Tracy Shick
Contributing Writer

(Tracy Shick/TCJ – Brandon Balkama was the top prize winner in the recent Bellevue Athletic Boosters Annual Car Show. The 1978 Camero  and its brand have a storied past.)

For Brandon Balkama, the Bellevue Annual Car Show isn’t just another event on the calendar – it’s his favorite event of the year.

This year, his passion for classic cars was rewarded when his beautifully restored 1978 Chevrolet Camaro earned first place in the 1975 –1979 Cars class at the 2026 Bellevue Athletic Boosters Annual Car Show.

Brandon purchased the 1978 Camaro in 2024, excited to own one of his favorite muscle cars. But after driving it only about 400 miles, trouble began.

“At first, I thought it was just the carburetor,” Brandon said. “But after digging into it, I discovered the engine was actually the problem. The engine was from 1967 and was already in the car when I got it, and because of that, I didn’t want to see it go to a scrap yard I wanted it to live again and have another great life.

“Upon researching the engine numbers, it came from a 1967 Camaro and was still in a Camaro which reinforced my feelings on a full rebuild.”

swap it with fuel injection like everyone does now a days, I wanted that beautiful carbureted classic pure muscle engine to live once more.”   

Today, the Camaro is powered by the 1967 396 – the heart out of a first generation Camaro muscle car into a second generation Camaro, giving the classic coupe the kind of performance enthusiasts dream about. 

The meticulously detailed fully rebuilt engine compartment showcases countless hours of work, transforming the Camaro into both a showpiece and a powerful street machine.

The 1978 Camaro was built during what automotive historians often call the “Malaise Era,” a period spanning much of the 1970s when new emissions regulations, rising insurance costs, and the oil crisis dramatically reduced horsepower across the American auto industry.

The era marked the end of the original muscle car wars. Engines that had once produced well over 300 horsepower were suddenly detuned, leaving many performance enthusiasts disappointed. Yet those same challenges helped create an entirely new generation of hot rodders.

Owners discovered these cars were excellent platforms for modification. Swapping engines, upgrading carburetors, installing performance ignition systems, and rebuilding drivetrains became a rite of passage for countless enthusiasts.

Brandon’s Camaro is a perfect example of that tradition – taking a classic from an era of reduced factory performance and giving it new life with classic muscle that now produces 600+ horsepower.

Another reason cars like Brandon’s Camaro remain so popular today can be traced back to Hollywood. When the movie “Smokey and the Bandit “debuted in 1977, Burt Reynolds’ black-and-gold Pontiac Trans Am instantly became one of the most recognizable cars in America. While Reynolds drove a Pontiac, the Firebird and Camaro shared General Motors’ F-body platform, making them close cousins in both appearance and engineering.

The film reignited America’s love affair with sporty American coupes. Dealerships saw increased demand not only for Trans Ams but also for Camaros, helping cement both models as icons of late-1970s automotive culture.

Although Brandon is enjoying the success of his award-winning Camaro, he’s already thinking about what’s next.

His newest project is a 1979 Dodge pickup, and he’s hoping to have it completed in time for next year’s Bellevue Annual Car Show. Beyond his own garage, Brandon has an even bigger vision for the community.  He would love to see a cooperative automotive workshop established in Bellevue—a shared space where car enthusiasts could restore vehicles together, exchange knowledge, mentor younger hobbyists, and help one another keep classic vehicles on the road.

“It’s about more than just fixing cars,” Brandon said. “It’s about learning from each other and building a community.”  

This year’s first-place finish wasn’t simply recognition of a beautifully restored 1978 Camaro – it was a celebration of craftsmanship, perseverance, and the enduring passion that keeps America’s automotive history alive, one project at a time.