The Complete History of the Chevrolet Camaro

The pony car market has always been an extremely competitive part of automotive culture, filled with ups and downs, based on consumer demand for fun, but attainable, cars. After watching the successes of another American car company, Chevrolet launched its counter with the Chevrolet Camaro, a long-hooded 2+2 that stood out as soon as it hit the market. Since the car's introduction, it has seen five generations, many refreshed exteriors and various versions of V6 and V8 engines. The most recent model came this past month, when Chevy launched a reworked fifth-generation that brings the Z/28 (with the slash!) back with it. Learn about the heritage upon which this new model is based with The Complete History of the Chevrolet Camaro.

Related: The Complete History of the Chevrolet Impala

In its sophomore year, the Camaro saw a few minor aesthetic changes. Per government regulations, side marker lights were placed on the front and rear fenders. Chevy also got rid of the side vent windows, put a little bit of separation between the lamps in the taillight units, and pointed the grille a bit more. This car saw success in sales and on the track, as well, winning the Trans-Am championship that year. The car's 396-cu-in big-block V8 was available in 325-, 350, and 375-horsepower levels. You knew an SS was coming at you by its signature bumblebee stripe on the front.

Sales numbers really jumped up in '69, with the Camaro pushing 243,085 units off the lots. Part of the success was due to the refreshed styling, which saw skinnier three-block taillights, two large round headlights pushed all the way to the sides of the grille, a pointier front fascia, and slightly reworked body panels. If the buyer chose the RS trim, the headlights were made flush with the grille, and three stacked slits covered the lights. This was also the first year that variable-ratio power steering became an option. SS trims offered a 300hp 350 V8 or a 375hp 396. Largely considered one of the most beautiful cars of all time, the '69 would later provide direct inspiration for the fifth-gen Camaros.

It only took three years before Chevrolet decided it needed to completely redesign its pony car. The redesigned '70, the first of the second generation had a much more European feel, drawing some comparisons to cars like the Ferrari 250GT Berlinetta Lusso. Although the hood remained extremely long, it was no longer flat. The headlights were worked into the front body panels with large individual bulges, and the grille was much smaller in width, sculpting its way into the hood for a bit of a scoop look. The car also had a "chin" beneath the front end of the car and an integrated rear spoiler, both of which created downforce. The convertible model was cut out from the lineup, and the Z28 no longer had the slash in its name. Designers caught a lot of flack for the car's vulnerable front end, but there was no question this was one of the most gorgeous cars in the world, at the time.

Although the '71 model year now had standard features like the power front disc brakes and defroster and the option of a vinyl top, performance numbers took a bit of a hit. The six-cylinder went down 10 horses, the Z28 350 V8 dropped 30, and the hefty 396 lost a whopping 50 horses. This was due to lowered compression ratios. Chevy sales also took hits from a two-month corporate strike and hesitation to buy pony cars due to high insurance rates.

The Camaro took another hit in '72, when a workers at the Norwood, OH plant were on strike for six months, halting production and causing Chevrolet to scrap thousands of partially built cars due to the fact that the builds wouldn't meet government regulations for '73. The tough times put Chevy in a hard situation, and a few considered ending the run of the pony car. Lucky for everybody, they were convinced otherwise behind the idea of how strong the car's following was. This was the final year of the SS 396 and 350 models, and power ratings dropped immensly once the governmen switched from gross to net ratings. This meant the power numbers were based on an engine in a real functioning vehicle. That put the 396/402 at 240 net horsepower compared to 300 the year before.

Federal regulations were really dropping the hammer at this point, and the car's design reflected that. New in '73 were impact-absorbing bumpers that were supposed to withstand 5mph hits with ease. This was the last year you saw the two side chrome bumpers with the open-mouthed grill in the front. Engine options continued to suffer, as the 6.5L V8 wasn't available anymore. The top option, the 5.7L V8 in the Z28 only pushed out 245 horses. The engine also switched from solid-lifters to hydraulic tappets.

