Chevrolet South Africa
Firenza Can Am

Why it matters

The Firenza Can Am was General Motors South Africa's 1973 homologation answer to the V8 Capri Perana, putting a Camaro Z28 V8 into the small Firenza coupé. With only 100 road cars built it is now one of South Africa's most sought-after collector cars.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

Racer and tuner Basil van Rooyen masterminded the car in 1973 as GM's response to the success of Ford's Capri Perana. A 5.0-litre Camaro Z28 V8 was fitted to the Firenza coupé body, and 100 road-going examples were built to satisfy homologation rules. The car was quoted at 0–100 km/h in 5.5 seconds, a remarkable figure at the time.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

Many clones exist. Original cars were finished in white with black striping and carried an aluminium rear wing and 13-inch Personal alloy wheels, but these visual features can be copied, so they do not on their own prove a car is genuine.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   TimesLIVE – Rare homologation specials to rev up 43rd Cars in the Park Level C

   • 100 road-going examples

   Accessed 2026-11-12
2. 2
   Rare homologation specials to rev up 43rd Cars in the Park Level B TimesLIVE

   • 5.0l Camaro Z28 V8 engine
   • 0 to 100km/h in an unprecedented 5.5 seconds

   Accessed 2026-11-11