The first generation Camaro created a tidal wave of interest in 1967, a big wave that has never subsided since the first one hit the public in the fall of 1966 with the new model year from Detroit.
The first Gen Camaros were the General’s front line answer to the Mustang in the Pony Wars and they were a home run with the public.
In fact, General Motors built over 200,000 Camaros each year during their three year model run and the last cars got even more popular in 1969 when they built almost 250,000 of the first-gen Camaros.
We mentioned that first-gen Camaro fever has never really been cured; in fact it is a bigger epidemic than ever in 2013 because the cars have swept up every generation of car guys since the first Camaro hit the showrooms in late 1966.
The heavy demand for these early Camaros means that you can almost build a completely new first-gen Camaro in 2013 from after-market suppliers that offer a large variety of brand new new body shells and body parts.
The cars will always attract attention on the street or at shows because so many car guys and girls have such a deep affection for the first-gen Camaros. However many Camaro owners want to take their game to an even higher level and put their personal stamp on their GM ponies.
The biggest change is usually under the hood because some owners choose to change an original six-cylinder Camaro into a barely street legal monster. The major upgrade in the horsepower department transforms the original Camaro from a Shetland pony ride into Secretariat in one giant attitude adjustment.
General Motors can offer a stunning array of horsepower choices that will take any mild-mannered Camaro and turn it into a fire-breathing monster that will offer a brief tail light-only view on the street to other Camaro drivers.
The average Camaro can also be dressed up with a few extra features like four-link suspensions and bullet-proof trannies and rear ends to handle the brute force of add-on big block torque.
Cosmetic changes like after-market hood scoops also make a Camaro stand out in a crowd of Camaros when these iconic cars hold an impromptu large family reunion at cars shows. The hood scoops are often functional because a big block Chevy requires a generous amount of air to make better explosions in the combustion chambers.
The first-Gen Chevy Camaro will always be a big man on campus at car shows with many car guys and many of these car guys will choose to make their pony stand out in a corral full of ponies.
Jim Sutherland
Here’s the link to an MSCC story about the ultimate Camaro guy.
