Friday, March 2, 2018

Which looks cooler?

The split bumper Rally Sport (RS) Camaro or the full width front bumper on the standard model?


Above is my Camaro (when I first bought it, and it wasn't in pieces in my garage)


Here is the RS style of the same year, etc.  Notice it has a split bumper as well as different turn signal/driving lights.  The RS style was produced in a much smaller number than the standard style.  In fact, about 16% of the 114,630 Camaros produced in 1971 had the RS style.  About 7% of Camaros included the SS package, and only 4% were ordered with the Z/28 package.  The RS style could also be ordered as a Sports Coupe, SS or Z/28

Some people half-way change to a RS style, they change the actual chrome bumper, but the underlying pieces, including a different nose and grill are left as before.  This is an example:


I think they all look great.  I prefer the "true" RS styling by a small margin.  I don't really like the "Half RS" as much.  One reason is they don't have any protection for the nose.  The correct RS nose is "endura" dent resistant material.  It is engineered for absorbing a small bump, while the split bumper Camaro nose has no protection whatsoever.

So, to help with the full RS treatment, a few aftermarket suppliers provide a full kit to make things easier.  The kit goes for a little less than $2500.  www.ss396.com is an example.  I don't believe I will initially "upgrade" to the RS front, but maybe after my car is roadworthy as a new project.

No comments: