VINTAGE
1967-1969
Chevrolet Camaro

With the automotive world getting understandably giddy over Chevy's new Camaro concept, it seems like a good time to revisit the car that inspired it -- the first-gen F-body design, introduced for 1967. Take a look:

Quick take

WHAT'S GOOD
Clean Bill-Mitchell-era styling that still looks sweet, generous room for big-block V8s, practically unlimited aftermarket support.

WHAT'S BAD
Same dollar-store equipment that plagues most late-'60s musclecars -- thin plastic interiors, crude live-axle rear suspension, weak brakes.

BEST REGULAR-PRODUCTION VERSIONS
Super Sport with optional 396-ci big-block V8, or Z-28

RARE STUFF
Indy 500 Pace Car editions, '67 Z-28, and special-order '69 ZL1 "COPO" version with 427-ci aluminum big-block V8.

origins

Kicked by the horse
Yep -- history always seems to repeat. Just as today's Camaro concept is an answer to a wildly successful Ford Mustang, so it was during the first Camaro's development.

Okay, granted Chevy was already thinking of doing its own sporty coupe when Ford was cooking up the Mustang. But it took 120,000 or so Mustangs to be sold in just four months to actually push the Bow-Tie guys into action. (At first they honestly thought their quirky rear-engine Corvair might do the trick -- ha ha!)

Having had their collective rear-end handed to them by Henry Ford II and Lee Iacocca's Mustang, Chevy in August 1964 initiated a crash program to build a sporty 2+2 that was more conventional than the Corvair, one which could accept a wide array of different engines and options. To save money, General Motors' bean counters decreed that Chevy's new ponycar had to share most of its major components with the redesigned Chevy II (Nova) compact that would debut for '68.

Plow-horse genes, thoroughbred offspring
The resulting Camaro was a trim, sporty design, built on a platform that was sort of a unibody hybrid -- unit construction from the firewall back, with a hefty bolt-on subframe carrying the engine and front suspension.

Coupe and convertible body styles were offered, in base and high-performance Super Sport versions. Available on any Camaro was the attractive Rally Sport trim package -- immediately identifiable by its very cool hidden headlamps.

Drivetrains basically mirrored those of Camaro's midsize sibling, Chevelle -- anything from a pokey 140-hp 230-ci inline six, to a wicked 375-hp 396-ci big-block V8.

Strong introduction, changes along the way
Camaro made its debut in late September, 1966, as a '67 model. In January 1967, Chevy introduced the legendary Z-28, aimed at competing in the Sports Car Club of America's new Trans-Am road-racing series.

Among the Z-28's goodies were upgraded suspension and twin racing stripes. But the real heart of the Z-28 was its 302-ci small-block V8. Most experts estimate its output to be at least 350, maybe even 400 hp -- contrary to the almost laughable 290-hp rating Chevy gave it.

For 1968, Camaro got only minor changes, followed by an extensive facelift for '69. Although Camaro sales never surpassed Mustang's during this period, Chevy's ponycar nonetheless sold well and posed a serious threat to the Blue Oval throughout.

After three quick model years, the original Camaro design was replaced by an all-new one in Spring, 1970. That basic version stayed in production until approximately one year short of eternity (1981).

We can only imagine what might have happened if the way-cooler first generation Camaro had such a run. Sigh.

trivia for impressing your friends

Chevy's ponycar went by the name "Panther," until it got an abrupt name change to Camaro just months before production.

The Z-28 got its name from the otherwise meaningless Chevy option code it was cataloged under.

Camaro was one of the first GM cars to be designed with the benefit of wind-tunnel testing.

YEAR-TO-YEAR CHANGES

1967
Introduced in September, 1966. Powered by 230-ci and optional 250-ci inline sixes, or a wide range of available V8s: 327-, 350-, and 396-ci versions, each offered in several horsepower ratings.

1968
Got minor exterior revisions, including side marker lights, a vertical bright-metal division in each taillight, and elimination of the side-window vent wings. Mechanical changes were also relatively small, including a new 350-hp version of the 396 V8, and multi-leaf instead of monoleaf rear springs.

1969
Received an extensive facelift, which included a deeply vee'd grille, less-round wheel openings, more shallow fender arches, and simulated vents in front of the rear wheels. Z-28s got the now widely-aped rear-facing "cowl-induction" hoodscoop. Mechanically, the biggest change was the introduction of the 307-ci engine. It became the new base V8, slotting between the 250-ci six and the 327-ci V8. Introduction of the first-gen's successor was delayed until Spring, 1970, making 1969 a long model year for Camaro.