Wheeler Dealer Mike Brewer’s Camaro SS heads to auction

Wheeler Dealer Mike Brewer’s Camaro SS is up for sale. Despite saying the car was a 'keeper' the TV star is sending is 1968 Chevrolet to auction in December. Brewer found the car just 12 hours after he was challenged by the President of the Camaro Club to find a genuine SS.

'[The club president] said it would be impossible, so I had to prove him wrong. This one was perfect and came with the desirable 396ci engine and four-speed manual transmission,' said Brewer. Having purchased the car in Seattle he transported it home and set about restoring the Camaro and upgrading it for the demands of modern motoring.

Upgrades included stripping and rebuilding the 6.5-litre V8 to increase the power from 375bhp to 410bhp by way of a high-lift sports camshaft, Magnaflow exhaust system, and Hedman manifolds. There were further upgrades to the drive belt pulley system, distributor, plus the inclusion of a stainless-steel fuel tank and rebuilt Muncie M21 four-speed manual gearbox, as well as an aluminium prop shaft.

Work didn’t stop there and with plans for decent quarter-mile times, the suspension, springs, anti-roll bars and anti-tramp bars were either added, rebuilt or upgraded in a bid to keep the axle located under hard acceleration. Increased power meant better brakes were required to a vacuum servo was fitted along with disc brakes all round, with the front discs grooved and cross-drilled for maximum performance.

Finished as close as possible to Le Mans, blue this car has more than 1500 hours spent on bringing it up to the most exacting standard. If you ask Mike about the costs to restore the Camaro, he admits £40,000 would not be far off.

Gary Dunne, Classic Car Auctions manager, said, 'This is a fantastic car being offered at auction directly from Mike Brewer himself.' Dunne added, 'This really is a superb example of a classic American muscle and one that has been restored by “Mr Car Restorer” himself and the man at the front of the very successful TV series Wheeler Dealers.'

Mike Brewer's 1968 Chevrolet Camaro SS goes under the hammer at Classic Car Auctions sale on December 7 at the Warwickshire Event Centre.