It's been a hot week in Pittsburgh - and so it's been the perfect time to move Lord Quicksilver out of my brother's garage and into Mom Settlemire's garage. (he spends his time in Pennsylvania as I don't have room for him in Grosse Pointe Farms......)

("Klaus" is in Bakerstown getting ready for the Camaro/Firebird show at Tom Henry Chevrolet)

(long story short: Brother and wife have a devil cat that likes to crawl up into the engine compartment -- even tho the car is covered - -and thus I have cat fur everywhere - not to mention that I can't put a trickle charger on Lord quicksilver to keep a battery for longer than one year...simply because the darn cat would probably bite the cable - fry itself - and burn the house down.......)

I almost sold L.Q two years ago - had him in Cuz Tom's showroom - but could not get a decent offer. (he's one of only 57 Z7D Brickyard 400 convertibles ever built - all VINs have been documented -- so he's one of the rarest Camaros ever built......)

I spent this afternoon conditioning the leather seats and vinyl parts throughout the interior......and putting on some more Zaino........

....and as I did this, I looked back to the summer of 2002 -- and the sadness that surrounded many of us as the Camaro (and Firebird) went "off into the sunset" (at least for the time being.....)

I'd driven Lord Quicksilver to the Kruse Auction House in Indiana ro auction off the last "saleable" 4th gen Camaro. ( L.Q. was, at the time, a GM company car - he'd toured the country on the Camaro Legends Tour)

That evening after the auction took place - I was inconsolable...............

So I went out into the parking lot at the hotel - put LQ's convertible top down -and spent the next couple of hours just driving - all over the back roads of Indiana - listening to crickets - smelling the aroma of freshly cut grass -- and just doing some "thinking" --

I kept asking myself "how in the world did we allow this to happen? WHY are we no longer building these wonderful, legendary cars?" Of course there were many reasons for the hiatus - but I kept questioning myself - asking myself if there was something I could have done to change the outcome............and of course the answer was "nothing" - -but still...............................

...............and as upset as I was, I got comfort in listening to LQ's LS1 engine fill the night sky with that great small-block rumble............there's just nothing like the sound of a Camaro...........

........and it was as if the car was telling me that all would be OK in the long run..........

I think I got back to the hotel around 3am............and said to myself: "well - it's over - but it was one HECK of a ride - and these cars will endure for generations......"

Little did I know that night that I'd end up buying LQ - and while I knew in my heart that we would bring this storied brand back - I had no idea of how successful the 5th gen would be............

.
.
.
And while I mourn the loss of Thor - (not sure I'll EVER quite get over that) -- I still have Lord Quicksilver......and so I think I'll go downstairs to Mom Settlemire's garage - get into LQ - listen as his LS1 roars to life - and we'll go for a long summer night's ride........(it's in the high 80s - a perfect night for a convertible......) His LS1 engine will echo thru the valleys of Western Pennsylvania - and I will once again realize how truly blessed I am to have had but a small part in the legend of these wonderful automobiles.....

Ahhhhhhh.................it's a GREAT time to be a Camaro enthusiast!


Pics: (sorry - taken with my b-berry)






He now has just over 10,000 miles on his odometer - yet he's travelled all over the United States and Canada when he was part of the "Camaro Legends Tour" in the summer of 2002.

Handsome fellow, huh?

 

What a great story Scott! I enjoyed reading every word. Thank you for sharing. Sometimes when you have not driven your Camaro for a while, such as putting it away for winter, you realize why you love your Camaro so much in the first place when spring comes around and you fire it up and fall in love all over again.

 

I remember getting my $1000 coupon for my Camaro back in 2001 when they were having the Camaro Power tour or something to that effect, you had to go to a kiosk to put in for it. Helped me afford my 2002 1SC Z28 with manual leather seats, dealership had never seen them before on a Camaro.

 

Those are my favorite 4th gen factory wheels. For a long time I've considered getting a set for my 95 Z/28.

Great story Scott!

 

I like the car, but I am truly impressed with how well the quality is of the 5th gen. I mean, just look at that picture. The 5th gen is such a departure from the 4th gen. Although, certain aspects of the 5th keep me away for now, it is leaps and bounds above any 4th gen. That being said, I think you 4th gen needs to be lowered

 

Scott you are a word smith! I love reading your posts.I actually drove our 4th gen to work today.

 

I remember seeing all kinds of those Z7D Brickyard 400 convertibles at the 2002 F-Body Invasion at the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, KY....... I wonder where they all are today. Hopefully all of them are in a garages of Camaro enthusiasts somewhere. I don't think I've ever seen one come up for sale around here.
I always thought those anniversary wheels looked great on the silver convertibles.

Oh by the way I really miss the F-Body Invasions that we used to have in Bowling Green.

How many '97 30th Anniversary Brickyard cars were made?

 

Scott,

I am gonna have to give you a crash course in car photography next time i see you...

but yeah.. that 4th gen is a sharp looking ride right there...

 

I enjoyed the story, Scott! I don't think anyone saw the success of the 5th generation Camaro coming..

 

They need to bring that back! I had one but never got to use it. I would use it now though.