Despite being considered a classic car model and one of the most popular cars of all time, the Camaro name is in fact … completely meaningless. In fact, it’s just a name designed by Chevrolet, wish it had a name that started with the letter C.
Plus a bunch of other fun facts about classic American muscle cars listed in the section below.
Chevrolet Camaro was formerly known as Chevrolet Panther
In April 1965, Chevrolet revealed that it was planning to develop a Ford Mustang counterpart, codenamed Black Panther. On June 28, Chevrolet’s parent company, General Motors, held an online press conference in Detroit (Michigan, USA), announcing a new series of project vehicles called XP-836.
In keeping with Chevrolet’s long tradition, the model’s name must begin with the letter C, similar to previous models such as Corvette or Corvair. Finally, Chevrolet has announced that the new car will be named Camaro.
The second generation Camaro is inspired by… Ferrari
Chevrolet Camaro C2 is heavily influenced by the classic Ferrari Ferrari Lusso 250 GT produced in 1963. Only 350 of these units were produced worldwide.
If placed side by side, the Lusso and Camaro C2 have obvious similarities, and it is not difficult to see the lines of the 250 GT appearing on the Chevrolet Camaro.
The second generation Camaro
1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429
In the late 60s and early 70s, the NASCAR Awards reached their golden age. Manufacturers take racing very seriously, and engines with racing chassis are often too much for civilian cars. What a manufacturer needs is to sell a basic 500 car that they can then take to NASCAR.
Case in point is the Boss 429 Mustang beast. The V8, which is 429 square feet, produces 375 hp and revs up to 6,000 rpm. This is a car built for NASCAR. Currently, to own the Boss 429 Mustang, you must search and prepare to auction at least 200,000 USD.
1969 Pontiac GTO Judge
The Potiac has been recognized as part of the muscle car industry since the early 1960s. In fact, by 1964 the Pontiac GTO was widely accepted as the company’s original muscle car. By 1968, the GTO competition was so fierce that within Pontiac the idea of a cheaper version of the GTO with a small 350cc engine called the ET (Elapsed Time) came up for a suitable length of time.
1969 Pontiac GTO Judge
John DeLorean, then a director of Pontiac Corporation, didn’t like the idea. For him, the GTO could not have such a small engine. Instead, he and his teammates built a stronger-than-average GTO. DeLorean named the car the GTO Judge after watching a TV show called “Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-in.” The GTO Judge gets 360 hp from the standard Ram Air III engine, but customers can choose to upgrade to 370 hp with the Ram Air IV engine. The rarest is the GTO Judge Ram Air IV convertible – only five were produced in 1969.
Camaro used to have 7 different engine options
When the Camaro was first introduced, there were seven different engines. Most cars today only offer a maximum of 4 engine choices. One of Camaro’s special engine packs is the Z/28, and only about 600 people can own a Z/28.
This engine block was built to be a “real” competitor to the Ford Mustang. The Z/28 uses a V8 302 CID engine that produces 170 horsepower and helps the Camaro reach a top speed of 164.1 km/h. The 1979 Z/28 was a rear-wheel drive two-door coupe. To this day, the Z/28 remains one of Chevrolet’s most popular engine choices.
The camaro chevrolet line receives special attention from the inventors
Camaro has 6 styling improvements
Up to now, the model has gone through 6 generations, including one generation with 7 different engine options. In addition, the Camaro has undergone 6 styling changes.
Originally, the Camaro is a classic muscle car leaning towards European styling. The second model, born in 1970, bore a clear resemblance to the Italian Ferrari Lusso 250 GT until the model was discontinued in 2002. It was not until 2010 that the Camaro returned with the same muscle car design as the first generation.
Classic American muscle car have always been a symbol of power and engine superiority, behind it is a process of development with a series of changes and fluctuations.
