autoevolution
 

Rage Against the Malaise Machines: The '77 Bill Mitchell Turbo Concept Camaro

For General Motors, the name Bill Mitchell echoes throughout the company’s history as the man who put his mark on many of the most incredible GM automobiles ever made. In an ironic twist of fate, another Bill Mitchell – an engineer – wrenched some unique cars for the automotive giant around the same period his namesake was in charge of design.
1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo 70 photos
Photo: bringatrailer.com/Guydring
1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo
1977 was when the Chevrolet Camaro outsold the Mustang – a first since the GM pony had arisen ten years earlier. That same year, Bill Mitchell – the piston tamer, not the stylist – fiddled with the LT Camaro and gave the world a special performance automobile.

Mitchell garnered his high-performance skills in the company of Mark Donohue (the Z/28 race driver and champion) in the early seventies. The duo was developing a Camaro to win the International Race of Champions (Donohue had won the inaugural ’73-’74 edition of the competition).

With the knowledge acquired during their partnership, Mitchell created the Concept Camaro of ’77, a turbo-powered variant of the Luxury Touring coupe. Eight such cars were built – or so the rumor has it – and each had an impressive list of modifications that set them apart from the stock units.

1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo
Photo: bringatrailer.com/Guydring
A turbocharger fed seven PSI for the water/alcohol combustion chamber cooling mixture. A cowl induction hood kept the engine breathing smoothly. An air cooler for the 350 CID (5.7-liter) V8 allowed for better power and torque peak numbers.

Modified ported and polished heads sit on top of the Chevy small block, and a four-speed manual sends the power (which is not rated) to the rear wheels. To help the gearbox cope with the engine’s high output, a transmission oil cooler was fitted to the ‘77 Camaro.

Stronger front and rear sway bars and adjustable Koni shocks keep the car sharply in its tracks. The IROC-inspired front air dam (designed by Bill himself) immediately draws attention to the exceptional Chevrolet. Also, the front-end alignment was redone entirely – the engineer (who won nine divisional SCCA titles in his 13-year racing career) started from the ground up with his Chevy.

1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo
Photo: bringatrailer.com/Guydring
Mitchell reverse-engineered GM's initial equation for car building, which included passengers and luggage as variables in the weight distribution calculations. Chevrolet built the Camaro's suspension for a certain mass and axle load.

Bill only considered an average-weight driver and a half-full tank of fuel. No luggage and no one else in the car. He lifted a stock LT on a flat and stable surface, measured the weight load for each wheel, and then worked his balancing magic. The ultimate goal? A 50:50 weight distribution for superior stability, cornering, and handling.

By minutely calculating spring tension, he improved the suspension to surreal (for U.S. automotive standards) levels of accuracy. The shock absorbers were custom-made according to his specifications, and the results were immediate and obvious.

1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo
Photo: bringatrailer.com/Guydring
But the racer also thought about finesse and mastery behind the wheel. The standard steering wheel was too large for certain maneuvers, so it was ditched without remorse in favor of a small-diameter wheel from Racemark. The same manufacturer supplied the front seats - the company that Mark Donohue had established several years before the Concept Camaro project.

Unfortunately, Mark prematurely left the scene in 1975 after a Formula One fatal accident, and Bill Mitchell carried on by himself. He cut no corners in crafting the ultimate Camaro: the accelerator was moved lower and closer to the brake pedal, just in case the driver felt like heel-and-toeing.

Overall, Bill Mitchell ultimately wanted to make the Camaro a better-handling automobile - something Detroit devastatingly lacked compared to the European competition. His racing background itched him to kick up the power and torque ratings, too.

1977 Bill Mitchell Concept Chevrolet Camaro Turbo
Photo: bringatrailer.com/Guydring
Remember, the year was 1977, and a stock Camaro dripped some 170 hp (172 PS) from the 5.7-liter V8. Even the revived Z28 – once a tremendous drag strip machine – cranked only 185 hp (188 PS). Despicable, to say the least, given that those numbers were better suited to regular, blue-collared automobiles from the mid-50s rather than to high-end muscle.

Many optional extras compliment the “special” nomenclature – A/C, power windows, power brakes (with discs on the front), power steering, or the Racemark steering wheel. A closer look will also notice the rear window straps and 14-inch Minilite wheels. The brakes also got a complete upgrade revision, with sintered pads and new lines.

Also, the race-style bolstered bucket seats hint at the unusual setup of this performance Camaro. The red cloth interior is one strong incentive to lean on the right-side pedal. Since 2016, the car underwent an overhaul – the clutch, driveshaft, and muffler were replaced, and the engine was re-tuned. The rare and exceptional Camaro is for sale – at no reserve, with 31,000 shown miles (TMU), with original purchase documents and service records.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Razvan Calin
Razvan Calin profile photo

After nearly two decades in news television, Răzvan turned to a different medium. He’s been a field journalist, a TV producer, and a seafarer but found that he feels right at home among petrolheads.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories