1967 Camaro Cutaway Display Car

[SMKZ28]

More from the Detroit Auto Show.

Pictures came from here (http://pilotcarregistry.com/rare-vintage-photos.html)

[SMKZ28]

A 1967 Camaro Cutaway display next appeared at the 8th Annual Dallas/Fort Worth Auto Show.  This event took place Sunday, January 8th to Tuesday, January 10th, 1967 at the Will Rogers Exhibits Building in Fort Worth, Texas.  An interesting piece of documentation for this Auto Show is a script from the WBAP-TV/NBC station in Fort Worth, Texas that relates a news story on the Dallas/Fort Worth Auto Show.  While the first page gives an overview and talks about a street version of the Ford GT40, an Oldsmobile and a GTO, the new Camaro is mentioned on the second page of the script.  It states, “this is Chevrolet’s answer to the Ford Mustang and Mercury Cougar; the Camaro.  This cutaway model is for people who are only half-convinced to buy one.” 

This attempt at a humorous line must have been given by the news anchor while footage of the Camaro Cutaway display was shown because the script also mentions in block letters, “CAMARO ROTATES.”  Click on the links to see larger and clearer versions of the script:

1st Picture – 1st page of News script: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc985361/m1/1/?q=camaro

2nd Picture: 2nd page of news script: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc985361/m1/3/?q=camaro

[SMKZ28]

Since we learned that there were possibly 8 1969 Camaro Cutaway Double Header cars built it stands to reason that there were probably more than one 1967 Camaro Cutaway display built as well.  Here is the theory that I mentioned in my other thread:

I have come to the conclusion after all of this research that Pilot Car # N100017 could not have been the only Camaro Cutaway car built.  Since articles posted previously in this thread say that the “Camaro ‘half car’ is a centerpiece of Chevrolet’s automobile road shows” and “Chevrolet is sending out two Cinenspheres” it can be concluded that there had to be more than one Camaro Cutaway car constructed, or shall I say, deconstructed.  Two would have been needed for the two Cinespheres alone, not to mention all of the numerous Auto Shows going on in multiple cities across the United States.
 
Not only was a Camaro Cutaway car display a major feature of the Auto Shows and the Cinespheres but one or more were featured for short periods of time at Chevrolet dealerships across the country.  For instance, an advertisement for Clark-Maple Chevrolet in the Saturday, May 6, 1967 edition of the Chicago Tribune boasts of an appearance of the “Cutaway Model Camaro SS 350 Rally Sport.”  It tells the reader to “see parts in motion, V8 295 hp engine, special suspension, front disc brakes, 4-speed transmission.”
 
Information presented on the Camaro Pilot Prototype Car website demonstrates that there were TEN additional Camaros built to the exact same specification as the known Camaro Cutaway car # N100017.  All eleven of these Pilot Cars were Sport Coupes with the following equipment: “Paint # 900YY Butternut Yellow - Show Paint Required/Trim # 765AA Black/L48AC - V/8 350 cu. in. Engine/ M20AD - 4 Speed Transmission/A67AA -Folding Rear Seat/A82AA - Head Rest/A85AA - Shoulder Harness/C08AA - Vinyl Roof/ D55LA Console/J50AC - Power Brakes/G80CA – Positraction/N33BA - Tilt Steering Wheel/N34FB - Wood Grain Wheel/N40DA - Power Steering/Standard - 7:35 - 14 - 4 R/Line Tires (U.S. Royal Rubber)/U57AD -Tape Deck/U69AB – Radio/Front Antenna/A39AA - Deluxe Seat Belts/ Z22AB - Rally Sport/Omit Undercoat.”
 
In addition, all eleven cars were “Fleet & Special Order 5 – 11” and their stated manufactured purpose was for something called “Sales - Mechanical Exhibit.”  Their destination was “Chevrolet Flint Manufacturing.”  It seems logical to me given the fact that more than one Camaro Cutaway car had to be built in order for Chevrolet to use them at multiple Auto Shows, the two Cinespheres and at the dealership showings that several, if not all eleven cars, were turned into Camaro Cutaway display cars.  Can anyone confirm this?

Click on the following links to see the information on the additional ten Pilot Cars built identically to the known Camaro Cutaway Car (N100017):

N100019: (http://pilotcarregistry.com/n100019.html)
N100021: (http://pilotcarregistry.com/n100021.html)
N100022: (http://pilotcarregistry.com/n100022.html)
N100023: (http://pilotcarregistry.com/n100023.html)
N100024: (http://pilotcarregistry.com/n100024.html)
N100026: (http://pilotcarregistry.com/n100026.html)
N100032: (http://pilotcarregistry.com/n100032.html)
N100040: (http://pilotcarregistry.com/n100040.html)
N100044: (http://pilotcarregistry.com/n100044.html)
N100045: (http://pilotcarregistry.com/n100045.html)

Could these additional ten identical Pilot Cars have been turned into Camaro Cutaway Displays once their stated uses as Ride & Drive Cars, Magazine Test Photo Cars and TV Commercial Cars were over and done??  Is that one of the reasons why they were all built exactly the same?  Can this also explain why “extensive and exhaustive history searches have gleaned no documented ownership history and current whereabouts and existence is unknown.”  If they were all turned into Camaro Cutaway Displays they could not possibly have been sold as usable cars, so they were probably crushed.  It seems logical to me given the fact that more than one Camaro Cutaway car had to be built in order for Chevrolet to use them at multiple Auto Shows, the two Cinesphere Chevy Shows and at the dealership showings that several, if not all eleven cars, were turned into Camaro Cutaway display cars.  Can anyone confirm this?  If anyone has additional information, please share.

