The big news for the 1977 Camaro was the return of the Z28. It was a mid-year addition announced at the International Race of Champions (IROC), an acronym which would give its own name to a model in the 1980s. The Z28 introduction followed the success of the Pontiac Trans Am.

The Z28 package could not be combined with the Rally Sport or LT and featured a 185hp 350 cid V-8 (175hp in California) and close-ratio Borg-Warner M21 4-speed gearbox (except in California), heavy-duty clutch and dual exhausts. The reverse gear was changed from left forward to left backward, since it felt more natural with the lockout lever. The Z28 was sold on the basis of handling rather than performance, and could only manage 0-60 mph in 8.5 seconds with a 15.4 second quarter mile at 90.5 mph.

Even so, Camaro sales jumped again to 218,853. As usual, six-cylinder Sport Coupes made up a small proportion of the total – 31,717 – with a base price of $4,113, while 187,464 Sport Coupes were V-8s. The luxury LT line managed 72,787 sales at $4,478, while 14,349 buyers plunked down $5,170 for the Z28. Engines ranged from the 105hp 250 cubic inch six-cylinder, while 147,173 buyers paid $120 for the 145hp 305 cubic-inch V-8. A further 40,291 buyers spent $210 for the 170hp 350 V-8.

The base gearbox for the ’77 Camaro was a 3-speed manual, but 8,423 buyers paid $252 for the wide-ratio M20 4-speed. The vast majority of customers, however, ordered the Turbo-Hydramatic automatic transmission for $252, and no 4-speeds were sold in California. The Camaro was far from its origins now, and had become more of a personal luxury car with a bit of style, but the Z28 offered a rumble of the return of horsepower, which would take a few years to arrive.

For now, luxury still ruled. The popular options were automatic transmissions, the small V-8, air-conditioning (144,767 buyers), tinted glass (181,982) power brakes (193,889), white stripe radials (142,411), front and rear spoilers, (46,193), side moldings (133,738), style trim group (93,706), rally wheels (87,481). The Z85 Rally Sport package included duo-tone paint, lots of color-coded items, stripes and decals.

A wide range of colors was mix-and-matched inside and out, with combinations restricted to particular models. There were no huge favorites this year but Silver won out (27,450), followed by Firethorn Red (25,743), Light Blue (22,087), Antique White (20,347), Brown (19,785), Black (17,472), Dark Blue (15,394), Orange (12,451), Buckskin Metallic (11,802), Light Red (11,598), Bright Yellow (11,083), Aqua (10,206), Light Buckskin (9,422) and Medium Green (3,716).

1977 Chevrolet Camaro Z28s were limited to seven of these colors, principally the brightest ones. The Z28 also had a hood scoop, rear deck spoiler, heavy duty suspension, louder exhaust and its own signature decals.