up my back moving a 327 engine block in one once...  And the back seat of a Camaro is not much usable except for small kids, but I can say that about *most* 2 dr cars...

[70L34]

The comments in that thread are HILARIOUS.

[X33RS]

The stepping stone comment is funny.  It was the other way around for us.  We owned corvettes before Camaros.  Had 3 different vettes. 67, 72, then some Camaros, and ended the vette addiction with an 02 Z06.   In the end still have Camaros, got rid of the vettes.  Quite frankly we found them not very practical for much of anything other than a toy.  These days since we multipurpose our classics as drivers and toys we no longer have the desire for a corvette anymore.   We need a trunk and 4 seats minimum.

X2...    in particular ' Quite frankly we found them not very practical for much of anything other than a toy.'
...  but nowadays the first gen Camaro is mostly a 'toy' as well...

 And the back seat of a Camaro is not much usable except for small kids, but I can say that about *most* 2 dr cars...

Not a toy for us.  Our 69 Z is my wife's daily driver, and used frequently on weekends for the family to run errands, grocery store, my son rides in the back of it all the time.  Matter of fact, I'm getting ready to load the family in it right now for a trip to Texas Road House and some steaks

It's instances like this where the vettes fell short for us.  Just couldn't use them for much more than a toy.  Camaro does double duty.

[janobyte]

Wow, comments are sort of funny,,
I guess us younger guys, in our 50's,,,

Just how old are these vette guys,lol!  I thought the Gasser crowd were long in the tooth.
Perhaps this Bennet guy is afraid some big block Camaro will force itself on his purebred.
I agree with bullitt, like usual.

[69Z28-RS]

Well, I'm 70..  and getting into the back seat of my Camaro would be an exercise, to say the least..    I was around 30 the last time I went out in my Camaro wtih 4 adults in it...  Of course, it's been 38 yrs since I drove it at all!

Anyway, how many of you fellas can even REMEMBER getting into the back seat of your Camaro??  and how long since you actually had to carry anything in the trunk?   Hey, I love my Camaro and most first gen Camaros, but 'functionality' it AIN'T...  (I need my Silverado crew cab for my functional needs these days!)..
and I BET you fellas do as well...

[Mike S]

 I can't disclose what I did in the back seat of the Camaro back in my youth. 

Mike

[69Z28-RS]

I can't disclose what I did in the back seat of the Camaro back in my youth. 

Mike

*L* ... and you'd probably be recalling a 'delightful dream'....   

[BULLITT65]

Since the white 69 is what is in my garage at the house, I routinely take it to Costco for groceries. For a family of 6 I am able to get 6 gallons of milk (about every 10 days), along with all our groceries. I usually fill up the white Z with fuel there as well, since they have the best prices around here.
I also pick up my 4 kids in it from school, but I have had 2 adults in the back seat. At first I was a bit nervous to use it as a daily driver, I thought it may get stolen, or flat bedded, ( I contemplated removing the emblems), but Cook told me " its just a 69 Z", you can drive it.
I guess it's just the 68 Camaros that are the sought after ones...

[69Z28-RS]

Austin,

Do us a favor and get someone to take a pix with your four children and groceries loaded in the Camaro... 

[BULLITT65]

Actually around 1998-99 my friend had a 69Z we brought to Hot August nights in Reno. There were 4 of us, and then we picked up 3 girls to ride with us. Granted one sat on the console, but oh what fun. I was kinda glad there wasn't more room in the car at the time, it was open season for our hands to go anywhere...and they did!

(I may be able to dig up a pic of the 4 of us in it)

[X33RS]

Well, I'm 70..  and getting into the back seat of my Camaro would be an exercise, to say the least..    I was around 30 the last time I went out in my Camaro wtih 4 adults in it...  Of course, it's been 38 yrs since I drove it at all!

Anyway, how many of you fellas can even REMEMBER getting into the back seat of your Camaro??  and how long since you actually had to carry anything in the trunk?   Hey, I love my Camaro and most first gen Camaros, but 'functionality' it AIN'T...  (I need my Silverado crew cab for my functional needs these days!)..
and I BET you fellas do as well...