[SMKZ28]

One of the 1967 Camaro Cutaway displays appeared at the 33rd Annual Pittsburgh Auto Show.  It was held Wednesday, January 11th through Sunday, January 15, 1967 at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  It was sponsored by the Pittsburgh Auto Dealers Association. 

A couple of local newspapers told their readers about a Camaro Cutaway car at the Chevrolet display.  The stock photo of a Camaro Cutaway car appeared on page 59 of the Tuesday, January 10, 1967 edition of The Pittsburgh Press.  Under the photo the caption proclaims “CAMARO ‘HALF CAR’ designed to tell the ‘inside story’ of Chevrolet’s new Camaro is one of several special exhibits at the Pittsburgh Auto Show.  It has been designed to reveal the workings of the inner mechanical components as the entire unit revolves on a turntable.”  A day later the same stock photo could be seen on page 30 of the Wednesday, January 11, 1967 edition of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  The caption under this one read, “Revealing Cutaway—‘Inside’ story of Chevrolet’s Camaro, sleek contestant in the auto industry’s increasingly competitive family sportscar market will be apparent in this special ‘half car’ which will be at the auto show.  It’s cut away to show design, structural and mechanical features which can’t be seen by the buyer in the showroom.”  A Chevrolet ad appeared on page 38 of the same newspaper.  Its headline proclaimed, “We won’t be hard to find at the Auto Show…..Just look for the crowd”

1st picture: 4  Tuesday, January 10, 1967 (www.newspapers.com)

2nd picture: 5  Wednesday, January 11, 1967 (https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/88073640/)

[SMKZ28]

Auto Shows featuring new model year cars were not the only automotive events where Chevrolet chose to use product placement.   A Camaro Cutaway car was displayed at the 15th Annual Michigan Hot Rod Autorama.  This was one of the most prestigious custom car and hot rod shows in the country.  It was held Friday, January 20th through Sunday, January 22nd, 1967 at Cobo Hall in Detroit, Michigan.  While not the focus of the original photographer, a Camaro Cutaway Car display can be seen in the background of photos taken at the event.  The title of the group of photos is misleading because it clearly contains pictures from 1967, not just 1965 and 1966. 

The owner has disabled the downloading of his pictures, so click on the following links to see three black and white images containing the Camaro Cutaway display:
 
1st: http://www.joestevensphotos.com/1966-Detroit-Autorama-Photos/i-jSL5X92/A 
2nd: http://www.joestevensphotos.com/1966-Detroit-Autorama-Photos/i-jtNhF9q/A 
3rd picture: http://www.joestevensphotos.com/1966-Detroit-Autorama-Photos/i-xH4QDj2/A 

[SMKZ28]

A Camaro Cutaway display next made an appearance at the 59th Annual Chicago Auto Show.  This event was held Saturday, February 25th through Sunday, March 5th, 1967 at The International Amphitheater in Chicago, Illinois.  Unlike images from preceding Auto Shows this display was equipped with rally wheels instead of the base wheels with standard wheel covers.  In fact, the stock photo of the Camaro Cutaway display with the standard wheel covers even appeared in the February 12, 1967 edition of The Chicago Tribune. 

Picture: Cutaway Camaro (Chicago Auto Show Facebook Page)   

[SMKZ28]

Over the weekend of March 11/12, 1967 something called the Chevrolet Motorevue Show visited Stack Chevrolet in Palm Springs, California. Page 10 of the Saturday, March 11, 1967 edition of The Desert Sun, a Palm Springs, California newspaper, proclaims “See Chevrolet's 1967 MOTOREVUE EXHIBITS DISPLAYS Thru Sunday March 12th SHOW * Engineering features of Chevrolet's bright new Camaro will be displayed here thru March 12th in a Chevrolet Motorevue Show at Stack Chevrolet.  A special Camaro display has been constructed with a large cut-away section revealing the chassis, power train and other mechanical components. These also have sections cut out of them to demonstrate their workings in action. Also included in the show are working exhibits explaining the operations of mechanical, convenience and safety features in a new Chevrolet.  A brake safety unit allows show visitors to test reaction time and stopping distances at various speeds.  A power steering unit allows visitors to compare power steering with standard steering. Stars of the show, appearing in individual settings, will be models from the six Chevrolet car lines . . . Chevrolet, Camaro, Chevelle, Chevy II, Corvair and Corvette.  D. C. Stack, of Stack Chevrolet sponsor of the Chevrolet Motorevue, said he feels this is one of the most popular auto display attractions in the nation and has drawn millions of visitors in its travels. ‘We expect to have a full house while it is here and I'm sure every visitor will find it worthwhile,’ he said.”   https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=DS19670311.2.86.2&srpos=1&e=01-09-1966-31-12-1967--en--20--1--txt-txIN-auto+show+camaro-------1

This is yet another example of why I believe that there must have been more than one Camaro Cutaway car.  If there were two Cinespheres traveling to fairs and parking lots, it stands to reason that there would also be at least two Motorevue Exhibits traveling to Chevrolet dealerships.  As the ad said, these Motorevue Exhibits prominently featured a Camaro Cutaway display. 