Enter the full-length bumper. The redesigned Camaro no longer had the dramatic nose that made it so strikingly European before. Instead, it had a strip of aluminum across the entire front end, a feature required to meet goverment safety standards. This was met by a ramped grille that sloped up toward the hood. The tail saw a new look, as well, saying good bye to the round separated lamps and hello to blocks that wrapped around the rear body panel. The LT (Luxury Touring) trim was introduced this year, as consumers looked for more luxury in the cars they were purchasing.

Aside from Chevy dropping the Z28 trim, the biggest change in the Camaro this year was the new wrap-around rear window. No longer was there an awkward and chunky pillar. The new look created a much more fluent and smoother appeal. A catalytic converter was also added to the '75 model. After Ford had downsized the Mustang and Chrysler got rid of the Barracuda and Challenger, the Camaro and the Firebird were the only traditional pony cars left on the market.

Chevy engineers were doing everything they could, at this point, to squeeze as much horsepower as they could while staying under the frustrating new emission restrictions. A new a new 305-cu-in V8 for the Type LT posted 140 horses while the optional 350 V8 was able to muster 165. New options included 10 new paint schemes and a vinyl roof.

After a two year absence, Chevy decided to bring back the Z28 trim. The revived model had a stiffer suspension, painted rally wheels, bigger tires, more reactive steering, a large spoiler, graphics, and a dual-resonator exhaust system. Under the hood was a 350 V8 that produced 185 horsepower. At this point, most cars were being sold with air conditioning and automatic transmissions, but there was still the option for a Borg-Warner Super T-10 4-speed manual transmission. At

The car again got new urethane front and rear bumpers, this time in painted colors that matched the body of the vehicle. A revised hood scoop made its first apperance, as did T-Tops after success on the Trans Am model. Still offered in Standard, Type LT, Rally Sport, and Z28 trims, the Camaro had its best-selling year to date, posting 272,631 units.

The Type LT was no longer. Chevrolet (remember how we said they took inspiration from Europe?) incorporated the Berlinetta name into the Camaro lineup, a name it used until '86, as a luxury model. The instrument dashboard was redesigned with a new flatter apperance, rather than the wrap-around look it had before. Chevy also gave the Z28 a bit more jazz with a front spoiler and fender flares.

In 1980, Chevrolet said goodbye to the old 250 inline-six and replaced it with a 3.8L V6. They also made the 350 cu-in, 5.7L V8 exclusive to the Z28, which had new graphics this year, different side scoops, and gray five-spoke rims.

Sales took a fall in the '80 and '81 model years, as Chevy was already looking ahead to the next generation of Camaros. By '81, the car was only available in standard, Berlinetta and Z28 trims. The Z28, however, was not the most powerful machine, as horsepower from its 350 V8 dropped from 190 to 165.

Voila! A new Camaro is born. Chevrolet ditched the emission and safety version of its European-styled beauty and came back with a new boxy, beefy look. The '82 model did away with the bulging headlights and wavy nose and brought in a flat, slanted look that included recessed rectangular headlights and an overall angular front end. The rear didn't get a huge change, but the lights were bulkier and taller. Under the body, Chevy gave the car a new front MacPherson strut suspension with rear coil springs to replace the leaf springs it was using before. Designers crafted the body as the most aerodynamic car GM's ever created, with a .368 drag coefficient. Good thing, too, because the standard engine was a 2.5L four-cylinder that produced just 90 horses.

Chevy introduced an all-new engine to the Camaro lineup in '83. A 5.0L L69 V8, which produced 190 hp was brought in in April of that year and was only available with a manual trans. A Borg-Warner five-speed also replaced the four-speed trans and a four-speed automatic transmission with overdrive replaced the three-speed auto.

The instruments and guage clusters were upgraded in the Camaros for the '84 model year. In the Berlinetta, digital readers were used for the first time, showing your speed and how many miles the car had. The look was overall much more modern and clean. Additionally, the LU5 305 Cross Fire V8 was dropped from the lineup.