I can remember, was just today    My wife and I are beyond middle aged, and my parents who ride in the back of the Camaro frequently are in their middle 70's.   We really have no issue with it at all, and find it much better than my 70 Formula, which is my daily driver.  Family doesn't care to ride in the back of that one, it's like a dungeon.   The 69 Z however, you sit up higher in the back, you have your own window, and visibility from the back seat is way better than a 2nd gen.
  We actually stopped at Costco on the way home from Texas Road House and filled the trunk with stuff.  I really don't see what the big deal is.  These cars were used in this manor 50 years ago and we survived fine.  I think society is getting soft.   We don't even own a new car anymore.  Don't plan to buy one either.   I have to run back out tomorrow with a couple of 5 gallon jugs to get some diesel fuel for the heater.  Just toss them in the Camaro and go "shrug"

[BULLITT65]

exactly.
Whats funny is the people who see you loading up the stuff. Some of them have given me looks, like "how could you do that to such a nice car", well it is twice as nice to a have a multi-functional muscle car. (although with your paint skills, your green Z has to be way nicer than my white one)
My kids like that we use the cars as much as we do. My daughter is 13 and says she wants a 67 Chevelle as her daily driver, so guess what I am shopping for now...

[69Z28-RS]

Well, I'm very glad some of you are still using your 1st gen Camaros!      40 yrs ago (at 30), I weighed quite a bit less than I do now... around 180 compared to 230 now..  OK ..  new years' resolution...  lose weight! 

[X33RS]

exactly.
Whats funny is the people who see you loading up the stuff. Some of them have given me looks, like "how could you do that to such a nice car", well it is twice as nice to a have a multi-functional muscle car. (although with your paint skills, your green Z has to be way nicer than my white one)
My kids like that we use the cars as much as we do. My daughter is 13 and says she wants a 67 Chevelle as her daily driver, so guess what I am shopping for now...

Yes I have noticed that on occasion, people are either just admiring the car, or like you said, maybe they just think we're nuts for grocery shopping in a classic.   I doubt mine is nicer than yours.  Even though I paint here, my wife specifically told me she didn't want this one painted as long as we are using it.  So I simply put it in primer, reapplied the stripes, satin clear over it to seal it, reinstalled all the emblems.  So the car is presentable, not a show car, but all the details are correct, I also left all the original Frost green paint in the jambs).  Still has it's original carpet that is well worn, and I didn't bother recovering or replacing the seats and door panels yet either, headliner is torn etc...  Just did a thorough cleaning.  But the purpose was that we just don't want to worry about rock chips, or an occasional door dent, or not worry about interior wear and tear.  So this car was done in such a way that it can be enjoyed.    The comments are funny though.  I've had people ask me what the color is.  When I say primer I get a pause and a look, lol.   From a distance it sort of looks like cortez silver.  I even overheard one guy telling another that this was a very rare color for 69 and seldom seen.  LOL  I just think they couldn't figure out what it was
  I have several thousand dollars worth of everything new sitting here for a cosmetic restoration at some point in the future, but at this point I would assume that is going to be years down the road.  My wife shows no intention of ever stopping from driving this thing.

[camaroboy68ss]

Wow, after reading the comments I'm not surprised at how the vette guys reacted. While I understand why they are upset as I have noticed Special brand or model only shows are getting rare (there are maybe 1 or 2 Camaro only shows in the Pacific Northwest now) but the comments are just rude. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

As for the practicality of the old first gens, they are quite roomy in comparison to my 2017 Camaro SS. More trunk space, usable back seat, only down side is the mpg, lol. Though I don't daily drive the first gen. I had to buy a truck for winter use and Ive needed a pickup for things, so picked up a 68 C10 and love it even over driving the new camaro, lol.

[uscrichter]

Does this mean that Corvettes will be invited to the Camaro Nationals?? Maybe as a stepping stone for getting into the  Camaro hobby?

[BULLITT65]

Well the way I see it there are still a ton of first gen projects still out there for reasonable money, and in turn the following continues to grow.(can't really say that about early corvettes).  Even when you factor in the the 2nd, 3rd, 4th gen Camaros many of them were bought by young men (and young women), and many of those guys are going back and purchasing the car they had in high school. When you also consider that many of the 5th and 6th gens were purchased by Millennials and a younger crowd, and even still, many of those cars are reasonable as a used car. Just like many of us, they can fit their (skinny) friends and a bunch of stuff in them if need be.
The Corvette has always had a smaller market, and rightfully so. Since I can remember my uncle with an 80 4 speed Vette then into the late 80's and 90's with the Callaway, ZR-1, Corvette has represented Americas sports car. To be able to purchase a "super car" under a $100k, and keep up (and beat) cars that are priced at double or more is a great feat. But those that had the disposable income to do so, is always going to represent a smaller group, than those buying a Camaro for transportation and fun.
The Corvette guys with the "save the wave", and looking down on the Camaro guys is nothing new. You also have the motorcycle guys that look down on the car guys, or the one of the worst, the airplane guys who look down on anyone who is not a pilot with a plane. With any of these machines, you have the ego games.
I am sure we all have a story.