[SMKZ28]

One of the 1967 Camaro Cutaway displays was shown at the 10th Annual Tri-State Auto Exposition.  This took place Friday, April 14th through Sunday, April 16th, 1967 at the Denver Coliseum and Arena in Denver Colorado.  The program for the event has a full page ad explaining to the reader what they will see at the “Chevy Show.”  It declares “See the MOTOREVUE SHOW BY CHEVROLET at the 10th Annual Tri-State Auto Exposition.”  Underneath a picture of the Camaro Cutaway display the copy reads, “camaro chassis half-body turntable  An inside look at the new Camaro in this eye-catching exhibit that revolves before the spectators eyes.  Complete with carpet and barrier.”

pictures came from (www.picclick.com)

[SMKZ28]

A 1967 Camaro Cutaway display was also shown at the 4th Annual Nashville and Greater Tennessee Auto Show.  This event occurred Sunday, April 16th through Saturday, April 22nd, 1967 at Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.  An article entitled “Cars and Prizes!...You’ll Find Them at the Auto Show” appears on page 88 of the Sunday, April 16, 1967 edition of The Tennessean.  It states, “CUTAWAY CHEVROLET CAMARO see the exciting Camaro . . . through and through! Cutaway body reveals chassis, engine, transmission, brakes, plus interior of the sporty Camaro, at the Chevy exhibit.” https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/113333896/

A member of The Supercar Registry named ‘cook dw’ posted a few scanned pictures on their forum of a modern newspaper article that was “a reprint of an article from the Nashville Banner from April of 67 about the 4th Annual Auto Show here in Nashville.”  In the pictures you can see a Camaro Cutaway display, a dark colored SS sport coupe with rally wheels and what looks to be a vinyl roof covered SS with standard wheel covers amongst the other Chevrolet models for 1967.  Also notice the 427 Cutaway Engine display mentioned in the program for the Auto Show in Denver.  Notice that the rear taillights are illuminated on the Camaro Cutaway display and that this one is still fitted with standard wheels and wheel covers as opposed to the one at the Chicago Auto Show in February that wore rally wheels. 

1st picture: Overview (http://www.yenko.net/forum/showthread.php?t=135780&highlight=auto+show&page=50)

2nd picture: Cropped version of same picture

[SMKZ28]

The last two posted Auto Shows are another example of why there must have been more than one Camaro Cutaway display car produced.  Both the Denver and Nashville events featured Camaro Cutaway and 427 Cutaway Engine displays but the dates actually overlap!  Obviously neither display could be in two places at once, so there must have been more than one.   

[KurtS]

No doubt there was more than one made.  Probably at least 6-8, since this was a major model introduction.  But they only made them from new cars - the cars couldn't have been used beforehand.
Looks like one of the drivetrains survived. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1-aeFROOgY
The Corvair museum has a Corvair display model that shows the suspension moving.
And here's a 70 Monte Carlo cutaway. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpDm92RG8oQ

[crossboss]

Its truly amazing that Chevy/GM brought the Camaro to market roughly under two years from the Mustang's debut.

[69Z28-RS]

Its truly amazing that Chevy/GM brought the Camaro to market roughly under two years from the Mustang's debut.

Actually a little over 2.5 yrs wasn't it?   from early 65/late 64 model to the Camaro at the std '67 introduction ...?

[crossboss]

Its truly amazing that Chevy/GM brought the Camaro to market roughly under two years from the Mustang's debut.

Actually a little over 2.5 yrs wasn't it?   from early 65/late 64 model to the Camaro at the std '67 introduction ...?

IF my dates/years are correct, Mustang was released as a 1964 1/2 model in April. Camaro debuted in September of 1966. So, I guess you are technically correct. Either way, getting a car production ready in such a short time is a momental task for such a large corporation like General Motors. However, I can see why: they wanted a piece of the new pony car pie aka money/market share!

[69Z28-RS]

Its truly amazing that Chevy/GM brought the Camaro to market roughly under two years from the Mustang's debut.

Actually a little over 2.5 yrs wasn't it?   from early 65/late 64 model to the Camaro at the std '67 introduction ...?

IF my dates/years are correct, Mustang was released as a 1964 1/2 model in April. Camaro debuted in September of 1966. So, I guess you are technically correct. Either way, getting a car production ready in such a short time is a momental task for such a large corporation like General Motors. However, I can see why: they wanted a piece of the new pony car pie aka money/market share!

Chevrolet was *thinking* that they were going to make the 'Corvair' their 'pony car' competition, but that idea went astray for many reasons... thus the 'Camaro' got a little bit of a late start..