North Carolina father and son had Chevy Camaro parked in basement for 47 years and had no idea it was a treasure
Published on Aug 11, 2025 at 5:37 PM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Aug 11, 2025 at 5:37 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
A father and son from North Carolina had a 1969 Chevy Camaro in their basement for almost 50 years before discovering it was actually a rare model.
Dad Danny bought the Camaro back in 1978, but since then, it’s spent most of its time parked in his basement.
After owning the car for almost half a century, Danny decided to find out if the Chevy was a rare model or not.
So he reached out to Camaro expert Parker from Backyard Barn Finds to learn more about his vintage vehicle and what he learned shocked him.
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The Chevy Camaro turned out to be a very rare example
Chevrolet has sold millions of Camaros during the nameplate’s lengthy production run, but that’s not to say there aren’t some super-rare models out there, like this 1967 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 that turned out to be a Yenko, or this 1969 Chevy COPO Camaro that is one of only 1,010 ever made.
Over in North Carolina, Danny wanted to know if his 1969 Chevy Camaro was a rare Z/28, so he called in an expert from Backyard Barn Finds to find out once and for all,
“I don’t want people telling me what I’ve got,” he explained.
“I want to tell them what I’ve got.”
The Camaro was originally finished in Tuxedo Black, a color only used on a teeny tiny one percent of Camaros.
Somewhat incredibly, though, Parker was able to confirm the trim tag and paint code against Z/2 specs, as well as the VIN, and noted that the Camaro had a longer pitman arm, typical of the Z/28.
After diligently going over each and every detail of the car, Parker had his verdict – and it was good news for Danny, with the expert happy to confirm it was a Z/28 model in the super rare Tuxedo Black with White stripe colorway.
Unfortunately, the Chevy has certainly seen better days and has lost its original 302 small block engine and transmission.
However, after finding out they were sitting on such a rare treasure, Danny’s son – a race car driver – has voted to rebuild it using the correct parts.
How much is it worth?
While Danny’s Chevy is in desperate need of some TLC, it’s still an incredible find and could sell for a small fortune once it’s been fixed up.
A 1969 Chevy Camaro Z/28 sells for an average of $103,000, according to classic.com, and can go for much more if it’s in good condition or low mileage, like this 1974 Z/28, which has just 1,800 miles on the clock.
It’s not unheard of for a Z/28 to sell up to and over $200,000, meaning Danny could land himself a nice profit if he’s willing to put in the work.
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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.