1985: The year the IROC-Z was born. Created when the car was chosen for the International Race of Champions, Chevy put out a special model that held a 215hp, 5.7-liter 350 V8. Styling included a specialized front fascia, bigger side skirts, and 16-inch alloy wheels. To this day, IROCs are one of the most sought-after Camaros.

This year was unique thanks to the Center High Mounted Stop Lamp (CHMSL) that was installed on the rear hatch of the car to meet federal mandates. The standard models also received newly refined exhaust systems.

As Chevy continued to develop the IROC-Z, pushing it to 225 horsepower in '87 (0-60 in 6.5 seconds), the manufacturer also made a smart move by cutting out the slowing Berlinetta and bringing back the convertible for the first time since 1969. This marked 20 years for the Camaro, and so, the convertibles were actually considered special editions and received specific badging on the cars.

Because the IROC-Z had moved into town, the Z28 was completely phased out. Base models benefitted from the move, as they received the 15-inch wheels and ground effects that were previously on the Z28 model. For the IROC-Zs, a 1LE road racing package provided oversize disc brakes, an aluminum driveshaft and a tuned suspension. Coupled with the 5.0 and 5.7L, this thing could destroy.

In 1989, Chevrolet dropped the "Sport Coupe" name, brought out the RS, and fitted it with either a V6 or a throttle-body-injected 5.0L V8. Its trim package was basically a copy of the IROC-Z. Camaros also took technology from the Corvette this year, adopting the VATS/PassKey security system.

1990 was a sad year for Chevy fans of all models, as Dodge took over sponsorship of the International Race of Champions. That meant this was the final year of the IROC-Z, as Chevy no longer had rights to the name. Also notable that year was the increase of the V6 to 3.1 liters instead of 2.8 (an increase of five horsepower) and the integration of driver-side airbags into all models.

IROC-Z out, Z28 back in. The sportiest version of the Camaro had a 245hp 5.7L TPI V8. It also got a large rear wing, side scoops, five-spoke wheels, and slightly reworked exterior trim. This is also the year the Camaro went to the dark side with the Camaro B4C pursuit vehicle, a vehicle for the police force.

As the final models of the third generation, each and every Camaro from this year has a 25th Anniversary badge on it, celebrating 25 years of production. A "Heritage Package" was also introduced to the lineup with new graphics and rally stripes. This was the final year Camaros were produced in not only Van Nuys, CA, but in the U.S.

The first year of the fourth-generation showed off a new design direction, as the car was sleek, smooth, and extremely streamlined as apposed to the boxier, more cut third generation. Although the headlights retained their recessed square look, the rear lamps were redone, going from cubed polygons that bled into the rear panel (a styling cue heavily used these days) to slim, rounded ovals. This model was originally only offered as a coupe, with the Z28 holding the 275hp LT-1 smallblock V8 from the previous year. It also became the fourth Camaro to pace the Indianapolis 500. The front and rear fascias were made of plastic, while the doors, roof and rear hatch were made from sheet-molded compound plastic. Because of its bigger size however, the car was till much heavier than the previous generation. Chevy carried over the solid axle in the rear, however a new rack-and-pinion steering system up front was a major upgrade.

After a year of selling just coupes, the convertible returned to the lineup in '94. This helped Chevy overcome a rough sales year in '93 by tripling the amount of cars sold. The future again looked promising, despite some push back from people on the addition of a Computer Aided Gear Selection option on the manuals.

As '95 rolled around, restrictions on emissions were tightening up, and this was the final year we would see the 3.4L, 207-cu-in V6 engine. After General Motors moved the production of this car to the Sainte Therese factory near Montreal, Quebec, in '93, the quality control of the Camaro was amped up. The Camaro started to be known for not only its impressive performance but also for its solid structure. At this point, Chevrolet sold 122,738 units.

