Chevy Camaro designers pick their favorites through the years
- 1/10
1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z28
First Generation – 1967-1969
Favorite Model? 1969
Why? “It’s the iconic Camaro to me. From the dual-plane grille design and speed lines stamped into the fenders and doors, it was very original and distinctive. It didn’t borrow from any other design and all these years later, it still looks fresh.” –Ed Welburn, VP of GM Global Design - 2/10
1969 Camaro RS
Neatest Design Feature: The grille of the Rally Sport 1969 featured vacuum operated headlights covers that had see-through slits to permit partial lighting if the doors stuck.
Notable Power: Engine choices included a new 200-horsepower 307 cubic-inch V8, a pair of 250+-horse 350 V-8s, and the infamous COPO 427 big block V8. Officially, the COPO 427 was rated at 425 horsepower. But experts feel that figure is very conservative.
Did You Know? The first generation Camaro shared a chassis with the Chevy Nova, and it was called “The Panther.”Chad Horwedel via Flickr - 3/10
1970 Chevrolet Camaro Z28
Second Generation – 1970-1981
Favorite Model? 1970
Why? “I’ve always loved the ‘68 Camaro, but for some reason it was the second-gen car that I’d find myself sketching during high school math. It was built on its own dedicated architecture, which gave the design team the freedom to create a new expression of American muscle, influenced by a European grand-touring esthetic. There was simply nothing else like it.” – Ken Parkinson, Executive Director, Chevrolet Global Architecture Design - 4/10
1970 Camaro
Neatest Design Element: The bold split-bumper design. It gave the car an aggressive and more contemporary design.
Notable Power: New for 1970 was the 375-horsepower LT1 V-8 from the 1969 Corvette.
Did You Know? The base model 1970 Camaro cost $2,749Via Mecum Auctions - 5/10
1982 Chevrolet Camaro Z28
Third Generation – 1982-1992
Favorite Model? 1982
Why? “Perhaps more than any other generation, this is a car of its time. You can see the ‘80s influence in every detail, from the aerodynamic exterior, such as the ground effects on the Z28, to the introduction of digital instruments on the interior. It’s a distinct split from those European grand touring car-influenced designs that came before it.” --John Cafaro, Executive Director, Chevrolet Global Car Design - 6/10
1982 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 Sport Coupe
Neatest Design Element? The aggressive front-end (Cafaro says the styling was deemed almost too aggressive), the hatchback, and the Camaro’s large backlight compound-curved glass, which was considered a technological achievement in its day.
Notable Power: Enter the four-cylinder. Base models made just 88 ponies with a carburetor or 92 with electronic fuel injection. V-6s and V-8s were offered, but, even at their most potent, only delivered 245 horses.
Did You Know? The 1982 model Camaro paced the Indianapolis 500 - 7/10
1996 Chevrolet Camaro SS
Fourth Generation – 1993-2002
Favorite Model? 1996 SS
Why? “It boasts a very aggressive design intended to evolve the proportion from the third-generation car with a provocative exterior and greater aerodynamic performance. It has a very sculptural form vocabulary that was definitely all-new for the Camaro.” --Kirk Bennion, Camaro Exterior Design Manager - 8/10
1996 Chevy Camaro SS
Neatest Design Element: A primary element of the car’s sleek proportion is the 68-degree fast-rake windshield, which extended the front cowl contributing to the car’s wedge shape.
Notable Power: The power is back, and the ill effects of the oil embargo finally gone. The base engine was only a 160-horse 3.4-liter V6, but that was one of the most powerful Camaro mills since the mid-seventies. However, the SS was available with a small block V-8 that developed a respectable 305 horses.
Did You Know? The SS model had been off the market for 24 years before the 1996. - 9/10
2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS
Fifth Generation – 2010-2015
Favorite Model? 2010 SS
Why? After being mothballed for the better part of a decade, Chevy brought the Camaro nameplate back in 2010 in response to the Mustang’s retro redesign in 2005. “While the iconic 1969 Camaro was the inspiration for the fifth-generation Camaro, its design had to be more than simply a 21st century update. The final design perfectly straddled that razor-sharp line between heritage and retro – and with five straight years at the top of the segment, clearly the fifth-generation Camaro connected with a whole new group of enthusiasts.” –Tom Peters, Camaro Exterior Design Director - 10/10
2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28
Neatest Design Element: Besides the attractive price, which kept the car in the wheelhouse of many past and future Camaro enthusiasts, the retro-futurist body is polarizing. It’s all about proportion and sculpture.
Notable Power: The base was equipped with a 323-horse V-6, while the SS sported a 426-horsepower V-8.
Did You Know? The 2010 Camaro in the first Transformer movie was actually a modified Pontiac GTO.
Yahoo Autos
When Ford introduced the Mustang in 1964 General Motors had no response waiting in the wings, nor was it too worried about the tiny four-seater. But when Ford sold a whopping 100,000 Mustangs in just six months, GM executives scrambled to come up with their own sporty four-seat coupe. The result: The Chevy Camaro. Today, the Camaro is a legend, an iconic muscle car known for its aggressive design and great performance.
Almost 50 years later, the sixth generation Camaro will soon be revealed. To celebrate, Chevy asked five of its designers, each of whom has contributed to the design of the car over the years, to reflect on their favorite models from the past five generations. Tell us what you think. — Chuck Tannert