END OF THE ROAD VALLEY DRIVERS HAD A SPECIAL PLACE IN THEIR HEARTS FOR THE OLD CAMARO.

Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer

From the first day it rolled off the assembly line at General Motors' Van Nuys plant to its time thundering to glory down Ventura Boulevard, the Camaro has always been the car of the San Fernando Valley.

In the auto shops of Tujunga and on the dangerous curves of Mulholland Drive, Chevy's all-American muscle car took hold of the local auto scene like no other.

Car nuts and everyday drivers alike embraced its smooth curves and pulverizingly powerful engine throughout its storied 35-year history. Though braced with stiff competition from its longtime rival, the Ford Mustang, and quick, nimble imports from Honda and Toyota, the hard-charging street sled never lost its local appeal.

So when GM announced that 2002 would be the end of the Camaro and its counterpart Pontiac Firebird, the Valley took the hit harder than most, saying goodbye to the car that won many races, caught many eyes and stole many hearts.

``I can't believe that they'd kill this car,'' said Brad Lagman, shop foreman for Bob Lambeck Racing Engines. ``If you drive around here, it seems like every 10th car is a Camaro.''

Lagman has special ties to the car.

The Camaro he and his co-workers oversee, a bright yellow `87 Z-28, won eight National Hot Rod Association events. Its 760-horsepower engine can shove its stocky body to a quick 152 miles per hour, turning a quarter mile in 8.8 seconds.

Driver Doug Lambeck won two consecutive national championships in the car, an unrivaled feat in his dragster class.

But though the Camaro may never have lost its mystique to enthusiasts like Lagman, it simply didn't sell enough to suit its maker's bottom line. When GM axed the Camaro last fall, it characterized the car as not ``economically viable,'' a charge that fans scoff at.

``It's probably too late to make GM change their mind,'' said owner Bob Lambeck. ``They only look at money. ... It's too bad that the American way is the cheapest way.''

But for the Camaro's 35 years burning rubber down Van Nuys Boulevard, it sure had a good run. Lynne Chown, a Tujunga housewife, has owned a variety over the years until settling on her current ride, a dusty orchid-hued '67 rally sport convertible.

``When I'm on the freeway, people pull up and try to ask if I'll sell it,'' she said. ``There's just a style about it, the look - it's very streamlined. New cars are just generic, but the classics all have their own personality.''

Whether bought as an investment, drag racer, or as an everyday driver, the storied cruiser inspires an unusual passion for those who've strapped themselves in behind its rumbling V-8.

``An old Camaro is like a history book on wheels,'' said 17-year-old Dave Filson III, a Flintridge Prep junior who's in the process of restoring a '69 super sport. ``It started out as the competitor for the Mustang, and as it grew, it just took off and ran. I'm a little biased, of course. ...''

The old rides have a primal feel to them, one not found in today's computerized, comfort-engineered cars. And that's just fine with the folks who drive them.

``It's got no power steering, no power brakes, no power anything,'' said Frank Pucio, a salesman who drives his yellow '67 convertible with the Road Kings of Burbank. ``It looks a lot like the earlier Corvettes, with the rounded front and back. By today's standards, they drive like a truck, but it's a fun thing to play around with.''

Though handling may not be the car's strong suit, given a wide open stretch of pavement, some high-octane gas and a heavy foot on the accelerator, it was nearly unbeatable in its class.

That's why they make good hot rods, according to Jim DeFrank, owner of California Car Cover Co., whose `89 and `68 racers have won their share of NHRA events.

``The Camaro brings great memories for us,'' he said. ``They're designed extremely nicely, and the aerodynamics are second to none. They're still a very nice-looking car today.''

Though the last of the sleds will soon muscle its way off showroom floors, aficionados are holding on to hope the brand will be reborn, as GM has hinted it may in a few years.

``Everything comes back,'' Lagman said, gently rolling Lambeck's prized racer back to its Northridge garage. ``Maybe it just needs a few years off for GM to think it over and get things right.''

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Jimmy DeFrank sits in his brother's 1968 Chevy Camaro in Chatsworth. General Motors has announced 2002 will be the end of the Chevrolet Camaro.

David Sprague/Staff Photographer

(2) Brad Lagman has an '87 Camaro race car he works on. He says one reason Camaro production will end is they were not redesigned often enough to keep up with consumer trends.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer