Chevrolet Camaro
The Chevrolet Camaro was a compact car introduced in North America by the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors at the start of the 1967 model year as competition for the Ford Mustang. Although it was technically a compact (by the standards of the time) , the Camaro, like the entire class of Mustang competitiors, was soon known as a pony car.
Though the car's name was contrived with no meaning, General Motors researchers found the word in a French dictionary as a slang term for "friend" or "companion." Ford Motor Company researchers discovered other definitions, including "a shrimp-like creature" and an arcane term for 'loose bowels!" In some automotive periodicals before official release, it went by the name, "Panther".
1967
Based not on the compact Chevrolet Nova but the other way around, four distinct generations of the car were produced. The Camaro's base powertrain was a 230 in³ (3.8 L) inline six-cylinder engine rated at 140 hp (104 kW) and backed by a GM Muncie three-speed manual transmission. A Muncie four-speed manual was also available. The two-speed "Powerglide" automatic transmission was a popular option in 1967-68 until the three-speed "Turbo Hydra-Matic 350" replaced it starting in 1969.
The 290-horsepower, 350 in³ (5.7 L) V8 first saw duty in the 1967 Camaro and virtually every engine in the Chevrolet lineup was offered as an option, all the way up to a special-order 427 in³ (7 L) "big-block" in 1969. To keep costs down, Chevrolet offered the car in only two body styles, a coupe and convertible.
1970
The larger second-generation Camaro which debuted in 1970 suffered two major setbacks. A strike at a GM assembly plant in Ohio disrupted production, and 1100 1970-1/2 Camaros were scrapped because they did not meet 1971 Federal bumper safety standards. This was the most enduring Camaro design, lasting until the more modern, lighter third-generation Camaro of 1982 through 1992.
1982
The 1982 model introduced the first Camaros with factory fuel injection (port injection beginning in 1985), four-speed automatic transmissions, five-speed manual transmissions, 16-inch (406 mm) wheels, hatchback body styles, and even a four-cylinder engine for a brief period (due to concerns over fuel economy). Third generation Camaros also had a suspension system that was more capable in corners than the previous generation.
1993
1993 began the fourth and last generation of Camaros, lasting through the 2002 model year. Production of the fourth and final generation was moved from GM's Van Nuys, California assembly plant to one in Ste. Therese, Quebec in 1993. Though the car would no longer be produced in the US, the new design which incorporated lightweight plastic body panels over a steel space frame, and a better suspension, further improved upon the Camaro line. From 1993 to 1997 the Camaro was available with the LT-1 engine, the same Generation II small block V8 used in the Corvette, although in slightly de-tuned form. In 1997, the long-discontinued "SS" option was resurrected and in 1998, the all-new LS-1 engine Generation III small block was offered on the SS and Z28 Camaros, marking the end of the Generation I small block V8 that had its roots in Chevrolet's 265 in³ engine of 1955. Unfortunately, sales were below expectations, and production of the Camaro ceased in 2002.
Though production Camaros were never as fast as the flagship Corvette, the car cost less than half as much and was easily modified. If its frequent inclusion in automotive enthusiast magazines is any indication, the Chevy Camaro is one of the most popular cars for modification in the automotive history.
Throughout its history, the Camaro shared its internal body and major components with a sister car - the Pontiac Firebird.
