Part of our Most Sought After Muscle Cars Series
Sure, there are six generations of Camaros, but when it comes to the really beautiful cars, it’s the first-generation Camaros that we’re talking about. The Camaro is a car that has come in many different variations. Some of the models would be classified as more of a pony car rather than a muscle car; affordable, compact, highly styled, sporty, and performance-oriented. And then there are the truly powerful muscle cars. These are the ones that we love here at Wasatch Customs.
Chevrolet first created the Camaro to compete with the Ford Mustang, code-named Panther. Wikipedia tells a funny story about how Chevrolet approached the new vehicle in the press.
On June 21, 1966, around 200 automotive journalists received a telegram from General Motors stating, "...please save noon of June 28 for important SEPAW meeting. Hope you can be on hand to help scratch a cat. Details will follow...(signed) John L. Cutter – Chevrolet public relations – SEPAW secretary." The following day, the same journalists received another General Motors telegram stating, "Society for the Eradication of Panthers from the Automotive World will hold first and last meeting on June 28...(signed) John L. Cutter – Chevrolet public relations SEPAW secretary." These telegrams puzzled the automotive journalists. *
The specific Camaro that we’d really like to take a look at is the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1/Z-28/SS Coupe (1967-1969). When flashing back to 1967, the Camaro Z-28 was definitely at the top. This was a car made for road racing! It had a 4.9-liter and a four-speed manual gearbox. The brakes were in the front for very precise driving, though it did take an experienced driver to really master those front-end brakes.
When it comes to rare and beloved muscle cars, the 1969 ZL1 is definitely one of the hardest to come by. It hit a top speed of 125 miles per hour, hitting 60 in about 5.3 seconds and a quarter-mile in 13.16 seconds. With 500 horses in an aluminum V-8 engine and only 69 models made, this car is worth upwards of $90K today with top collectors.
Did you know that the word “Camaro” is slang for the words friend, pal, or comrade? If you’re lucky enough to own a Camaro, I’m sure that you have warm and friendly feelings towards your automobile. While the first-generation vehicles are closest to our hearts, all six generations have a lot of history and merit. Chevrolet’s Camaro is definitely a series of cars to go down in the history books.
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* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Camaro