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| | Camaro - History of a GM sports car | | –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– | | | | |
| 1963 airbrush rendering,Project XP-836, | |
| With the Mustang produced as a reaction to the Corvair, GM realized it had to step up the ante again, and decided to go with a model that would become the Camaro. The design of the car was turned over GM Design Center's Chevrolet Studio under the direction of Henry C. Haga. | | |
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| Cars like this were conceived since 1958, but corporate bean counters couldn't see a market for them. Though many styles were considered, the decision finally came to the basics, hardtop, and convertible. The initial name chosen for the project was XP-836, while final names considered were Nova, Panther, Chaparral, and Wildcat. In fact, the first time the Camaro was showm it had the Chaparral name tag on its front quarter. | | |
| Pre-release. Still called Chaparral | | |
| Finally, on September 26, 1966, the first Camaro came off the line. The car was released with the name it bears to this day, chosen because no one knew what it meant. Chevrolet produced an old French dictionary showing that the word meant "friend" or "companion", but Ford found an alternate meaning in an old Spanish dictionary-"a small, shrimp-like creature." The automotive press had a good laugh over that, and an even bigger one when one journalist found yet another meaning-"loose bowels." It didn't take long for the laughter to stop after the introduction of the stunning 1967 Camaro! | | |
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| The car came stock with a 6 cylinder, but a 283 was available, as was the 302, Z28 option. Transmissions were a 3 speed or 2 speed automatic, either column or floor mounted. Wheels were trimmed in either hub caps, wheel covers, or special Ralleye Wheels, found also on the Corvettes. In the following year, drive train optons were upgraded to include
396 ci engines, and 3 speed automatics. The headlight covers were converted from electric to vacuum to solve some shorting problems. The cars remain in production to this date. | |
| The 1967 Camaro, Z28 | | |
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