Chevy only had a matter of months to create their answer to the Mustang, especially after it became apparent that the Corvair wasn’t going to be competitive with the likes of, say, a Shelby-modified fastback. With that in mind, you’d almost expect the early Camaro to be off target, but the truth is, Chevy answered with a fully developed, beautifully styled, ready-to-rock pony car that one-upped Ford’s game in a big way. To many enthusiasts, there’s a purity to the early Camaro, a sleek shape that whispers performance without getting too raucous about it, and it became a car that could be built to suit any taste and any budget. No matter what you wanted to do, Camaro was ready, willing, and able.

Maybe that’s why I like this 1968 Camaro so much. It’s not trying too hard. No fake SS or RS badges, a subtle color combination that still looks great today, and its original, matching-numbers V8/PowerGlide combination that was probably how a vast majority of cars were actually built back in the day. As with most Camaros, we went over this one pretty carefully, because many of them have a checkered past and what you see isn’t always what you get. Fortunately, it appears that this one wears all its original sheetmetal, including the rockers and quarter panels, which means it has never been wrecked or rusty. It fits together well, not perfect, but probably about the way the factory would have done it when they were selling them as fast as they could be built. The color is code Y Butternut Yellow, which is the car’s original color and the soft yellow contrasting with the code 2 black vinyl roof is still attractive today. It’s an older paint job, perhaps 15-20 years old at this point, but it’s holding up well and we just gave it a professional clean and detail so it shines up rather well. The black stripe around the nose is painted on, not a decal, and it adds just the right amount of aggression to the otherwise low-key coupe. I do like my Camaros without a rear spoiler, which seems to make them look stubby, so this one hits a lot of high notes. The vinyl top is recent and in excellent condition with no signs of rust bubbling up from underneath and things like the grille, bumpers, and stainless trim are all in good original condition.

The black bucket seat interior was “standard” according to Chevy, but it looks pretty dressy to me. The seat covers, carpets, and probably the door panels are newer reproduction pieces, but the dash and console appear to be nice original pieces. Attractive silver-faced gauges are deep in two round pods, but speed and fuel level is all this Camaro offers—again, don’t forget this is how most were equipped back when they were new. There’s a later AM/FM stereo radio in the center of the dash, which feeds a pair of speaker on the rear package shelf, and it sounds surprisingly good and you don’t have to suffer with whatever passes for entertainment on the AM dial. The “horseshoe” shifter is one of our all-time favorite designs, and it makes it easy to find the right gear every time. The headliner is taut, the back seat looks like it’s never been used, and sliding behind the wheel feels like coming home. You also get a good-sized trunk that includes a factory jack assembly and a new reproduction mat which hides no nasty surprises for the new owner.

The engine is the original, numbers-matching LF7 327 cubic inch V8, which GM rated at 210 horsepower. It was by far the most popular engine choice, out-selling the next-most-popular engine by, oh, about 97,000 units. It was originally equipped with a 2-barrel carburetor, but somewhere along the line it received an Edelbrock 4-barrel intake manifold and matching carburetor, so there are probably a few more horses on tap today. However, the rest looks quite stock, including the Chevy Orange paint on the block, the open-element air cleaner with a correct decal up top, and cast iron exhaust manifolds that do a great job of controlling noise and heat. It’s not detailed for show, but it runs great, has plenty of power and torque, and offers the kind of bulletproof reliability that made the small block Chevy famous. The engine bay is clean and tidy with no signs of rust or other issues and it wouldn’t take much to push it to the next level.

The 327 is backed by an M35 PowerGlide 2-speed automatic, which, again, was extremely popular with buyers in 1968. It makes the Camaro very user-friendly, especially with power steering, and shifts crisply on the open road. The undercarriage is pretty original, and we can see two or three small patches that were done properly, but the rockers and 90% of the floors are original and in very good condition, more proof that this was never a rusty car. The dual exhaust system uses a transverse muffler, but it’s about done, and there’s evidence of recent brake work. The car tracks well, steers easily, and has plenty of power when you punch it, just as a Camaro should. The 10-bolt rear end is robust enough to play hard without worries and we suspect there are 3.08 gears inside, because it’s pretty comfortable on the highway. Staggered 15x7 and 15x8-inch Rally wheels look great and are fitted with 205/70/15 front and 245/60/15 rear blackwall radials that give the Camaro a bit of a crouching stance.

This is not a show car, but it’s a nice driver with good bones that’s ready for anything. Leave it as-is and just have fun or use it as an ultra-clean foundation for an incredible build. That’s the beauty of the Camaro—it’s still able to be anything you want it to be.