[camaroboy68ss]

very true on other gens. The whole premise on buying back you high school ride is why your seeing the spike in 70's and 80's cars. As mid to late 70's Z28s have really come up in value. The third gens are not there yet.

[camaronut]

On the same forum, Morgan said:

“Dec 31, 2018 at 3:28 pm
I was an active judge in the Ncrs and was a level 7 judge, the reason I got out and bought a Camaro is because of all of the responses above, you vette guys have ego’s and think you are better than others, your nothing but a bunch of pansies and do nothing but feather dust those plastic cars. I can count on one hand the normal vette drivers, and one of them is John Hinckly , oh yeah, he has a survivor z28 as well”


Gotta love that response!

[Mike S]

CRG needs to add like buttons like TC.
But.....here is my input to that last post.

[69Z28-RS]

Does this mean that Corvettes will be invited to the Camaro Nationals?? Maybe as a stepping stone for getting into the  Camaro hobby?

   While that comment/question is very humorous.. ..   Please NO..  Please DO NOT invite Corvettes to the Camaro Nats...       (PS.  My wife and I are in agreement about Corvettes.  While I do still own 5 corvettes (older ones), we agree that only about 10% at best of 'Corvette owners' are *real car guys*...the rest own them for 'other reasons!  .. and when I go to car shows, I strongly prefer to spend that time with REAL car guys! 

[R68GTO]

I know a guy that has been into cars for a long time and does his own restorations (very nice ones).  He wanted a mid-year Corvette because he liked the styling.  Found a '63 project in a barn in MI back in the 90's, when he went to pick it up, the owner told him he laid some parts for the car on the floor of the front seat.  When he looked in and saw a FI unit, he about crapped!.  It did turn out the be a legit fuelly so he restored it as such and started taking it to Corvette shows.  He told me that he literally had other car owners chew him out when they saw him dragging lawn chairs our from behind the seat - said he was "disrespecting the car".  He doesn't go to Corvette shows any more.

[maroman]

I think your 10% is pretty optimistic. I went to Corvettes at Carlisle this year, haven't been for a long time. I doubt I will ever go back.  Maybe 90% of the cars were less then 10 years old.  Two guys all dressed in the latest Corvette swag walked up to the '57 I was looking at. The one said to the other you have to walk around to the front to count headlights, that's the only way to know what year they are.

[X33RS]

  The 71 we had (should be 71 in previous post, typo) was a 454 survivor with 32,000 original miles and was certified as such through NCRS.  We did only a couple of shows with it and of course corvette guys want to be your buddy etc...  but our intention of purchasing it was to let my wife enjoy it.  Was a nice cruiser, auto, AC, PS, PB, and 3.08's out back.  She proceeded to daily drive it to work for 2 years.  Boy that really annoyed the vette people.  Then at our Tri-5 club annual muscle car drag race we held every year I decided to make some passes with it.  The same corvette groupies thought I was nuts, lol.  Like everything I own, I like to see how it runs.  It went 14.20's at 98 mph.  After 2 years of her driving it we sold the car with 48,000 miles on it.   I don't think the vette crowd ever got over that.  They acted like I had wore it out 

Had vettes since but we never did shows with them.  They were bought purely for my wife to enjoy.  Couldn't really enjoy them together either once we had kids so just got away from them all together.

[X33RS]

I think your 10% is pretty optimistic. I went to Corvettes at Carlisle this year, haven't been for a long time. I doubt I will ever go back.  Maybe 90% of the cars were less then 10 years old.  Two guys all dressed in the latest Corvette swag walked up to the '57 I was looking at. The one said to the other you have to walk around to the front to count headlights, that's the only way to know what year they are.

Don't even have to go to a corvette show to experience that.  One of our local cruises, yes just a casual cruise, has specialized parking for corvettes every weekend, and it's mostly new junk that I really don't care to look at.    Usually an entire 25 space row is wasted with them.  And they get upset when you park a 69 Z in one of their spots.  Ask me how I know 

[mdz]

The Corvette people seem to think there is two kinds of people in the world, those who own Corvettes and people who wished they owned a Corvette.

[x66 714]

The Corvette people seem to think there is two kinds of people in the world, those who own Corvettes and people who wished they owned a Corvette.

