Bitchin’ Indeed: A Visual History of the Chevrolet Camaro

Apr 30, 2015 | News

The Chevrolet Camaro was a rush job, a desperate attempt by GM to meet the challenge presented by the ludicrously successful Ford Mustang.---The introduction of the Mustang in April 1964 caught virtually everyone except Ford off guard. Where was Chevy's affordable sporty car to compete with the Mustang? The rear-engine Corvair didn't really cut it and the boxy Chevy II Nova lacked sex appeal. While there had been notions advanced for producing a “Super Nova” of sorts before the Mustang debuted, it wasn't until the Mustang was a proven hit in August of 1964 that the go ahead was given to rush a comparable car into production. That's a fully developed car in Chevy showrooms by the fall of 1966—barely more than two years.---The same basic car, known within GM as the F-car, would also show up at Pontiac dealers as the Firebird. But while Pontiac would spin the car its own way, the Camaro was almost fully baked by the time the Firebird was approved for production.---While the Camaro would become the Mustang's most intense rival, its history doesn't strictly parallel that of the Ford product. And with five generations of Camaros already behind us, and a sixth on its way, that heritage is worth charting.

—–<img width="150" height="150" src="http://blog.caranddriver.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/1967-SportCoupe-n-150×150.jpg" alt="The first Camaro went on sale in September 1966 with a base price of $2466. Just over 220,000 were sold that first year compared …read more

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