Ninety-six was all about the slight upgrades. Previously seen in '92, the Rally Sport trim, which gave the car a new front air dam and rocker panel extensions. The V6 engine was bumped up from a 3.4L engine to one which was 3.8L and produced 200 horsepower. A special edition white and orange F1 Z28 with a 300hp V8 and a 305hp SS were also made available this year. The SS, which hadn't been seen since the early '70s was built in cooperation with a company called Street Legal Performance, which used forced-air induction on the current Z28 models to boost power.

1997 marked 30 glorious years of the Chevrolet Camaro, and the celebration came in the form of a special edition car modeled after the Brickyard 400 pace car. The white and orange package came on the Z28 and SS and had white and black checkered houndstooth interior. New tri-colored taillights were also incorporated into all models and would remain so until the final year of the generation in 2002.

Chevrolet did away with the remaining boxiness in 1998. The redesigned nose featured smoother, almost peanut-like headlights that blended into the sloping fascia. Turn signals and fog lamps also fit in nicely directly under the new headlights, separated by a slightly bigger and more rounded grille. Five-spoke aluminum wheels completed the new package. Under the hood, the Chevy got rid of the 285hp V8 and replaced it with a 305hp version of the Corvette's aluminum LS1 V8 in the Z28 and a 320hp version in the SS.

The car saw only minor changes in '99. New colors were offered (brought the Hugger orange back!), and the fuel tank capacity was bumped up to 16.8 gallons. Buyers could now add traction control for V6 models, and an oil light was added to the instrument cluster.

The Camaro was having a bit of an issue selling at this point in its life. Once again, there were no major changes. Coupes and convertibles were still offered for standard, Z28 and SS models. The 3.8-liter V6 produced 200 horsepower, while the 5.7-liter V8 in the SS pumped out 320.

2001 was the lowest production year ever for the Camaro with only 29,009 built. Z28 and SS models got a new intake manifold and an altered camshaft. The Z28 now had 310 horsepower and the SS had 325. The production was stopped short in part in preparation for creating the upcoming 35th Anniversary model.

In the final model year before Chevy killed the Camaro, the company created the 35th Anniversary Editions, which were convertibles that had bright red paint with white checkered flag decals and silver rims with black inserts.

After 35 straight years of Camaros rolling off the line, Chevy pressed the giant red stop button in 2002. The current F-Body platform that the car was based on was phased out, and at the time, demand for this type of sports coupe was at a low. Lucky for enthusiasts, it wasn't long before designers Tom Peters and Bob Boniface went back to the drawing board in '05. In January of '06, a new concept, which paid homage to the first-generation Camaro, was launched at the Detroit International Motor Show. The two-door, four-seat, rear-wheel coupe housed a 6.0L, 366-cu-in LS2 V8 that produced 400 horsepower and was linked with a T-56 six-speed manual trans. Exactly one year later, the convertible model, sporting a sleek Hugger orange paint job with dark gray racing stripes also showed its face for the first time in Detroit, with the main differences coming on the rear fenders and a reworked interior.

The second year of the new generation was the year of the convertible. The wildy popular open-air car went into production in late January and hit showrooms in February with base and SS options. The coupe model's V6 saw an increase in horsepower from 304 to 312, while a head-up display became available for the 2LT and 2SS trims.

In the '12 model year, Chevrolet brought out the ZL1 trim. The legendary level is powered by a tuned supercharged 6.2L V8 that was used in both the Cadillac CTS-V and the Corvette ZR1. At a ridiculous 580 horsepower, it was the most powerful Camaro ever made, and added adaptive suspension dampers, Brembo brakes, and a dual-mode exhaust made it incredibly quick. The lower trim levels were also improved. Horsepower in the V6 was bumped again to 323 and received a reworked instrument panel. The SS was given a more sporty suspension and all camaros adapted the RS styling of dark tailights and chrome trim.

The current model year didn't bring on too many big changes. The MyLink touchscreen audio system was integrated in LT, SS and ZL1 models, and hill-start assist is now standard on all manual models. The biggest attraction is the Hot Wheels Camaro, which was introduced at this past year's SEMA show. The Hot Wheels car basically adds all the features of the ZL1, like the ground effects package, and some flame logos to the 2LT and 2SS models.