Plymouth had the ‘Cuda; Dodge, Challenger, and Charger. AMC, the smallest of the American auto manufacturers, had the AMX and Javelin.  What did these cars have in common? Well, aside from being iconic nameplates from the 1960s and ‘70s, each of them was born in response to the astonishing sales success of the Ford Mustang. All of these cars unknowingly (at the time) played a crucial part in the history of the Camaro.

Launched in 1964, the Mustang racked up more than 418,000 sales in its first full year of release, and in the process, singlehandedly created a brand new segment in the automobile market: the pony car.

Defined as an affordable, rear-wheel drive coupe with a sporty and performance-oriented image, the pony car enabled your average, thirty-something-year-old professional to have a taste of a sports or muscle car without the attendant high price tag associated with them. And have a taste they did.

Not content to allow Ford to have a corner on the pony car market, Chrysler and AMC immediately got to work on their own aforementioned competitors. But what did General Motors do? Initially, nothing. The company that had invented the muscle car with the Pontiac GTO, felt that the Goat, along with the Oldsmobile 4-4-2, Chevy Chevelle, and Buick Gran Sport, represented an ample fleet of opposition to Ford’s juggernaut.

But by 1965, with a staggering 700,000 Mustangs on the road, GM realized their error in judgment and green-lit the development of a pair of pony cars to be produced by their Pontiac and Chevrolet divisions: the Firebird and the Camaro.

In this edition of That Was Then, This Is Now, we’re going to focus on the more popular of the two, the Chevrolet Camaro, and examine each iteration of this fabled ride, from the first generation, through contemporary models, to possible future incarnations. This is the history of the Camaro.

First-Generation

News of GM’s plans to produce a pony car, code-named “Panther,” began to leak to the automotive press in the spring of 1965. Just over a year later, Chevy held a press conference in Detroit in which the launch date was revealed: The Chevrolet Camaro would begin prowling the streets in the fall of 1966.

Many immediately wondered exactly what a “Camaro” was. The answer varied wildly depending on who you asked. Chevrolet General Manager, Pete Estes, claimed that the name referred to “the comradeship of good friends, as that is what a personal car should be to its owner.” Others had more grounded answers. Some claimed it was French slang for “buddy,” while several in the automotive press were told that it was “a small, vicious animal that eats Mustangs.”

The beginning of the history of the Camaro began with the introduction of the 1967 Camaro on September 26th, 1966, and what a car it was. A sleek and compact-looking 2+2 that rode on the front-engine, rear-wheel drive GM F-body platform, the Camaro utilized a unibody structure combined with a subframe supporting the front end. The car was available in two-door coupe and convertible configurations.

A masterpiece of design, the Camaro had similar long hood/short deck proportions to the Mustang and featured a recessed grille with headlights in the corners, sensuous hips above the rear wheel arches, and an elegant, no-frills silhouette.

The motivation for the Camaro consisted of a choice between 230 and 250 cubic-inch inline sixes or 302, 327, 350, and 396 cubic-inch V8 mills in varying states of tune and ancillaries.

Nearly 80 factory options were available, including three main packages. The RS group was an aesthetic package that included hidden headlights, revised taillights, unique rocker trim, and RS badging. The SS package included the 350 V8, with the L35 396 V8 available for an up-charge. The SS and RS groups could be combined to form a Camaro RS/SS.

The third main package was the high-performance Z/28 option, which would become a cornerstone in the history of the Camaro.

Only available on the base model Camaro, the Z/28 featured a 302 cubic-inch small block with Corvette-sourced heads and a hot cam. Factory underrated at 290 horsepower, the 302 was actually putting out upwards of 360 horsepower.

Several special first-generation Camaros were produced, including the 1967 Yenko Super Camaro, an L72 427 cubic-inch-powered monster modified by Don Yenko at his Chevy dealership in Pennsylvania, and the 1969 Camaro COPO ZL-1, essentially a factory version of the Yenko, built through Chevy’s Central Office Production Order program. The latter likewise packed a raucous 500 horsepower 427. Only 54 Yenkos and 69 COPOs were produced.

