Chevrolet Camaro – pony car history over 50 years

1969 Chevrolet Camaro RS Convertible

Yesterday saw the launch of the all-new, sixth-generation 2016 Chevrolet Camaro which, incidentally, falls just over a year shy of the pony car’s 50th anniversary. To celebrate the occasion, Chevrolet has re-released a whole bunch of press photos depicting the Camaro as it grew into the retro-futuristic sharp suit we all recognise today.

The Camaro was unveiled in September 1966 as a last-minute response to the successful Ford Mustang. Available as either a coupe or a convertible (just like the Mustang, except the latter also received a fastback), the iconic first-gen model featured a variety of straight-six and V8 engine choices throughout its short three-year life, including a 290 hp 4.9 litre small-block V8 in the Z/28 and a 375 hp 6.5 litre big-block V8 in the SS.

With the ’70s came the arrival of the more distinctive second gen, billed as a more serious performance car than what came before – there’s no convertible this time around, for example. Initial engine choices included a 360 hp 5.7 litre LT-1 V8 in the Z/28, but the Suez fuel crisis and tightening emissions regulations forced maximum output ratings downwards as the decade progressed, petering out at a paltry 155 hp in 1975.

Despite this, the elimination of competitors such as the Mustang (downsized and sitting on the same platform as the infamous Pinto) and the Dodge Challenger (discontinued altogether) meant that the Camaro – and its stablemate the Pontiac Firebird – dominated the pony car market, and sales of the Chevy soared to a record 282,571 units in 1979. It was a long production run for this car – sales only seized in 1981.

Following in its footsteps, the boxy ’80s-tastic third gen added an optional T-top roof to the coupé and reintroduced the convertible body style for the first time since 1969. It featured modern technology such as multi-point fuel injection and a driver’s airbag; the former helped push power outputs up from the lows in the ’70s, culminating in 245 hp from a 5.7 litre L98 V8.

This generation also saw the introduction of the legendary IROC-Z, which, apart from the performance boost from the “Tuned Port Injection,” also featured a retuned suspension for better handling.

In 1993, the more rounded fourth gen came into being, with more creature comforts and power than before – outputs surged past the 300 hp mark for the first time since 1970, hitting a peak of 325 hp on the SS model’s 5.7 litre LS1 V8. Sadly, slow sales, a shrinking market and strong competition from the Mustang led Chevrolet to end production in 2002, with no successor in sight. The Camaro nameplate, it seemed, was dead.

That was, until Chevrolet revealed a new retro-styled concept at the 2006 Detroit Auto Show; and after a starring role in the first Transformers movie, the fifth generation went into production in 2009 to take the fight anew to the Mustang. The most powerful Camaro in history, it received a 580 hp 6.2 litre supercharged LSA V8 in the ZL1 in 2012, while the Z/28 nameplate returned as a track-biased variant with a 7.0 litre naturally-aspirated LS7 V8 pushing out 505 hp.

The latest in the line, the new 2016 Chevrolet Camaro is lighter and stiffer than before, and comes with either a 310 hp 2.0 litre turbo four-pot, a 335 hp 3.6 litre V6 or the Corvette Stingray‘s 455 hp 6.2 litre LT1 (no relation to the second-gen’s LT-1) V8 in the SS. It’s said to be the best Camaro ever; looks like the nameplate is riding into its 50th birthday healthier than ever, isn’t it?

1967-1969 first-gen Chevrolet Camaro


1970-1981 second-gen Chevrolet Camaro
1982-1992 third-gen Chevrolet Camaro
1993-2002 fourth-gen Chevrolet Camaro
2010-2015 fifth-gen Chevrolet Camaro
2016 sixth-gen Chevrolet Camaro

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Jonathan Lee

After trying to pursue a career in product design, Jonathan Lee decided to make the sideways jump into the world of car journalism instead. He therefore appreciates the aesthetic appeal of a car, but for him, the driving experience is still second to none.

 

Comments

  • For me the best looking Camaro is the ZL1 in red with black stripes & black rims. The front of the 2016 Camaro doesn’t really appeal to me.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 5
  • Jimmy on May 19, 2015 at 9:26 pm

    These kind of vehicles have very good RV (resale value), after many years when vast majority of their colleagues are dead.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 6
  • MacchaGreen on May 19, 2015 at 9:36 pm

    2016 Camaro looks like a camry

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 8
    • paulnut on May 19, 2015 at 10:51 pm

      You must be the colleague of the junior UMW uncle sales man by the name of Sam coxk Loo

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 2
  • Janwy on May 19, 2015 at 10:05 pm

    Jonathan, please check those third-gen photos. They are wrong, isn’t it?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
    • Jonathan Lee (Member) on May 20, 2015 at 12:10 am

      Indeed, they were second-gen photos accidentally repeated; I’ve since amended them. Thanks for pointing it out!

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
  • well loved, both mustang and camaro

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • spongewai on May 19, 2015 at 11:41 pm

    bring it here to Malaysia pls as RHD form, Mr CEO

    i would like to see OTR here together with Mustang which will launched here end of the year

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • ss427 on May 20, 2015 at 9:26 am

    The 5 gen Camaro remained the most faithful modern interpretation of the 1st gen (specifically 1969 model) in terms of body shape and style.

    And GM was able to nail the styling details nicely by incorp modern bits into a retro looking body. Interior layout and dash built quality wasn’t too good but they served the job, and the dual hood instrument cluster paid great homage to the 1969 model.

    Of cos, some equipment (or the lack of it) were laughable. No dual zone climate control in a 430hp, US$40000 sports car, no factory GPS option when a lowly Chevy Sonic gets it.

    The upcoming 2016 Camaro fixes all these shortcoming, but GM screwed up the exterior unfortunately. I see an urgent facelift in the works for 2017

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
    • Obviously (Member) on May 20, 2015 at 10:02 am

      I doubt an urgent facelift will be necessary.

      There’s no denying that the 6th gen Camaro is a sharp looking car. The angular DRLs look much better integrated into the overall design of the car versus the throwback ring-shaped DRLs of the 5th gen. The effect is increased aggression in the front fascia, which is always a good thing for these kinds of cars. Anyway, the headlights have not been the most defining feature of the Camaro. It’s definitely the arrowhead-shaped front-end.

      I’ve a feeling the designers are out to evolutionize the Camaro rather than make a throwback for fans of the first-gen. The Mustang as well, aside from a few styling elements that reminisce some of the previous-gen Mustangs, looks nothing like the first gen car. It’s very much more modernized in design, just like how this Camaro is.

      The most retro muscle car of the lot would still be the Dodge Challenger. Not sure how well that’s working out for them, seeing as how the Mustang is still top dog and the Camaro second-fiddle.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • 4G63T DSM on May 20, 2015 at 1:35 pm

      I’m not sold on the retro looks. It doesn’t need to, at least no longer.

      A person that idolized a 1st gen in his youth would be way past the age of a pony car by now.

      I had a nice summer romance with a LT1 powered 1997 Z28 Coupe. It was, in my mind the best looking Camaro, but the equivalent Pontiac TransAm and Firebirds always looked better.

      Not the most practical car but it pushes the right buttons. Sounds great, loads of low end torque and has pressence. Ultimately, it proved too large and impractical for winter use.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
 

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