It may have started out as General Motors’ hasty response to Ford’s wildly successful Mustang, but since its debut in the late 1960s, Chevrolet’s Camaro 2+2 sports coupe has become a piece of motoring Americana four decades later. As a crucial part of the holy trinity of American muscle cars (Mustang, Challenger, Camaro), the Chevy has the icon status that few cars can achieve.
In anticipation of an all-new 2016 Camaro arriving this spring, we’re taking a look at the history behind the five previous generations of Chevrolet’s legendary sports coupe.
First-generation Camaro design analysis by Ed Welburn, vice president of GM Global Design.
PHOTO: Handout, Chevrolet
Second-generation Camaro design analysis by Ken Parkinson, executive director of design, Chevrolet Trucks and Global Architecture.
PHOTO: Handout, Chevrolet
Third-generation Camaro design analysis by John Cafaro, executive director, Chevrolet Global Car Design.
PHOTO: Handout, Chevrolet
Fourth-generation Camaro design analysis by Kirk Bennion, Chevrolet Camaro exterior design manager.
PHOTO: Handout, Chevrolet
Fifth-generation Camaro design analysis by Tom Peters, Chevrolet Camaro exterior design director.
PHOTO: Handout, Chevrolet
First generation: 1967 to 1969
Although Chevrolet was already selling its import-inspired, rear-engine, 2+2 Corvair Monza coupe, after watching arch nemesis Ford sell more than 600,000 Mustangs in 1964, parent GM could not sit idly by.
Just as the 2+2 Mustang used a plebeian, front-engine/rear-drive Ford Falcon economy car chassis, the 2+2 Camaro — along with its Pontiac Firebird sibling—was quickly developed using the front-engine/rear-drive Chevrolet Nova platform. And like the Mustang, the Camaro came as a two-door hardtop or convertible, with six- or eight-cylinder gas engines.
1968 Chevrolet Camaro Rally SS.
PHOTO: Handout, Chevrolet
The very first Chevrolet Camaro ever built, serial number N100001.
PHOTO: Matt York, AP Photo
1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 Sport Coupe
PHOTO: Handout, Chevrolet
1967 Chevrolet Camaro Z28
PHOTO: Handout, Chevrolet
1967 Chevrolet Camaro Z28
PHOTO: Handout, Chevrolet
1967 Chevrolet Camaro Z28
PHOTO: Handout, Chevrolet
1967 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible.
PHOTO: Handout, Chevrolet
1970 Chevrolet Camaro SS
PHOTO: Handout, Chevrolet
Two buddies with the two cars they built with their sons. A Black 68 Camaro and an Orange 1969 Camaro.
PHOTO: Handout, Driving
1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 at the Vancouver Classic Car Show.
PHOTO: Russell Purcell, Driving
To compete against the high-performance Shelby Mustangs in the Sports Car Club of America’s Trans Am racing series, in late 1967, Chevrolet started offering the now-famous RPO (Regular Production Option) Z/28 package, highlighted by a 290 horsepower (unofficially, more like 360) “small block” 302 cubic-inch V8.
Although the original “pony car,” the Mustang, still outsold the upstart Chevy four-to-one, almost 100,000 1967 Camaros were sold in its first year.
Generational highlight: The 1969 Camaro Z/28 — with its race-prepped V8, Muncie four-speed box and standard Hurst shifter — was a street-legal racecar anyone could own.
Generational lowlight: Any first-gen Camaro with six-cylinders, three-speed auto and a vinyl roof —why bother!
Second generation: 1970 ½ to 1981
With development problems and a worker strike at GM delaying its production by half a model year until February 1970, the second-gen Camaro did not get off to an auspicious start. It ended up, though, as one of the longest running and most popular Camaros ever.
The Camaro convertible was no longer. And like all cars of the Oil Crisis era, the Chevy’s performance quickly deteriorated as tighter fuel economy and tailpipe emissions standards strangled V8s; horsepower peaked in the 1970 ½ models at 375 hp, bottoming to a woeful 155 hp in the once mighty 350 cu.-in. V8 in 1975.
This 1970½ Chevrolet Camaro Z-28 will be on display at the Vancouver Collector Car Show & Auction.
PHOTO: Nigel Matthews, Driving
The second-generation Chevrolet Camaro.
PHOTO: File photo, Wikipedia Commons
Many collector car owners now prefer that their vehicles have braking and handling on par with new vehicles. This 1970 Chevrolet Camaro has been highly modified to become what is known as a resto-mod.
PHOTO: Handout, Driving
1972 Chevrolet Z28 Camaro.
PHOTO: Handout, Driving
Despite losing some of its first-gen muscle, the new Camaro gained in the looks department. Shamelessly inspired by the 1963 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso, the longer, lower and wider 1970 ½ Camaro was arguably one of the most beautiful American cars on the road. As well, Chevy spent more time and money improving the sports coupe’s overall ride and handling.
By the mid-1970s, Ford’s Pinto-based Mustang II (that could be had with a relatively fuel-efficient four-cylinder) was still the segment’s sales leader. But with the demise of the rivals like the AMC Javelin, Dodge Challenger, and Plymouth Barracuda, the second-generation Camaro (and its Firebird twin) had the traditional sports coupe buyer all to itself, with sales of the Chevy 2+2 historically peaking in 1979 with over 280,000 copies sold.
Generational highlight: With its Chevrolet Corvette-sourced 360 hp V8 and more sophisticated road manners, the 1970 ½ Camaro Z/28 was arguably one of America’s best road cars.
Generational lowlight: The baroquely styled 1979 Berlinetta was Chevrolet’s attempt to create a “personal luxury” Camaro.
Third generation: 1982 to 1992
By the early 1980s, the Chevy sports coupe’s 1960’s roots were showing. While the Camaro continued to play the same rear-drive-song, many buyers were happier listening to the front-drive sports coupe playlist, from the likes of the Honda Prelude.
Yet one item many import coupes lacked was an affordable V8. So after a decade of dealing with smog controls, American automakers started figuring out how to pack more oomph into their V8 engines, renewing a horsepower war that continues today.
Third-generation Chevrolet Camaro.
PHOTO: Handout, Wikimedia Commons
1982 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 Sport Coupe
PHOTO: Handout, Chevrolet
In 1982, Ford reintroduced the 5.0-litre V8 to its Mustang. A year later, the 1983 Camaro Z28 (the slash was now gone) sported a new, High Output 5.0L V8 as well, making 190 hp — beating the 1983 Mustang V8 by 15 hp. By the end of the 1980s, both American sports coupes were delivering well over 200-hp.
The 1980s also saw the return of true open-air motoring in a Camaro. Replacing leaky and rattle-prone T-tops, 1987 saw the revival of a convertible Camaro, last seen in 1969.
Generational highlight: The 1990 to 1992 Camaro IROC (International Race of Champions) Zs came with a 245 hp 5.7L V8 —the most powerful Camaro since the early 1970s.
Generational lowlight: Our vote for The Worst Camaro Ever: the 1982 Camaro Sport Coupe came with GM’s notorious Iron Duke, a four-cylinder that coughed up around 90 hp, and made for a 20-second zero to 60 mph time.
Fourth generation: 1993 to 2002
The fourth (and what we thought would be the final) generation of Camaro stuck to the same formula as the 1967 original. In fact, the “new” 1993 model was a heavily updated version of the Camaro from the last decade, still built on GM’s F-body rear-drive platform from the 1960s.
Thankfully, the four-cylinder Camaro was long axed. Base model V6s grew from 160 hp to 200 hp by the end of this generation. And just as Ford kept on bumping up the horsepower in its Mustang, top end V8 Camaros went from 275 hp in 1993 to 330 hp by 2002.
1993 Chevrolet Camaro Z28.
PHOTO: Handout, Chevrolet
1993 Chevrolet Camaro Coupe
PHOTO: Handout, Chevrolet
2002 Chevrolet Camaro 35th Anniversary Edition SS Convertible and Coupe.
PHOTO: Handout, Chevrolet
Despite the improvements, former sports coupe buyers were now getting into SUVs and trucks. 2001 ended up as the lowest production year ever for Camaro, with a little over 29,000 sold. The next year, GM pulled the plug on both the Chevy and the Pontiac Firebird sports coupes.
Generational highlight: The 1997 limited edition 30th Anniversary Camaro SS sported a 330 hp V8 and claimed to be the fastest Camaro ever.
Generational lowlight: If you’re looking for the lamest third-gen Camaro, try the 160 hp 1993 and 1994 six-cylinder models.
Fifth generation: 2010 to 2015
Like deja vous all over again, it took a wildly popular Ford Mustang to get Chevrolet to relaunch the Camaro.
With the American sports coupe market to itself, the retro-styled 2005 Ford Mustang was a sales smash. And like the 1960s, both Chrysler and GM responded with their respective Dodge Challenger and Chevrolet Camaro concepts in 2006.
The 2014 Camaro is available with a track-focused 1LE Performance Package.
Chevrolet Camaro SS with an RS appearance package
SS Convertible
The 2015 Camaro SS convertible features a 6.2L V8 engine, offering up to 426 horsepower.
Chevrolet Camaro lineup. Chevrolet Camaro lineup. (From left to right: 2014 Camaro SS Convertible, 2014 Camaro RS, 2014 Camaro Z/28, 1967 Camaro Z/28, 2014 Camaro 1LE, 2014 Camaro ZL1).
2013 Chevrolet Camaro 1LE
2013 Chevrolet Camaro 1LE
2013 Chevrolet Camaro 1LE
2013 Chevrolet Camaro 1LE
The Camaro Hot Wheels™ Special Edition is the first full-size, production Hot Wheels® car offered for sale by any manufacturer. It goes on sale in early 2013 with a package price of $6,995.
2015 Chevrolet Camaro SS
PHOTO: Darren Begg, Driving
2015 Chevrolet Camaro SS
PHOTO: Darren Begg, Driving
2015 Chevrolet Camaro SS
PHOTO: Darren Begg, Driving
2014 Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible
PHOTO: Brendan McAleer, Driving
2014 Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible
PHOTO: Brendan McAleer, Driving
2014 Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible
PHOTO: Brendan McAleer, Driving
2014 Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible
PHOTO: Brendan McAleer, Driving
2014 Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible
PHOTO: Brendan McAleer, Driving
Targeting a 2010 launch date, but without a rear-drive car platform in its portfolio, Chevrolet turned to Australia and created a two-door coupe based on a GM Holden brand sedan platform, with retro-styling inspired by the 1969 Camaro.
Originally, base 2010 Camaros sported a 304 hp V6, while topline SS models employed a 400 hp to 426 hp V8 — bettering any Camaro from the pre-Oil Crisis muscle car era. And while a two-door hardtop was initially launched, a Camaro convertible returned for 2011. And in 2012, the low-volume, 580 hp Camaro ZL1 muscle car arrived.
Generational highlight: The return of the Z/28 in 2014, a true sports car that could take on the likes of the Mustang Boss 302 as well as the BMW M3.
Generational lowlight: This generation of Camaro is arguably the best so far. But if we must, a Camaro without a V8 just doesn’t seem right.