For the second time in its history, the Camaro is dead. Chevrolet killed the Camaro in 2002 after a 32-year run, then revived it again in 2010 only to kill it again after the 2024 model year. Rumors say it will return as an electric performance car, possibly a sedan. Only time will tell, but if it does it will need to live up to the style and performance that have made the Camaro an enthusiast favorite since 1966.
Over its lifetime, the Camaro has run through six generations, and each has produced its special models that have increased an already high baseline for performance. From the initial SS models, to the the malaise of the 1970s, to the revival of performance in the 1980s, to its return for two retro-inspired generations in the 2000s, here are the 12 best Camaros over the lifespan of this fabulous pony car.
1967 Camaro
The Camaro made its debut on Sept. 12, 1966 as a four-seat coupe and convertible. It is widely viewed as a reaction to the immensely popular Ford Mustang of 1964, but Chevrolet had been toying with the idea since 1962. The car was based on the upcoming next-generation Chevy II/Nova unibody platform with a front subframe. The 1967 Camaro’s base price was $2,466, and like the Mustang, it was a pony car with large a choice of inline 6-cylinder and V-8 engines stuffed into a compact package. The most powerful standard-line Camaro was the 325-hp SS396, but a limited number of special-order SS396s cranked out 375 hp. Chevrolet sold 220,917 Camaros that first year while Ford sold 472,121 Mustangs.
1967 Camaro Z-28
Though it wasn’t the most powerful Camaro in that first year, the Z-28 was the best handling choice. Developed to qualify the Camaro for the Sports Car Club of America’s new Trans Am class, the Z-28 featured a 302-cid V-8 that spun out 290 hp and wound to high rpms. It was essentially the 327 block with the crankshaft from the 283. The firmer F41 suspension improved handling, and exterior changes included dual hood and trunk stripes and Rally wheels on red-stripe tires. Only 602 Z-28s were built for the 1967 model year, making it a desirable collector car today. Z-28 Camaros won three of the 12 Trans Am events in 1967, just one behind the championship-winning Mustangs, but the Camaros would go on to dominate the 1968 season.
1969 Yenko/SC Camaro
Through Chevrolet’s Central Office Production Order (COPO) program, Chevrolet dealer Don Yenko ordered specially outfitted Camaros and sold them through his Pennsylvania dealership as the Yenko/SC (for “Super Camaro”). The factory-built cars featured Chevrolet’s L72 iron-block 427-cubic-inch V-8 that officially made 425 hp, though Yenko claimed 450. They also had disc brakes, positraction, a cowl-induction hood, and heavy duty suspension. The dealership added the stripes, badging, and “SYC” headrest logos. A total of 201 1969 Yenko Camaros were sold, and any remaining are quite expensive today.
1969 ZL-1 Camaro
The most powerful and rarest Camaro of the 1960s was the legendary ZL-1, which was essentially a drag race-ready factory car for the National Hot Rod Association’s Super Stock class. Available only through the COPO program, the heart of the ZL-1 was an aluminum block 427-cid V-8 racing engine that officially produced 430 hp, though actual output was likely more than 500 horses. The cars also had cold-air induction, a Harrison four-core radiator, transistorized ignition, multi-leaf rear springs, and a heavy-duty 4.10 12-bolt rear end—prime equipment for drag racing. Only 69 of these monstrously powerful Camaros were built, making the ZL-1 one of the most valuable Camaros today. The car shown here is the first one ever built, and is done up in full drag race regalia. It sold for $400,000 in 2012 at a Mecum Auction. Imagine what it would go for today.
1970 1/2 Camaro Z28
The second-generation Camaro made its debut on Feb. 26, 1970, offered only as a coupe. With styling cues from Jaguar and Ferrari, it is viewed as one of the most beautiful cars ever to come out of Detroit. The new car was longer, lower, and wider than the outgoing model, and that gave it more interior space. It handled better and rode softer, too. All the improvements inspired Road & Track magazine to call it the best American car of the day. The Z-28 package came with the 360-hp LT1 350-cubic inch V-8 from the Corvette. Car & Driver piloted a Z28 to a 0-60 mph time of just 5.8 seconds. The starting price for a V-8 Camaro was $2,726, and the Z-28 package ran another $572.95.
1987 Camaro IROC-Z
Gas shortages and government emissions regulations sapped the power from Camaros in the mid-1970s, but power returned a decade later. The Camaro IROC-Z supplanted the Z-28 as the Camaro performance leader starting in 1985, but the 1987 model was significant for two reasons. First, the 305-cubic-inch V-8 gave way to a 350-cubic-inch (5.7-liter) V-8 making an extra 10 hp for a total of 225. Second, the convertible body style returned for the first time since 1969. The 5.7 was a $1,045 option for the IROC-Z and it propelled the car to a 6.3-second 0-60 mph time. The IROC-Z was named after the International Race of Champions, which pitted star-studded drivers from all around the world in equally prepared Camaros.
