Bizarre And Unique 1976 Chevy Camaro ‘Europo Hurst’ By Frua Sells For Just $32k

Started by cawimmer430, October 06, 2020, 07:26:16 AM

cawimmer430

Bizarre And Unique 1976 Chevy Camaro 'Europo Hurst' By Frua Sells For Just $32k

Pietro Frua was one of Italy's prominent coachbuilders and car designers in the 1950s and 1960s, with his name linked to many beautiful creations from Maserati, AC, and Glas (the small German company BMW bought in 1966).

Frua also supervised the design of the iconic Volvo P1800 coupe when his company was a subsidiary of Carrozzeria Ghia, and during that phase of his career he designed the Renault Floride / Caravelle convertible.

As you can imagine, there are many more interesting cars linked to his name, but few are as intriguing as the 1976 Chevrolet Camaro 'Europo Hurst' by Frua. First unveiled at the Turin Auto Show in November 1976, this re-bodied second-generation Camaro represented Pietro Frua's vision of a modern Italian redesign for the American pony car. Needless to say, it had almost nothing in common with the donor car's styling.





By 1977, when the car was exhibited at the NY Auto Show, it had gained ten-spoke Vincent wheels and tinted Hurst Hatches, or removable T-top panels, above the doors. The coachbuilt Camaro was presented at the show by NYC-based Multi-Passenger Export, a company which claimed it would be offering identical conversions of stock Camaros through both GM dealers and Hurst performance parts suppliers as the "Europo Hurst."

Later that year, Standard Motors of Miami also released an ad claiming to be the exclusive distributor for the conversion. However, it is unclear whether the Florida company had a deal with Multi-Passenger Export to sell the Europo Hurst Camaro in the United States or planned to release a duplicate. What truly matters is the fact that the NY show car has survived to this day as part of the Dennis Mitosinka collection in Los Angeles.



Acquired in 1990, the 1976 Camaro Europo Hurst by Frua with chassis number 1Q87L6N629737 was sold last month for just $31,900 at an RM Sotheby's auction, far below the estimate of $80,000 – $120,000. Finished in the same color as the New York show car and boasting the Hurst Hatches, this particular vehicle no longer has the original wheels; they were more recently upgraded to magnesium units with custom Frua badges.

In addition, the pale blue vinyl front seats were long ago replaced by blue grey cloth buckets, though the rear seats retain their original pale blue vinyl upholstery. Elsewhere, the Italian Camaro remains in largely untouched condition and, since it's beginning to show age, it could do with some TLC. There's bubbling under the paint in many areas and the interior requires a thorough cleaning.

The 347 cu-in (5.7-liter) V8 and four-speed manual transmission appear thoroughly original, though it remains to be seen how many of the original 165 horses still reside under the hood. Recent work done to the car included a new battery and services to the carburetor and brakes. The Camaro Europo Hurst by Frua was sold with a file of service documentation, Frua historical materials, and vintage photographs. Here's hoping the buyer will use them to bring back the original shine to this unique and peculiar Camaro.




Link: https://www.carscoops.com/2020/10/bizarre-and-unique-1976-chevy-camaro-europo-hurst-by-frua-sells-for-just-32k/
-2018 Mercedes-Benz A250 AMG Line (W177)



WIMMER FOTOGRAFIE - Professional Automotive Photography based in Munich, Germany
www.wimmerfotografie.de
www.facebook.com/wimmerfotografie

Eye of the Tiger

2008 TUNDRA (Truck Ultra-wideband Never-say-die Daddy Rottweiler Awesome)

cawimmer430

-2018 Mercedes-Benz A250 AMG Line (W177)



WIMMER FOTOGRAFIE - Professional Automotive Photography based in Munich, Germany
www.wimmerfotografie.de
www.facebook.com/wimmerfotografie

Eye of the Tiger

Quote from: cawimmer430 on October 06, 2020, 07:34:56 AM
Get hold of the blueprints and build one in your garage! :lol:

I don't have a garage! My scooter is in my living room! :lockedup: :evildude:
2008 TUNDRA (Truck Ultra-wideband Never-say-die Daddy Rottweiler Awesome)

Payman

Rare doesn't always mean valuable or even desirable. Why did they think they might get $120,000 for this monstrosity? They should be happy to get the $31K.

FoMoJo

"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." ~ Albert Einstein
"As the saying goes, when you mix science and politics, you get politics."

CaminoRacer

It'd be OK if it had a good V12 or something and not an anemic late 70's sbc.
2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV

FoMoJo

Quote from: CaminoRacer on October 06, 2020, 09:07:23 AM
It'd be OK if it had a good V12 or something and not an anemic late 70's sbc.
You mean like this...



Lamborghini Faena Coupé By Frua
"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." ~ Albert Einstein
"As the saying goes, when you mix science and politics, you get politics."

Soup DeVille

Quote from: FoMoJo on October 06, 2020, 10:00:13 AM
You mean like this...



Lamborghini Faena Coupé By Frua

But in this case, the original Espada looks much better
Maybe we need to start off small. I mean, they don't let you fuck the glumpers at Glumpees without a level 4 FuckPass, do they?

1975 Honda CB750, 1986 Rebel Rascal (sailing dinghy), 2015 Mini Cooper, 2020 Winnebago 31H (E450), 2021 Toyota 4Runner, 2022 Lincoln Aviator

FoMoJo

Quote from: Soup DeVille on October 06, 2020, 10:01:46 AM
But in this case, the original Espada looks much better
As with most of the (re)designs.  He even buggered up the E-Type...

"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." ~ Albert Einstein
"As the saying goes, when you mix science and politics, you get politics."

cawimmer430

Frua even ruined the Pagoda SL! Here's the 1966 Mercedes-Benz 230 SLX "Shooting Break", mercifully produced only once. HIDEOUS.





Here's an original Pagoda for comparison's sake.

-2018 Mercedes-Benz A250 AMG Line (W177)



WIMMER FOTOGRAFIE - Professional Automotive Photography based in Munich, Germany
www.wimmerfotografie.de
www.facebook.com/wimmerfotografie

SJ_GTI

Was this designer popular at some point? These all look terrible (bordering on ridiculous).

CaminoRacer

Quote from: SJ_GTI on October 06, 2020, 11:37:03 AM
Was this designer popular at some point? These all look terrible (bordering on ridiculous).

:lol:

The fashion world is always ridiculous and rarely attractive. Maybe this is the fashion world crossing over into car design?
2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV

cawimmer430

Quote from: SJ_GTI on October 06, 2020, 11:37:03 AM
Was this designer popular at some point? These all look terrible (bordering on ridiculous).

He was. Some of his designs are pretty decent. For Glas he designed this: the 1966-1967 Glas 2600 V8.

-2018 Mercedes-Benz A250 AMG Line (W177)



WIMMER FOTOGRAFIE - Professional Automotive Photography based in Munich, Germany
www.wimmerfotografie.de
www.facebook.com/wimmerfotografie

CaminoRacer

2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV