It’d probably be difficult to pluck the single greatest greatest example from any model line, but with the Chevrolet Camaro, there is no doubt. This Trans-Am Penske-Donohue Z/28 is the GOAT Camaro and I shall entertain exactly zero arguments to the contrary.
Oh, and the GOAT-maro is for sale. Holy cannoli.
Photo by: Mecum Auctions
Here’s a link to the goods. This most-infamous Camaro will go be sold at the Mecum Auctions Kissimmee event that runs from January 7-19th, 2025. And while you can browse the Kissimee auction’s landing page for some truly excellent collections up on the block, there’s really just one car we’ll tune in to watch. (Yes, yes it’s the Camaro).
Stop by the auction ad for some halfway-decent photos and a few bullet points that absolutely undersell how valuable this car was to building the Camaro’s mythos, elevating it from Pony-car combatant to a domineering force in the segment.
Photo by: Mecum Auctions
For the best version of that same story, ditch those paltry bullet points and check out this article on Road & Track, penned by perfectly coifed hero (and good friend) Zach Bowman. While we probably shouldn’t send traffic to a competitor (and my former employer), this one’s too good to miss, lending more than enough context to the auction that you’ll understand why this exact Camaro will likely cross the auction block for seven figures.
One of the many impossible tidbits from the piece: To lightweight the car, Penske shipped off the Camaro’s body panels off to Lockheed for acid dipping. Yes, that Lockheed. The process stripped 250 pounds from the car, bestowing the “Lightweight” nickname upon it.
Racing success followed, flowing forth in a torrent, stamping the Camaro namesake onto Trans-Am’s greatest era.
Photo by: Mecum Auctions
In his autobiography The Unfair Advantage, driver Mark Donohue said the Lightweight taught him everything he knew about setting up a race car and… uh… interpreting the rules of a race series with more than some creativity.
To that end, the car marked a high point (or at least one of many high points) for the Donohue-Penske partnership that spun off dozens of chapters of lore in the history of American racing.
Again, check that R&T piece for an emphatic survey of the why in this equation. Just know that the greatest Camaro of all time is up for sale, and that until the hammer falls in January, there’s time to dream about corralling that wailing V-8 while you aim this legend between one hairy corner exit and another.
Photo by: Mecum Auctions