A Camaro to Fall in Love With

“Chevy Chick” Laura fell in love with the second-generation Chevrolet Camaro.

Girls who adore vintage muscle cars are rarely discussed in the automotive industry. It is open to misunderstanding and misconstrual. However, many female owners of V8s have achieved fame as a result of their ownership, including “Chevy Chick” Laura and her 1973 Camaro, “Olive.”

What kind of car Laura wanted was clear to her. Not a first-generation Ford Mustang; it’s too clichéd and everyone gets one as their first muscle car. She instead concentrated on the second-generation Chevrolet Camaro.

Despite the fact that they are from the 1970s, which is not generally the best muscle car vintage, she fell in love with these slightly more modern muscle car models that have a distinctive body style. The subject of today’s AutotopiaLA highlight video, Laura discovered this one listed for sale on Autotrader and gradually transformed it into this build.

The Camaro didn’t look all that different from how it does now, but its powertrain was fairly standard. She kept it and drove it for the ensuing three months; it had a rebuilt 350 motor. The 1973 Camaro also had a fashionable front clip from the beginning, which prompts people to assume that it is a 1971 model. The 1970 rear spoiler is a further subtle improvement.

People tried racing “Olive” at the lights because the Camaro appeared to be quick right away, but the 350 couldn’t keep up. Laura made the decision to install a new engine and all the associated upgrades as a result.

The replacement motor, a 454 LSX, was delivered. Although it appears to be mostly stock, it does deliver just under 600 horsepower to the rear tires. The Tremec T56 seems like a logical choice to manage this level of power while remaining enjoyable (manual). We’re not surprised that this 1973 Camaro has a suspension upgrade from Speedtech because of how well-liked they are. Both the torque arm in the back and the front subframe are part of this.

In Autotopia videos, brakes are now the main topic of conversation. This Chevy now has ventilated, cross-drilled rotor brakes that are powered by Wilwood.