The Starship Camaro - Driving the Bizarre and Forgotten 1984 Chevrolet Camaro Berlinetta Coupe

SOLD This is a car that most people have forgotten, if they ever knew about it at all. The 3rd Generation F-Body Camaro in Berlinetta trim, complete with the "starship" dashboard and radio.

GM flirted briefly with marketing the Camaro toward an upscale clientele, particularly the female variety. They recycled the Berlinetta name from the 2nd Gen Camaro, loaded up a coupe with special interior trim, power equipment, a digital wonderland for the dashboard, and an audiophile stereo. Outside they gave it special graphics, bumper treatments, and alloy wheels. Underneath it got softer springs and lighter steering.

Pricewise, it was positioned between the base sport coupe and the Z28, but a loaded Berlinetta was a lot closer to the latter than the former. They ran ads showing professional women enjoying their freedom in a Camaro, and waited for sales to roll in - which they didn't, really. 1984 was a marginally succesful year for the car, though it still sold in far fewer numbers than the base model or Z28. By 1986, sales had dwindled to niche car levels, and the model was scrapped.

Low numbers make this a pretty interesting collectible from the 1980s, particularly the 3 years the car was offered with the "starship" dashboard. I'd say it's a great trip down memory lane, but it's hard to remember a car most people never knew about in the first place.

Review and test drive by Bill.