The Chevrolet Camaro hit the scene in the USA in 1966. General Motors, Chevrolet’s owners, felt the need to produce a car to provide much needed competition to the market controlling Ford Mustang. The 1967 Camaro shared a body and many main components from the Pontiac Firebird (another General Motors off-shoot), and so the speed and cost needed to build the Camaro were greatly reduced.
Called a a muscle car, or a ‘Pony’ car, a name which back then referred to compact vehicles that were both affordable and had a sports car feel about their looks (a trend started by the Ford Mustang in 1964), the Camaro lined up next to an ever growing pool of vehicles that were fighting for an ever increasing demand. American buyers loved the engine, the sports feel and the low cost of the vehicles and the ever increasing sales guaranteed that many car builders put out their own versions out as quickly they could.
The 1970’s and 80’s saw the car’s best days, when the car was wanted by millions of buyers, not just in the USA but across the globe. The mix of looks, power and numerous TV shows using pony cars contributed to a massive market, and the desire for people to own one never went away.
Five distinct generations of the Camaro have been developed. Generations one to four were developed between 1966 and 2002 (when producing of the Camaro ceased), and production of the fifth generation Camaro began once more in 2009 and against strong opposition to such environmentally unfriendly muscle vehicles from environmental campaigners, the Camaro has proved itself to once again be a big success with the North American public.
The car has a huge fan base with many folks owing every version of the Camaro at some point and others holding on to original 1960’s variations and maintaining them in pristine condition.
The car was always a favourite car for improving through the cars lifetime, with many owners spending time and lots of money adding high performance parts to improve their car’s style and performance. The car’s have also been very strong in racing winning many Trans-Am series titles and lots other races and championships through its years. Many motor racing enthusiasts still use old generation Camaro’s even now and are still successful, winning when against much more modern cars.
The Camaro is still going strong today, and with its history, performance and great style from the fifth incarnation, the car is bound to be with us for years to come.
Find out all the latest news and info on the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 and other Concept Cars.