2002 35th Anniversary Camaro
Dwindling demand for sporty coupes, caused in part by the proliferation of SUVs, spelled the end of the Camaro after the 2002 model year. Chevrolet gave it a proper send-off with a $2,500 Camaro 35th Anniversary Package for the SS coupe and convertible. It was offered only in red and included silver stripes with a checkered flag pattern, unique fender badges, embroidered headrest logos, and special 10-spoke wheels with machined surfaces and black accents. Motivation was provided by the LS1-V-8, now up to 325 hp. Performance was thrilling. In Motor Trend testing, the 0-60 mph run took just 5.2 seconds and the quarter mile passed in 13.5 seconds. It wasn’t enough to sustain sales, though, and the Camaro went on hiatus for eight years.
2012 Camaro ZL1
The Camaro returned for the 2010 model year as both a coupe and a convertible, and Chevrolet engineers quickly set out to develop a car worthy of the revered ZL1 designation. Under the hood, they installed the supercharged 6.2-liter LSA V-8 from the Cadillac CTS-V, here making 580 hungry horses. Other performance upgrades included big-and-bigger Goodyear Supercar tires on lightweight alloy wheels, GM’s quick-acting Magnetic Ride Control dampers, and large Brembo brakes at all four corners. In Car and Driver testing, the ZL1 rocketed from 0-60 mph in four seconds flat and posted a blazing quarter-mile time of 12.3 seconds. Priced around $57,000 (including a gas-guzzler tax), the 2012 ZL1 was the most expensive Camaro yet, but it would be surpassed by a healthy sum two years later.
2013 Camaro 1LE
When it returned as a 2010 model, the Camaro didn’t ride or handle all that well. However, Chevrolet made continuous improvements, and the 1LE package of 2013 was the result of much of that work. Inspired by a little-known race-ready package from the late 1980s, 1LE was a $3,500 option package for the Camaro SS. In came with the sticky front tires and lightweight front wheels from the ZL1 (though here at all four corners), thicker front and rear stabilizer bars, monotube rear shocks, a front strut tower brace, a high-capacity fuel pump, and a short-throw shifter. Cosmetic changes included a flat black wrap for the hood, a black rear spoiler, a black front splitter, and a steering wheel with V-shaped spokes. Reasonably priced, 1LE turned the Camaro into the best handling pony car under $40,000.
2014 Camaro Z/28
With a midcycle design refresh came what turned out to be the best handling Camaro yet. That’s because this car was outfitted with track-focused equipment. The revived Camaro Z/28 featured the suspension tweaks employed by the Camaro 1LE package, but with stiffer shocks, thicker anti-roll bars, unique monotube shocks, and even lighter 19-inch wheels and tires. Weight was down 300 pounds compared to the ZL1 performance king, and a body kit improved downforce. The big track enablers, however, were the Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tires, which were basically street-legal racing tires, and the standard carbon-ceramic brakes. Of course, the 7.0-liter, 505-hp V-8 from the Corvette Z06 also contributed to the exploits of this track athlete. The 0-60 mph sprint took 4.4 seconds, and the quarter-mile time was 12.7 seconds. That meant the Z/28 wasn’t as fast the ZL1 in a straight line, but it was quicker around a track thanks to all that grip and the big brakes. It cost more, too, with a hefty $76,000 price tag.
2017 Camaro SS 1LE
Chevrolet redesigned the Camaro for the 2016 model year. A new platform derived from the Cadillac ATS stiffened the body and cut weight by at least 223 pounds. The sublimely tuned electric power steering made turning the wheel a joy, and the Corvette-sourced LT1 V-8 provided performance figures that were only possible with specialty engines in previous Camaros. It spun out 455 hp in the SS model, which enabled a 0-60 mph time around four seconds and a quarter-mile time in the low 12s. The SS really came into its own, though, for the 2017 model year when Chevrolet added the SS 1LE package. It came with wonderful magnetic dampers, an electronic limited-slip differential, Brembo brakes with 6-piston calipers and 14.6-inch two-piece rotors, Recaro bucket seats, and most importantly for track runs, extra cooling for the oil, differential, and transmission. We liked the redesigned Camaro so much that we named the SS the Motor Authority Best Car To Buy 2016, and it only got more robust, more agile, and quicker as the 2017 Camaro SS 1LE.
2017 Camaro ZL1
Chevrolet saved its best for last. The pinnacle of Camaro performance arrived with the 2017 Camaro ZL1. It featured a supercharged 6.2-liter LT4 V-8 that that made a whopping 650 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque, cut the 0-60 mph time to 3.5 seconds, lowered the quarter-mile time to 11.4 seconds, and raised the top speed to 198 mph. It came with a slick-shifting 6-speed manual transmission or a 10-speed automatic with rev-matched downshifts. Not only was it scary fast, but it was also sure-footed on its 285/30R20 front and 305/30R20 rear Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires. Its suspension had all the upgrades of the SS’s 1LE package, plus additional heat exchangers (11 total) and larger 15.35-inch two-piece front rotors. Those who wanted something even more hardcore could opt for the ZL1 1LE package, which substituted in Multimatic DSSV dampers with adjustable ride-height front struts and Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3R tires (305s up front and 325s in the back). This ultimate track performer also benefitted from a lighter rear seat, larger grille openings for more airflow, front dive planes and a carbon-fiber rear wing for more downforce, and an aluminum hood with a carbon-fiber insert.
High-Res Gallery: 1967 Camaro RS
This article was originally published by Motor Authority, an editorial partner of ClassicCars.com
Source: www.classiccars.com