The Chevrolet Camaro Over the Years

A Promising Start (1967-69)

The Chevrolet Camaro has been one of the most iconic names in American motoring for more than forty years. The first production Camaro hit showrooms in the fall of 1966 as a ‘67. Since then, the Camaro has evolved with the times–during the good and the bad. It has still continued to have a diehard legion of fans who appreciate its blend of affordable fun and middle-class charm.

GM conceived this intermediate-size sport coupe as an alternative to Ford’s ever-popular Mustang. From a mechanical standpoint, the Camaro’s one twist was that it was based on a unibody construction–body and frame as one. GM offered only two bodystyles: coupe and convertible. GM's marketing strategy was to overwhelm the competition through a bevy of options in sport-tuning, engines, transmissions, exterior styling, and interior accouterments.

There was no ladder of trim levels. Instead, the Camaro's various trim packages could be mixed to create anything from a bare-metal street racer to a luxuriously appointed GT. The base equipment was nothing to admire: a cheaply built coupe with drum brakes all around, an antiquated three-speed manual gearbox, and an anemic 230 cu. in. “straight-six” motor that could achieve 0-60 in about a week. That’s what $2,500 bought you.

Of course, there was a lot more to the car. The RS option provided hidden headlamps and a wraparound nose stripe. SS trim was a little more layered. Body-length race stripes and SS badges showcased the package. Selecting the SS trim opened upgraded disc brakes, a sport-tuned suspension, and the option of a 396 cu. in. V-8. Hidden among the option list was the Z/28 race equipment option. Buyers received an exclusive 302 V-8 intentionally underrated at 290 hp, so as to avoid nervous insurers. While the 396 was the largest engine officially offered for the Camaro, big-name Chevrolet dealers (most notably the Dana, Yenko, Baldwin, and Nickey chains) crammed Chevrolet’s massive 427 cu. in. V-8 motor under the hood–for a pretty penny.

1969 would be the last year for the first-gen Camaro. Noticeable changes included a revised, angled front-end and wider tail lamps. Sixty-nine would be a big year in other ways for the Camaro. The Z/28 came out of the closet to openly take on Ford’s Mach 1 and Boss 302 Mustangs. A big coup was made when the Camaro was selected as the pace car for the Indy 500, leading a media blitz.

The most revered Camaros of ‘69 were the most secretive. Backroom dealing resulted in a tiny number of Central Office Production Order (COPO) Camaros being released from the factory. These Camaros were stripped of non-essential equipment and hooked up with premium four-speed manual trannies and 427 V-8s. The most powerful of these engines, the ZL-1 (which cost about as much as a new Buick), was put in just sixty-nine cars and pumped out as much as 550 hp. These are the most desired Camaros today.

Unstable Times (1970-81)

Chevrolet redesigned the Camaro for 1970. The exterior took on an Italian quality, something akin to a Ferrari or a Lancia touring coupe. Adding to a new sense of the times, this new generation of Camaro only came as a coupe. But that would suffice, as the car sold in healthy numbers all the way to 1981. The ‘70 body was longer and wider than the preceding 1967-69 model, and this enabled it to house GM’s ever-growing engines. To keep ahead of the regulation curve, engineers maintained power with even bigger powertrains. The Camaro’s primary V-8 packages were the small-block 350 and the premium-grade 396. The largest, again a dealer option, was now the massive 454 cu. in. (7.4 L) big-block. The RS, SS, and Z28 (sans the slash) were still available. The RS offered an undramatic split-bumper and modified front-end. The SS package remained unchanged in concept. The Z28 now relied on a high-output 350 V-8 (making 360 hp).

The good times didn’t last. Emissions and safety mandates would bring about a radical evolution in the Camaro for the decade. The top-line engines were dropped by 1972, as power ratings began a rapid decline. GM marketing transformed the Camaro from a sport coupe to a personal luxury car. Engines vanished, transmissions were cut, and beloved emblems were axed. A 1974 facelift gave visual evidence for this, meeting new impact requirements. The front end offered a shovel-shaped nose, while the rear saw wraparound tail lamps replace the four circular ones. A reworked “soft bumper” treatment was given for a more homogenous look for 1978. Reflecting the instability of the times, the SS trim was dropped in ‘73 in favor of the “LT” luxury trim; the Z28 vanished in 1975, only to reappear in ‘77; and the RS was slashed off in 1974, brought back in 1977, then axed from the lineup again 1981.

The Camaro of the 1970s could be a painful line to analyze. The 1977 Camaro Z28, for example, barely put out 170 hp from its four-barrel 5.7 L V-8. But the Camaro did show itself able to stay with the times. Improved packaging enabled buyers to have a safer, cleaner, and more relaxed car. Priority changed from outright speed at any cost to comfort and ease for the road. For better or worse, the Camaro endured the rough economic period well, selling en masse throughout its run.