Chevy nailed the Camaro’s looks, performance, and a broad plethora of available options, and as such, sales were brisk, even if not in the same ballpark as the Mustang’s. 220,906 Camaros found new homes in its first model year compared to 472,121 for Ford’s Pony.

These included a rectangular center grille that jutted out several inches from the rest of the front fascia, dual headlights mounted outboard of the grille in pod-like enclosures, a long, sculpted hood, a lack of quarter windows, and a roofline that led to a sloping rear window whose angle continued onto that of the short decklid. In the back, quad, round taillights echoed those of the contemporary Corvette.

The engine roster for 1970 was largely the same as it was in ’69. Notable changes include the 230 cubic-inch six being dropped and the 302 replaced by an all-new LT-1 350, good for 360 ponies and 380 lb-ft of twist. In future model years of the second generation, the robust V8s offered in the 1970 model year were downgraded in terms of output and displacement owing to stricter EPA regulations, making the 1970 Camaro the most desirable year to collectors.

Although a convertible was no longer offered (the only time in the history of the Camaro to not have one), the RS, SS, and Z/28 packages survived, with the latter utilizing the previously mentioned LT-1 engine.

The second-generation Camaro received extensive updates and changes throughout its run until 1981, such that the last model year car bore only a cursory resemblance to the 1970. These changes included a major refresh in 1974 that featured a forward-sloping grille and revised rear bumper.

The second iteration of the Camaro was highly successful, with 1,936,869 cars built in its eleven-year run, an eternity in the automotive world.

Third-Generation

The 1980s struck most Americans as the dawn of a new technical age, with affordable home computers making their debut, the Space Shuttle program capturing the imagination, and advancements coming in every field of technology. In line with this sentiment, General Motors felt the F-Body cars were due for a future-forward treatment and for many enthusiasts, marked a new chapter in the history of the Camaro.

Released as a 1982 model, the third-generation Camaro eschewed the bulbous curves and muscular cues of the previous model and replaced them with sleek lines and crisp angles. The front fascia was forward-angled, with quad headlamps sunk in a pair of cutouts. The windshield was steeply raked at a 62-degree angle. Once again, the Camaro was free of quarter widows, but in a radical departure from Camaro tradition, the new car featured a large glass hatchback.

 

Three trim lines of the Camaro were available: the Sport Coupe, Berlinetta, and the range-topping Z28.The Sport Coupe came equipped with an LQ9 2.5-liter four-cylinder, while the 2.8-liter LC1 V6 and the 305 cubic-inch LG4 V8 were available for an up-charge. The Berlinetta came standard with the LC1 V6, with the LG4 V8 optional.

Although the top dog, the Z28 had to make do with the LG4, rated at a meager 145 horsepower (the lowest power rating for a Z28 in the history of the Camaro), backed by either a four-speed manual or a TH200 three-speed automatic. The optional mill, an LU5 Cross Fire Injection 305 cubic-inch V8, only churned out 165 ponies, and was solely paired to the automatic. Hardly a true muscle-car spec.

Inside was a rather plasticky interior, devoid of much flair, and possessing an awkward-looking set of gauges and dashboard layout. While the new car received rave reviews from the press over its styling, those same critics were quick to criticize Chevrolet for the muddled interior and the milquetoast powertrains, especially the Z28’s.

Over time, though, Chevy would address these issues with an L69 305 V8, good for 190 horsepower bequeathed to the Z28 in 1983. An L98 350 that pushed 215 horses followed in 1987, and was tweaked to 230 ponies the following year. The same lump was again upgraded in 1990 to push 245 horsepower.

Several special Camaro models were released over the production run to create buzz and attract buyers looking for something unique.

The first of these unique cars was released in the inaugural model year, and was meant to commemorate the Camaro being selected as the pace car for the 1982 Indianapolis 500 race. 6000 replicas of the official car were produced, draped in a two-tone silver and blue paint scheme and featuring special Indy 500 badging and door stickers.

