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1st Generation Camaro
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Published: October 9, 2006
Ford's introduction of the Mustang in 1964 and its following success in sales made General Motors realize they would need a pony car to compete with this new line. Competition between the car-making juggernauts had been commonplace. As the Mustang was based on the design of Chevrolet's Corvair, the 1st generation Camaro would be GM's response to the Mustang.
Whether the Camaro was based on the upcoming '68 redesign of the Chevy II, the Nova, or whether the Nova was based on the Camaro is not clearly known. Rumor has it, some such four seated sports car had been in the works by GM since 1958. The fact that there was "really no corporate interest" in developing such a car as stated by Pontiac Designer Bob Porter soon changed when Ford pushed 100,000 Mustangs in its first six months and nearly half a million in the first year.
Design of GM's 1st generation Camaro, the answer to the Ford Mustang, was given to Henry C. Haga and others at the GM Design Center's Chevrolet Studio. The interior design was in the reins of George Angersbach, who was also involved in the design of the Corvette, Corvair, and Chevy II. The traditional unibody design of most cars was modified on the Camaro. From the windshield and firewall forward, the 1st generation Camaro was built with a subframe and separate suspension for both wheels. This gave the car a smoother ride while maximizing interior and luggage space within the car.
With the variety of engines to go with the car, GM brainstormed many different models for the 1st generation Camaro including a two-seat roadster, a fastback and a station wagon. The models were truncated to only two types: a coupe and a convertible. This was done to save costs while competing with the Mustang and as pre-emptive damage control in case the car was a failure. The 1st generation car was un-named almost right up until its release. Its various potential names included the Nova, the Panther, the Chaparral and the Wildcat. When the name Camaro was definitively selected, car companies sought to learn what the name actually meant. Since no one knew, GM released that they found in an old French dictionary the word meant "friend" or "companion." Of course, Ford found a different meaning in an old Spanish dictionary that said it meant "a small, shrimp-like creature."
The 1st generation 1967 Camaro, when released, would have six different engine options, ranging from a 230 cubic-inch V6 to a 396 cubic-inch big-block V8. There were also different packages available, including the Rally Sport (RS) with a different interior, the high-performance Super Sport (SS) with better suspension and tires and the rarely spoken-of Z-28 that had different engine options.
Changes between the '67 and '68 Camaros cosmetically included the loss of side vent wing widows, the addition of federally mandated side marker lights, and a revised base grille. Mechanically, the rear suspension was staggered in order to counteract wheel hop under heavy acceleration and some new engine options were added.
The last of the 1st generation, the '69 Camaro was cosmetically tinkered with in various ways, including the fenders, the door skins, the rear quarter-panels, grille, taillights, a better dashboard and more comfortable seats. Engine options for the '69 Camaro were even more varied. Confusion comes when separating the last of the 1st generation Camaros with 2nd generation Camaros since the true 1970 Camaros weren't sold until mid 1970 while some later '69 Camaros were called '70 Camaros. To figure out what year your car is, look for the VIN number and check out a site like the Holistic Camaro Page's VIN list at http://www.holisticpage.com/camaro/goodies/vindate .htm or take your car to a local Chevrolet dealer and test their knowledge of the 1st Generation Camaros!
Huffman, John Pearley. "Generations." Edmunds.com. 16 June 2003. Inside Line. 9 Oct. 2006
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/ar ticleId=66170.
Musclecarclub.com - Muscle Cars - Chevrolet Camaro. 2006. Musclecarclub.com. 9 Oct. 2006 http://www.musclecarclub.com/musclecars/chevrolet- camaro/chevrolet-camaro.shtml.
The Story. 8 Aug. 2006. The Camaro Homepage. 9 Oct. 2006 http://www.holisticpage.com/camaro/story_fs.htm.
Design of GM's 1st generation Camaro, the answer to the Ford Mustang, was given to Henry C. Haga and others at the GM Design Center's Chevrolet Studio. The interior design was in the reins of George Angersbach, who was also involved in the design of the Corvette, Corvair, and Chevy II. The traditional unibody design of most cars was modified on the Camaro. From the windshield and firewall forward, the 1st generation Camaro was built with a subframe and separate suspension for both wheels. This gave the car a smoother ride while maximizing interior and luggage space within the car.
With the variety of engines to go with the car, GM brainstormed many different models for the 1st generation Camaro including a two-seat roadster, a fastback and a station wagon. The models were truncated to only two types: a coupe and a convertible. This was done to save costs while competing with the Mustang and as pre-emptive damage control in case the car was a failure. The 1st generation car was un-named almost right up until its release. Its various potential names included the Nova, the Panther, the Chaparral and the Wildcat. When the name Camaro was definitively selected, car companies sought to learn what the name actually meant. Since no one knew, GM released that they found in an old French dictionary the word meant "friend" or "companion." Of course, Ford found a different meaning in an old Spanish dictionary that said it meant "a small, shrimp-like creature."
The 1st generation 1967 Camaro, when released, would have six different engine options, ranging from a 230 cubic-inch V6 to a 396 cubic-inch big-block V8. There were also different packages available, including the Rally Sport (RS) with a different interior, the high-performance Super Sport (SS) with better suspension and tires and the rarely spoken-of Z-28 that had different engine options.
Changes between the '67 and '68 Camaros cosmetically included the loss of side vent wing widows, the addition of federally mandated side marker lights, and a revised base grille. Mechanically, the rear suspension was staggered in order to counteract wheel hop under heavy acceleration and some new engine options were added.
The last of the 1st generation, the '69 Camaro was cosmetically tinkered with in various ways, including the fenders, the door skins, the rear quarter-panels, grille, taillights, a better dashboard and more comfortable seats. Engine options for the '69 Camaro were even more varied. Confusion comes when separating the last of the 1st generation Camaros with 2nd generation Camaros since the true 1970 Camaros weren't sold until mid 1970 while some later '69 Camaros were called '70 Camaros. To figure out what year your car is, look for the VIN number and check out a site like the Holistic Camaro Page's VIN list at http://www.holisticpage.com/camaro/goodies/vindate .htm or take your car to a local Chevrolet dealer and test their knowledge of the 1st Generation Camaros!
Huffman, John Pearley. "Generations." Edmunds.com. 16 June 2003. Inside Line. 9 Oct. 2006
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/ar ticleId=66170.
Musclecarclub.com - Muscle Cars - Chevrolet Camaro. 2006. Musclecarclub.com. 9 Oct. 2006 http://www.musclecarclub.com/musclecars/chevrolet- camaro/chevrolet-camaro.shtml.
The Story. 8 Aug. 2006. The Camaro Homepage. 9 Oct. 2006 http://www.holisticpage.com/camaro/story_fs.htm.
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