I would never own a Corvette. To me, they're plain. The first generation Camaros had so much to offer, so many differences that you could come up with a totally different Camaro than your friend had. Interiors alone were so many different styles & colors. These are only my opinions. Everybody has their own.....Joe

[janobyte]

....end of the day, all the cool kids are at the drags anyway😉

[Kelley W King]

I like and have or had both camaros and vettes . Also GTO,s chevelles, firebirds,ect. I like them all. You will find buttholes at all car events. The main thing they have in common is that they have never actually worked on a car.

[janobyte]

Oh yea,right about that.
I was no better,looking down my nose at those who didnt turn their own wrenches.
Then, we were at a gasser meet in NY. Another father/son set pitted next to me and my dad,same ages.Nost.Anglia and Henry J.cut to the chase: I ended up tuning his Anglia, which put a huge grin on his face. I teased his son about owning gas stations,,and bringing no tools.Kwickee Mart?? Anyway, we had a great weekend together,,and the club who sponsered the event,,well, they cherry picked in staging,,guess who won the awards,lol.
My old A/C is a vette guy, who loves all cars,and glows when he asks how my Z's coming...all good.

[uscrichter]

I have been a NCRS member for many years and I still own 5 Vettes had seven, sold two and added 2 Camaros to my garage! for all the reasons stated above in addition to just loving first gen Camaros and I can tell you that even in the Vette community there has been a lot of disillusion with members because of the Egos involved in judging etc.. , I have had friends that have been  long term members sell their Vette(s) because of all the politics and Egos, I do enjoy my Corvettes because I actually drive them! and no longer partake in that gruesome and Ego driven judging process. It is about having fun and the people involved in the Camaro community seem to understand that and have respect for one another even if we don't own a matching numbers fully documented 2,900 mile ZL-1 survivor! and you wonder why they want to expand the following with Camaro enthusiasts?? 

[68camaroz28]

As aforementioned everyone has had experiences with car people at some point both good and bad, and it was not determined by what they drove. I’m an NCRS member, and belong to our local Corvette Club which started 50 years ago. I’ve been to many Corvette shows and the people were the same type of people as people at other types of car shows. Our local Corvette Club does a lot for charities including Toys for Tots, and Corvettes for Chip (Chip Miller Amyloidosis Foundation). The debate to me resembles when the Street Rodders were faced with numbers dwindling and they added later years to the mix like our Gen I Camaro’s and boy did that cause a stir. Bottom line, there are a lot of great people that show. drive and enjoy their Corvettes just like there are great people who show, drive and own Camaro’s.  Some of the earned negativity is due to the Bloomington Gold writing about Camaro being a stepping stone to Corvettes which was ridiculous and created backlash. 
I know uscrichter has 5 Corvettes and Gary owns a few and he’s OK most of the time (LOL) so how about anyone else?

[X33RS]

Agree, I've seen it with all kinds of makes.  We have Pontiacs, Fords, Chevrolets, and I attend various shows with each.  You pretty much see the same types of people at these events.  I haven't really put a finger on it but I tend to think it's just the type of person they are rather than the type of car they drive.  They seem to have this level of disdain that keeps them from looking at things with an open mind.
   I've met some fantastic people over the years that enjoy all brands and makes just like we do, and don't frown on you because one week you drove a Camaro and the next week a mustang.  They are interested in all of it and to me these are the "real" car enthusiasts that truly enjoy this hobby.  Very rare to find.

[camaroboy68ss]

As aforementioned everyone has had experiences with car people at some point both good and bad, and it was not determined by what they drove. I’m an NCRS member, and belong to our local Corvette Club which started 50 years ago. I’ve been to many Corvette shows and the people were the same type of people as people at other types of car shows. Our local Corvette Club does a lot for charities including Toys for Tots, and Corvettes for Chip (Chip Miller Amyloidosis Foundation). The debate to me resembles when the Street Rodders were faced with numbers dwindling and they added later years to the mix like our Gen I Camaro’s and boy did that cause a stir. Bottom line, there are a lot of great people that show. drive and enjoy their Corvettes just like there are great people who show, drive and own Camaro’s.  Some of the earned negativity is due to the Bloomington Gold writing about Camaro being a stepping stone to Corvettes which was ridiculous and created backlash. 
I know uscrichter has 5 Corvettes and Gary owns a few and he’s OK most of the time (LOL) so how about anyone else?

