For most muscle car hunters, finding an unrestored classic in a dusty barn or forgotten garage is the ultimate score. However, this treasure hunt has a different twist. An original 1974 Camaro Z28 was found sitting at the bottom of a lake earlier in April. According to a report by WGME, the car was not wearing any license plates, and no one knows how long it has been resting in its watery grave.
The car was discovered a few weeks ago by underwater explorer Jason Smith. He was using a drone to explore Sebago Lake in Southern Maine when he spotted a murky image. The next thing he knew, his camera was staring at a second-generation Camaro Z28. The Camaro, which was redesigned for 1974 and packing a 350-cubic-inch L82 small-block rated at 245 horsepower in Z28 guise, was now resting under about 55 feet of water.
Authorities pulled the classic muscle car from the lake, and the mystery only deepened. While the exact date of when the car entered the water is unknown at this time, it was clearly submerged for quite a while. Unfortunately, the weight of the water destroyed part of the Camaro during the retrieval process. Although, as you may read in any classic car ad, “It’s all there.” The Z28 appears to be complete, although there was nothing inside the car other than parts of an old tent in the trunk.
Cumberland County Sheriff's detectives are trying to track down the owner of the car. A partial VIN was found, and with the help of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, they were able to determine the full VIN. Everyone is curious as to how a 1970s muscle car ended up in Sebago Lake and why it was not discovered until now.
The Frye Island Ferry carries vehicles across Sebago Lake, leading some to speculate that the Camaro may have fallen from the ferry. Yet, if that had happened, there would almost certainly be a record, and the car would have been recovered. The prevailing theory now is that someone drove the Camaro onto the frozen lake, only for the ice to give way and send the car to the lakebed, where it remained until recently. With curiosity growing, perhaps the mystery of the sunken Camaro Z28 will finally be unraveled, providing long-awaited answers to this local legend.