Camaros Chevy History
Chevrolet’s cross-town rivals, Ford may have been the first into the pony car war but the bow-tie boys were not about to be outdone. Three years after the pony car paraded on to the scene the Camaro came out to dethrone the king. Not only in sales but also in performance, on and off the track. See, Ford had not only created a sports car sales success but also had given up on a gentleman's agreement to not race their cars - Chevy was eager to get back in the fray.
Over the course of six generations Chevy’s Camaro had duked it out with the Mustang. Not only furthering competition between brands but creating one of the biggest rivalries between fans in the whole car community. Nothing showcases this more than the best Camaros Chevy could conjure …show more content…
It was unspoken because only 69 of them were made for several reasons, the foremost being the price. At almost $7,000 the ZL-1 was absurdly expensive for the era. The other reason is because Chevy kept the option very low key and for good reasons.
The ZL-1 had an all-aluminum, 427 V8 that was derived from their Can Am racing cars; so the price increase wasn’t truly unwarranted. The block weighed 160 lbs (72.5 kg) less than the regular V8’s and produced 430 horsepower. That made it good enough for 13 second quarter-miles.
Second Generation: 1970 ½ - 1981
1970 ½ Camaro Z/28
Inspired by Ferrari’s the Camaro’s exterior design was radically different in the 1970’s. Over all, the Camaro grew larger in every dimension: weight, length, and width. Other changes were made to the suspension and steering, but in all the package was pretty much the same as …show more content…
Most of us eagerly await the foretold ZL-1 and Z/28 versions but for now the SS is a stellar performer. GM says 70% of the car is new and in total it weighs some 200 lbs (91 kg) less than its predecessor. The SS has 455-horsepower from a V8 and that makes it one of the fastest Camaros ever created. It also has a version of GM’s first 8-speed transmission that sounds like a lot of gears but assists the car to 60 mph (100 kph) in only 4 seconds flat. Add in functional aerodynamic aids like hood vents and a spoiler and you have a Camaro that feels solid at its 160 mph (257 kph) top
Over the course of six generations Chevy’s Camaro had duked it out with the Mustang. Not only furthering competition between brands but creating one of the biggest rivalries between fans in the whole car community. Nothing showcases this more than the best Camaros Chevy could conjure …show more content…
It was unspoken because only 69 of them were made for several reasons, the foremost being the price. At almost $7,000 the ZL-1 was absurdly expensive for the era. The other reason is because Chevy kept the option very low key and for good reasons.
The ZL-1 had an all-aluminum, 427 V8 that was derived from their Can Am racing cars; so the price increase wasn’t truly unwarranted. The block weighed 160 lbs (72.5 kg) less than the regular V8’s and produced 430 horsepower. That made it good enough for 13 second quarter-miles.
Second Generation: 1970 ½ - 1981
1970 ½ Camaro Z/28
Inspired by Ferrari’s the Camaro’s exterior design was radically different in the 1970’s. Over all, the Camaro grew larger in every dimension: weight, length, and width. Other changes were made to the suspension and steering, but in all the package was pretty much the same as …show more content…
Most of us eagerly await the foretold ZL-1 and Z/28 versions but for now the SS is a stellar performer. GM says 70% of the car is new and in total it weighs some 200 lbs (91 kg) less than its predecessor. The SS has 455-horsepower from a V8 and that makes it one of the fastest Camaros ever created. It also has a version of GM’s first 8-speed transmission that sounds like a lot of gears but assists the car to 60 mph (100 kph) in only 4 seconds flat. Add in functional aerodynamic aids like hood vents and a spoiler and you have a Camaro that feels solid at its 160 mph (257 kph) top