Yeah the street rodders can be just as bad. The NSRA tried starting up a national event in the Northwest again here acouple years ago. I helped my grandfather show his 56 Chevy custom and alot of those NSRA guys were still upset a tri five was there, which was pretty comical. That attitude was one of the reasons the show failed to really take off. Luckily that group seems to be at this point more open to the newer stuff with the younger crowd. I know Goodguys pushed their cutoff date into the 80s now and this summer at the Pacific Northwest Nationals there was a nice increase of cars and a younger demographic and not really any complaints.

[BULLITT65]

Good guys, we used to call them "greedy guys ", back in the day. Show prices doubled in Pleasanton, and you could not just do the swap meet. Parking went from a buck to $7 overnight.
Sorry to side track

[X33RS]

Yep Goodguys is pricey,  $70 to enter a car now and it includes a membership I don't want (they force that on you)   They did open the year up to 1987 which certainly increased the car count.  It didn't go over well with some but overall a good decision.

Shucks even we realized it had to be done back in the 1980's when our tri-5 club was holding our annual muscle car drag race.  There was turmoil within the group, hardcore 50's guys that didn't want anything newer than 62, and also wanted to use the 1959 rule book with flagmen instead of the tree (which we tried the first year) but the car count sucked and we eventually opened it to 1972, and then later to all muscle cars through the mid 1980's at that time which didn't go over well within the club.  But, the car count got so big we eventually started having 2 events a year instead of one.  I don't recall hearing any complaining much after that, lol.

I think from what I've read here, the vette people are starting to realize their car count and members dwindling and are taking a similar approach.

[maroman]

Since this morphed into a discussion about years PLEASE don't change CRG to something else. I belong to a car club dedicated to 1914 to 1938 cars. Several members want to open it up to newer cars to gain more members. That is not always good. It changes the format of the club. We tour a lot so later '40's or '50's cars want to go faster on highways where we are now going 45 max and stick to side roads. Lots of thought has to go into whether more is better. As to CRG, lots of parts are similar, may even fit from '67 to '69. But 1970 is a completely different animal. To the best of my knowledge this has not been suggested I am just saying more is not always better.

[fsc66]

On the main Corvette Forum out there: Topic; Bloomington Gold and Camaros:

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/c1-and-c2-corvettes/4226022-bloomington-gold-and-camaros.html

Paul

[maroman]

Maybe a bunch of us low life Camaro guys should get liquored up and put on a greasy T shirt and attend. As far as moving up from a Camaro to a Corvette I had a Corvette first.

[JohnSlack]

I'm a new guy on this forum, and a Ford guy to boot. But after reading everything here, and everything on the Corvette forum I'd tell the Bloomington Gold folks to pound sand. See the deal is this....the Corvette folks have an image issue. It involves their noses being in the air and too many hairy chested shirt open gold chain wearing owners that look down on the heritage of the C1, C2, and C3 cars. I came here to learn about Camaros. I'd like to add a couple of those to my garage. I could give a flip about the fantastic plastic cars. The fact is the Corvette guys need the Camaro guys to support their show or they wouldn't be so gracious in allowing the Camaro group to attend.....you know....over there....in that parking spot...not here.
John

[69Z28-RS]

I just went over to the CF and read a few of the posts...     and I had to make the following post:.. 

"It's obviously a MONEY driven issue with talk to bringing Camaros to Bloomington Gold, and obviously the organizers are in it for the $$$. As far as 'camaros being an entry point ' to a Corvette, that's pretty laughable. I own 5 Corvettes and yet my '69 z28/RS is the most valuable car I own, and from assessing the market, a first gen Camaro in the same condition as a C1 Corvette... the value is not very different, and the Camaro might outpace the Corvette in price as well. WHO WANTS to go to a car show just to move your $$$ from your own pocket to someone elses?? Not me... I'd rather go to a local Cruise in..  "

[bcmiller]

Since this morphed into a discussion about years PLEASE don't change CRG to something else. I belong to a car club dedicated to 1914 to 1938 cars. Several members want to open it up to newer cars to gain more members. That is not always good. It changes the format of the club. We tour a lot so later '40's or '50's cars want to go faster on highways where we are now going 45 max and stick to side roads. Lots of thought has to go into whether more is better. As to CRG, lots of parts are similar, may even fit from '67 to '69. But 1970 is a completely different animal. To the best of my knowledge this has not been suggested I am just saying more is not always better.

A lot of us have some interest in older and newer cars (and even some that are not Camaros) - but trust me, this has been and will always be a site dedicated to the 1967 to 1969 Camaros.