The Camaro Club (UK)

Has anyone heard of this before?

I found this website and trying to make sense of it:

http://www.camaros.org/foreign.shtml

It says that Camaro's were assembled there? Interesting enough says that they were renown for putting sunroofs in, which is what my car has. I've checked across all the vins and hiddens vins on my car and they all match, so i'm confused why mine has an Antwerpen tag on the firewall but the vin (which matches the hidden vin in the firewall) says it was made in Ohio :/ Surely they didn't ship it overseas and back just for a sunroof?

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Hey.

I know it's a while since you posted your original comment but it's an interesting observation.
It spurred me on to check my own car for the item you have described and low and behold, I have the same plate tag

So I embarked on a bit of research and after some time I think I have come to a conclusion...

Until 1969, Generation I Camaros could actually be found on production lines in Antwerpen.
The site fitted the sunroof option for example, of which the components were manufactured by a single German firm.

Other cars, destined for customers in Europe were shipped there to have the final touches added to them.
This allowed GM to avoid steep taxes and import duties which were levied against finished vehicles.

Vehicles which underwent this process do have distinctively different VINs though.
There will be no Ohio or California based digits such as 'N' but a 'GX' or 'HX' instead. These differentiating year of production.

As I said however, this all ceased at the end of 1968 to the beginning of 1969 when GM pulled the plug on production in Antwerpen.
Nevertheless a site office remained to handle orders and other European matters.

So why does my car, a Norwood built '76 model with no sunroof and yours, a Norwood built '79 model with sunroof, have the tag?

Simply put, it is because these cars were ordered directly from Europe.
Built in the states to the desired spec and then shipped to the European customer.
They would be emblazoned with the tag in question on arrival into the Antwerpen import office.

The link below sums it up quite well if I have made it sound a little confuzzling

http://www.camaros.net/forums/showthread.php?t=107186

Hope this helps!

Any reason to think they didn't build the second gen cars from CKD kits as they did with the first gen cars, or at least do some elements of final assembly there? GM Antwerp didn't close until 2012...

I'm guessing the Norwood VIN could relate to the shell being made there. I do have a book on Antwerp (in Dutch!), could try and see if it says anything about this.

I'm sure I've seen an Antwerpen label on mine somewhere too.... no sunroof, but's a 77' car with an W 81' plate, so assume it didn't enter UK till 81'... but it may have been in Europe for 4 years, I have no history of it till late 80's ...

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