Teen bought a rare Chevy Camaro in 1972 and 53 years later it made its car show debut

When Bill Finley ordered his 1972 Chevy Camaro SS396 at age 17, he had no idea it would become one of the rarest muscle cars of its kind.

More than five decades later, he’s still the owner.

And in 2024, for the very first time, the big-block Camaro appeared at a public event.

It made its long-awaited debut at the 2024 Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals (MCACN) in Rosemont, Illinois.

DISCOVER SBX CARS – The global premium auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie 

One of the few Chevy Camaro SS396 models to survive intact

“I’ve always loved this car, and I never wanted to let it go,” Finley told Lou Costabile on his YouTube channel, “but I never got around to showing it off—until now.”

Finley said when he purchased the car over fifty years ago, he chose the Chevy Camaro SS396 because he thought it would be ‘a little bit rare’.

It is one of the few Camaro SS396 models to survive intact.

Only 970 SS396 Camaros were built in 1972 before a United Auto Workers strike shut down GM’s Norwood assembly plant.

That limited production makes this model extremely rare, especially in original-owner condition.

Finley’s Mulsanne Blue Camaro still has its original 300 hp 402-cubic-inch V8, which Chevy continued branding as ‘396’ for marketing.

It also retains its factory-installed Turbo Hydra-Matic 400 automatic transmission.

The Camaro has just 71,000 miles on the clock — an average of only 1,344 miles per year.

It’s fully finished in its original trim and was ordered with options like soft-ray tinted glass, rally wheels, air conditioning and a Positraction rear axle.

Finley opted out of the tachometer, but the extras totaled over $1,500 — more than half the car’s original $2,879 base price.

In the spotlight, five decades later

The car was professionally rotisserie restored in 2019, but keeps the original drivetrain and factory options.

Finley said he was actively involved in the project, tracking down all the date-correct parts for restoration.

The car’s first public appearance was filmed by YouTuber Lou Costabile at MCACN for his classic car channel.

In 1972, Chevrolet produced 6,562 Camaro SS models in total, with the SS396 version representing just a small slice of that figure.

That makes Finley’s Camaro not just rare, but a near-untouched example of American muscle car history.

And after 53 years, it finally had its moment in front of the crowd.

DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie