Photo: Barrett-Jackson
For older fans of drag racing, the name Tony Pizzi Automotive needs no introduction. Back in the 1970s, the shop was responsible for one of the most famous drag Camaros of all time, a modified Z/28 campaigned together with Pennsylvania-based Weed Chevrolet.
Born in 1969, the Camaro was delivered to Weed and quickly became its entry in the NHRA Stock Eliminator Class in the hands of Americo Libertore. It was quite the hit at the strip, but seemed a bit below the expectations the driver had for it, and this is where Pizzi comes into the scene.
Originally, the car was powered by a 302-ci (5.0-liter) engine, but for the car to be able to hold its own in the NHRA U.S. Nationals, something more potent was needed. In 1970, Pizzi came up with a 396-ci (6.5-liter) that made the Z/28 “one of the fastest B/Stock Camaros in the United States,” as auction house Barrett-Jackson describes it.
Heavily featured in the time’s media, the Camaro would keep on racing until 1974, when it was retired. Since then and until 2018, it sat in Liberatore’s garage. Then a new owner came into the scene, and restoration work started. It concluded in early 2020, and during the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale in March, the car will go under the hammer, with no reserve.
The car is now mostly back to its original self, with the factory-issued engine under the hood, linked to a 4-speed manual transmission - the powerplant was rebuilt and has just 483 original miles (777 km) under its belt. Wrapped in Rally Green with white racing stripes, the car keeps most of the original bodywork, with the exception of the rear quarter panes, replaced because of the prior modifications made for racing.
The auction house makes no estimate on how much the Z/28 is expected to fetch, but we’ll get back on this three months from now and let you know for how much it went.
Originally, the car was powered by a 302-ci (5.0-liter) engine, but for the car to be able to hold its own in the NHRA U.S. Nationals, something more potent was needed. In 1970, Pizzi came up with a 396-ci (6.5-liter) that made the Z/28 “one of the fastest B/Stock Camaros in the United States,” as auction house Barrett-Jackson describes it.
Heavily featured in the time’s media, the Camaro would keep on racing until 1974, when it was retired. Since then and until 2018, it sat in Liberatore’s garage. Then a new owner came into the scene, and restoration work started. It concluded in early 2020, and during the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale in March, the car will go under the hammer, with no reserve.
The car is now mostly back to its original self, with the factory-issued engine under the hood, linked to a 4-speed manual transmission - the powerplant was rebuilt and has just 483 original miles (777 km) under its belt. Wrapped in Rally Green with white racing stripes, the car keeps most of the original bodywork, with the exception of the rear quarter panes, replaced because of the prior modifications made for racing.
The auction house makes no estimate on how much the Z/28 is expected to fetch, but we’ll get back on this three months from now and let you know for how much it went.
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