In 1985, the Camaro IROC-Z was first released as a special options package for Z28 models. Commemorating Chevy’s involvement in the International Race of Champions, the IROC featured upgraded suspension, a lowered ride, IROC decals, and a Tuned Port Injection system borrowed from the Corvette. The IROC-Z package would eventually become standard on Z28s in 1988, while simultaneously becoming iconic in the history of the Camaro.

To celebrate the last model year of the third-generation car in 1992, Chevy released a Heritage Package option, which largely consisted of a sticker and badge group. Though not quite as popular as the second-gen car, the third Camaro iteration was nonetheless an unqualified success, with 1,567,657 cars built in ten years.

Fourth-Generation

For the 1993 model year, Chevrolet rolled out another all-new Camaro that rode on an updated F-body platform to accommodate a slightly enlarged body and improved front and rear suspension setups. Aesthetically, the car had several cues that suggested an evolution from the previous generation, but at the same time possessed a dramatically different design language.

An air-splitting, wedge-shaped nose created a large front overhang from the front wheels, making the car appear much longer than it actually was. Quad lamps were once again sunk deep into pockets offering a tip of the hat to the previous design. An even more steeply raked windshield was flanked by aerodynamically shaped mirrors that sprouted up from unusual fairings at the tops of the front fenders.

As in previous generations, there were no quarter windows, but rather a wide pilar that preceded a bubble-like rear window. A bulbous rear fascia incorporated trapezoidal-shaped taillights.

The interior was once again a disappointment. Although the ergonomics and layout were improved inside, the materials, especially the plastics, were amongst the least inviting in any American car of the time.

Although possessing a sleek presence that hinted simultaneously at muscularity, the design was not loved by everyone, with many finding the exterior odd and elongated-looking. What was universally embraced though was Chevy’s strides in repairing the Camaro’s reputation as a true pony/muscle car, which had suffered dearly due to the underpowered powerplants of the previous model.

While base model Camaros made do with a 160 horsepower 3.4-liter V6, the higher trims, such as the continuing Z28 model, were powered by a robust LT1 5.7-liter V8 that provided 275 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque.

During the fourth-generation run, these powerplants were updated and supplanted, with the 200 horsepower 3800 Series II V6 being introduced alongside the 3.4-liter in 1995, and replacing it in 1996 as the base engine.

That same year, a new Z28 trim level, the Z28 SS, was introduced with a massaged LT1 that had an output of 305 horses. In 1997, 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Z28 and Z28 SS models were produced in conjunction with SLP Engineering, and finally brought the Camaro back to true muscle car spec with a special LT4 5.7-liter lump that pushed 330 horsepower and 340 lb-ft. A total of 3352 Anniversary Z28, and 957 Anniversary Z28 SS models were built.

A year later, the 350 horsepower LS1 5.7-liter V8 from the Corvette was drafted into service in the Camaro, which accompanied a facelift that featured an all-new front fascia and headlights.

By 2001, sales of the Camaro had dropped off precipitously owing to changes in buyer tastes, to the extent that only 29,029 units were built. Although 2002 sales rebounded to 42,098, GM felt the writing was on the wall for the Camaro. Production was ended prematurely, and the Camaro name was resigned to history, seemingly forever.

Ah, but history can be a funny thing…

After the booming successes of the retro-themed 2005 Ford Mustang, 2006 Dodge Charger, and 2008 Dodge Challenger, it became apparent to Chevy executives that the muscle/pony car was back in vogue. The time was right, it seemed, to create their own competitor, just as they did in 1967. And so it was that in 2009, Chevrolet began production of a new, retro-styled Camaro, much to the joy of the Bowtie and Camaro faithful.

Fifth-Generation

While not incorporating a design as utterly retro as that of the Dodge Challenger, the 2010 Camaro featured many cues that harkened back to the original, first-generation F-body car. More importantly, it reopened the book on the history of the Camaro.