This is an original Mini Camaro from 1976, it’s one of the kit-based vehicles developed by KAR Manufacturing out of Massachusetts, built on a shortened VW Beetle floorpan.
Exactly how the company got away with calling their unlicensed vehicle the “Mini-Camaro” is a mystery, although this may be what caused the company to eventually close its doors. Buyers could have the kit delivered, and assemble it themselves using hand tools in their garage on a pre-shortened Beetle chassis.
Fast Facts – The Mini Camaro From KAR Manufacturing
- The Mini Camaro, developed by KAR Manufacturing, was a kit car based on a shortened VW Beetle chassis. It featured a fiberglass body styled after early-1970s Camaros but with exaggerated proportions and was offered in two versions: short and long wheelbase.
- KAR Manufacturing, founded by Dick and Leroy Shorette, they specialized in Beetle-based kit cars and dune buggies. The Mini Camaro capitalized on the lightweight Beetle chassis to offer improved performance with modifications like a larger engine offering more power.
- The Mini Camaro was sold under the “Funtastiks” series but only a few units were ever produced, possibly due to the 1973 Oil Crisis or legal pressure from General Motors over the use of the Camaro name.
- The example being offered for sale here is powered by a 2.3 liter VW engine, equipped with Weber carburetors and other performance upgrades. It’s finished in Mediterranean Blue with Z/28 graphics and includes coilover suspension, four-wheel disc brakes, and a clean New York title listing it as a 1976 Volkswagen.
A History Speedrun: KAR Manufacturing
There isn’t a whole lot of reliable information out there about KAR Manufacturing, the company that built the Mini Camaro and a number of other specialist kit cars from the 1960s into the mid-1970s. What we do know is that they built significant numbers of Meyers Manx-type dune buggies as well as shriner cars, before shifting their focus to unusual designs like the Mini Camaro shown here.
The Mini Camaro was intended to be the first in a line of “Funtastiks,” fun kit cars based on production sports car designs. But this concept seems to have never progressed passed this first model. Image courtesy of KAR Manufacturing.The company was founded by Dick and Leroy Shorette of Monson, Massachusetts. Some claim that for a time, they were just as well-known as big names like Bruce Meyers and George Barris in the custom car world.
The Shorettes’ extensive experience with fiberglass and with VW Beetle-based dune buggies made them the perfect people to develop the Mini Camaro. Much like the original Meyers Manx (and the countless cheap copies that followed it), the Mini Camaro is based on a shortened Beetle floorpan, keeping the engine, transmission, suspension, and brakes all in place.
The Beetle chassis would become by far the most used in the kit car industry, providing a foundation for everything from desert race-winning buggies to Ferrari Testarossa and Lamborghini Countach replicas.
The Mini Camaro And The Funtastiks
What many Beetle-based dune buggy owners know is that shortening the VW frame then adding a lightweight fiberglass body results in a car with halfway decent performance. This performance is then magnified significantly with some engine work, like boring and stroking the air-cooled flat-four to 2.0 liters or more, adding headers, aftermarket carburetors, and more.
This hidden performance may have been what inspired Dick and Leroy Shorette of KAR Manufacturing to create the Mini Camaro, as the final curb weight of the car was just 1,065 lbs or 483 kgs. The body that was designed for it followed the styling of the early-1970s Camaro Z-28, but with cartoonish proportions and a comically short wheelbase.
The interior is quite well-done for a kit car, with twin bucket seats, a wood-rimmed steering wheel, and a black dashboard.It has to be said, though it does look a little silly, the Mini Camaro doesn’t look half bad. And if you’re not averse to the ideal of having fun while looking a little ridiculous it could very well offer some of the most entertaining driving on offer, on a dollar-per-smile-basis of course.
There were two versions of the car on offer, the very short wheelbase version shown in this article, and a long wheelbase version that looks a lot more like the Camaro the design is based on. They were both released as the “Funtastiks” by KAR Manufacturing, and according to period ads the cars were featured in four foreign magazines, numerous newspapers, and the cover of Science & Mechanics magazine.
Although information varies, it’s possible that as few as five examples of the Mini Camaro were made. This may be because of the 1973 Oil Crisis that landed around the time of their introduction, significantly harming sports car sales around the world, or it may be that the General Motors lawyers got in touch and expressed their displeasure at the unauthorized use of the Camaro name.
The 1976 Mini Camaro Shown Here
The car you see here is one of the original KAR Manufacturing Mini Camaros, it’s built on a 1976 Volkswagen chassis and titled/registered as such. We’ve only ever seen one other example of the Mini Camaro come up for sale, and this car is by far the best example of the two, appearing to be well built, and very well looked after.
This example of the model is undoubtedly quick, as it’s powered by a 2.3 liter flat-four VW engine with dual 44mm Weber carburetors, an MSD electronic ignition system, and exhaust headers. Power is sent through a 4-speed transaxle to the rear wheels, and the car is also fitted with coilover suspension and cut front torsion bars with adjustable spring plates, and four-wheel disc brakes.
The car is finished in Mediterranean Blue with painted blue gradient stripes, painted Z/28 graphics, an airbrushed grille, and decorative pinstriping. Inside you’ll find high-back bucket seats covered in black vinyl with a color-coordinated dash pad and carpeting.
The Mini Camaro shown in this article is powered by a powered by a 2.3 liter flat-four VW engine with dual 44mm Weber carburetors, an MSD electronic ignition system, and exhaust headers.The original 1976 Camaro with the 5.7 liter V8 produced just 145 bhp and it weighed in at approximately 3,420 lbs. Given the displacement and subsequent power increase given to this Mini Camaro, coupled to its low weight, it’s probably safe to say it would be quicker off the line than the real thing.
This car is now being offered for sale on Bring a Trailer out of Ballston Spa, New York with a clean New York title in the seller’s name, listing it as a 1976 Volkswagen. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
