My Favorite Car: '67 RS Z28 Camaro, Tony Surmatis, 65, Holiday

'67 RS Z28 Camaro

In the fall of 1976, I was a grad student attending Rutgers University in Newark, N.J. My daily ride was a nice, dark blue metallic 1969 Z28 Camaro. Unfortunately, some of the denizens in Newark stole and striped my "Baby." A friend of mine, Ron, had just gone through a messy divorce and wanted to move back to Chicago. He offered to sell me his 1967 RS Z28 Camaro, cheap, if I helped him to pack and move out. The car was yellow with black stripes, and it was in sad shape. My then girlfriend, Gwen, quipped, "Boy, is this car a lemon." The name stuck. I completely restored it with all new sheet metal, and painted it in black "imron" paint with white stripes, and rebuilt the 302-cubic-inch motor. That car served as daily transportation for 10 years, until the subframe succumbed to rust from the brutal northern winters. All of my gearhead friends agreed that the "Lemon" was my best car, ever!