In the late 1970s and early 1980s, SCCA® member Tom States showed up at what is now called the Tire Rack SCCA Solo® National Championships, earning three F Stock trophies between 1978 and 1982 in a Z/28 Chevy Camaro. Turns out, the car he competed in was not the car that set him on the path, although it was similar. The car he owned before that one, however, has quite a story that also very much involved SCCA. Thanks to an article produced by SCCA’s official insurance partner Hagerty, we get a glimpse into the amazing journey of States and his original 1968 Z/28.
Inspired by a similar car driven by his friend’s sister, “States ordered his Z/28 on February 13, 1968, just around the time he turned 21,” author Jim Koscs writes. “He optioned his with the black vinyl roof and 4.10 axle ratio with Positraction, plus a few other items. He took delivery of his Butternut Yellow Z/28 exactly six weeks later, on March 27.”
States left the Navy, and around that time also made the shift from the dragstrip to dodging cones.
“Moving back home to Reno after his Navy service, States jumped into SCCA Autocross, which drew on the Z/28’s full performance capabilities,” the article says. “He won the first competition he entered, though at Reno’s 4,500-foot elevation, he found the car lacked the same punch it had in sea-level Long Beach. He compensated by installing headers and swapping in a 4.88 gearset and Chevy Special Service Parts lightweight flywheel. Next came a Chevy off-road cam and lifters, and States did some porting work on the heads.”
He purchased another Z/28 to take to the Solo Nationals, while his original shifted to road racing, with that journey even involving engine tuning tips from a legendary race car builder.
“States next set up the Z/28 for road racing in the A Sedan class, essentially the Trans-Am spec, racing mostly at Sears Point in Sonoma, California,” Koscs explains. “His engine setup used angle-plug heads and the Chevy dual four-barrel manifold used in the Trans-Am racers. Knowing Smokey Yunick had helped develop that manifold for racing, States phoned him at his shop in Florida for set-up advice.”
The article continues through to 2013 and beyond, when the car was put up for sale on Craigslist and then quickly removed – that, in and of itself, is a fascinating tale that involved a thorough restoration.
Reading this article on Hagerty.com/media is certainly time well spent.
Photo courtesy Tom States/Hagerty