Modernization (1982-92)

An all-new Camaro was offered for 1982, offering slick, techy, progressive styling. The new coupe employed a MacPherson strut front-end suspension system, a computer-assisted powertrain, improved mileage, and reduced weight. To comply with CAFE guidelines, the third-gen Camaro started off with a lowly 2.5 L inline-four engine making just 90 hp. The next step up was a still-weak 2.8 L V-6. More tolerable was a four-barrel carb 5.0 L V-8 with the standard Z28, which could also be offered as a “Cross-Fire Injection” fuelie system to put out an almost-reasonable 165 hp. No, the third-gen Camaro didn’t start out strong. (It’s only highlight was a pleasant Indy 500 special.) But it was a clean slate and a flexible platform. It turned out to work, as the Chevy team found the 1980s business and regulation climate to be less volatile than the decade before.

Improvements continued. A smooth-shifting four-speed auto tranny came online, becoming a buyer favorite. The CFI fuel-injection system died out, replaced by the much more refined Tuned-Port Injection system in 1985. It was the TPI setup that was found in the then-new IROC-Z performance package. (The IROC name was derived from a 1970s event called the International Race of Champions.) The IROC's TPI engine system pushed horsepower to a respectable 215. The Corvette’s 5.7 L TPI V-8 came onboard two years later, pushing power on an upward trend to 225.

The IROC, becoming iconic in its own right, briefly replaced the Z28--and then vice-versa. The Berlinetta name (used for the V-6) was dropped as well, the LT trim resurrected, and the RS mounted a comeback as a beefier cosmetic package for V-6 models. A 1LE race package was also offered in small quantity, bringing in upgraded disc brakes and a track-tuned suspension. Dealers took it upon themselves to offer coachbuilt convertibles–for a heavy premium. The price for a Z28 convertible could easily top $20,000.

After a lengthy run, the Gen III Camaro retired in 1992. As a going away gift, 1992 editions sported twenty-fifth anniversary badging. It was a fitting close for a long and successful run. The Gen III edition was able to bring the Camaro into the Digital Age, staying competitive against the likes of Ford, Mitsubishi, and Toyota.

A Good Finish (1993-2002)

The fourth-gen Camaro was easily the most refined. Engineers worked hard to make the new Camaro a fun, easy-to-drive, and affordable car for the masses. The new exterior offered a smooth, rounded shape with a slick black roof. The debut 1993 coupe came with either a 3.4 L V-6 making 160 hp (as much as the ‘82's 5.0 L V-8) or Chevrolet’s pride & joy for the Z28: the 5.7 L "LT1" V-8, which pushed out an underrated 275 hp. Paired with that was either a 4 spd. auto tranny or a 6 spd. manual.

GM brought the convertible the following year as part of a conservative number of improvements to the Camaro package. A 200 hp 3.8 L V-6 replaced the 3.4 by 1996, offering nearly as much power as the first IROCs–with two fewer cylinders. The RS cosmetic package reappeared, offering a spoiler and ground effects for base models. That same year, SLP resurrected the SS with 17 in. five-spoke rims, premium Goodyear sport tires, and a tuned engine delivering 305 hp. SLP released a minute number of SS models equipped with the 330 hp "LT4" engine.

The market was changing, as buyers abandoned cramped coupes for wide-bodied SUVs. The downward trend continued with the Camaro despite rave reviews. To slow the tide, GM offered a facelift for 1998. The ‘98 sported larger headlamps and a wider fascia. Bigger news was under the hood: the aluminum 5.7 L "LS1" engine (again, underrated at 305 hp) from the new Corvette. The SS trim offered as a factory special, with a ram air induction system pushing power to 320 (likely closer to 330). Sadly, this was not enough to save the Camaro. As part of a number of big cuts (including the Firebird and the whole Oldsmobile line), the Camaro was axed in 2002. The farewell edition came with a thirty-fifth anniversary special sporting red paint with white race stripes.

The Present (2003-09)

More than any dropped nameplate, the Camaro’s retirement was the most felt. There was no denying Americans’ market shift away from medium-size sporty coupes, however. The Toyota Supra, Mazda RX-7, Nissan 300ZX, and Mitsubishi 3000GT had all fallen victim to the same fate. But the Camaro had a long, proud history, and hundreds of thousands of devotees weren’t willing to let that go. Websites, magazines, and clubs dedicated to the car rallied for GM to rekindle the Camaro flame–to no avail.

Ford’s debuting of its retro-styled Mustang for the 2005 production year caused an uproar among GM fans. The company, for all its restructuring, had been unable to foresee the popularity of the redesigned Ford. As it was forty years earlier, GM had no car to adequately tackle the Mustang’s combination of style, power, and value. The closest competitor it had, the Holden-based Pontiac GTO, was priced at $32,000–more than $7,000 over a V-8 Mustang.

GM engineers and stylists went to work and, in 2006, they premiered a new Camaro. Under the hood was a 6.2 L "LS2" V-8 engine taken from the Corvette. The following year, showing that it was ready to go all-out, an orange concept convertible was released. The fifth-gen Camaro’s final form will offer a fully independent suspension (a first), all-wheel power disc brakes, a 6 spd. automatic gearbox or manual, and the options of either a 300 hp direct-injected 3.6 L V-6 or a 420 hp 6.2 L V-8.

How the Camaro will endure is yet to be determined. As it's been shown, it has been more than just a car. It has been an ever-changing symbol. But unlike its contemporaries, the Camaro's basic spirit remained constant. The next few years will be a fascinating time for a new Camaro, and whatever obstacles the market or the government lay before it.