Do you love the “Super Hugger” 1970 Camaro? So do we!
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Around here, we love all Muscle Cars, and the Camaro is high on our list. The second-generation Chevrolet Camaro was first introduced in the spring of 1970.
That sure was a good-looking spring for cars! Along with the Camaro, there was the 1970 Ford Mustang, the Ford Torino, the Mercury Cougar, the Pontiac Grand Prix, Pontiac GTO, and they were also making Pontiac A-Body Convertible and the Pontiac A-Body Coupe at that time, both from 1968-1972.
The Camaro, aka the “Super Hugger,” was produced from the 1970 model year through to the 1981 model year by Chevrolet. This car was longer, lower, and wider than the first generation Camaro. People called it "a driver's car" in comparison to its predecessor, which was a convertible type.
Because the first generation Camaro was so successful, Chevrolet had a bigger budget when they worked on the 1970 Camaro. The basic unibody and mechanical layout of the new Camaro was somewhat familiar from the previous incarnation, but it was really a whole new car. The 1970 had a front subframe, A-arm and coil spring front suspension, and rear leaf springs. This car had improved performance and was definitely more comfortable.
The 1970 Camaro is a road-holding car with better steering, braking, and balance than models of earlier years, not to mention improved ride isolation and sound-proofing. It was the first Camaro with a rear stabilizer bar. It was really a great car, and it was better than later incarnations of the vehicle in so many ways, because later on, Chevrolet had to tighten up on emissions and fuel. Because of that, the 1970 model year vehicles are really the most desirable of the Camaros.
When it comes to this year of Camaro, there’s the Rally Sport option (with the distinct nose and bumper), the Super Sport, or the Z-28 Special Performance which features what was then new high-performance LT-1 360 hp (268 kW) 380 lb·ft (520 N·m) of torque 350 cu in (5.7 L) V8. Would you believe that package was originally priced at $572.95 USD? Wouldn’t that be nice! And the LT-1 engine in the 1970 Camaro Z-28 came from the Corvette. The base model features a separate bumper/grille design, the Rally Sport has a distinctive grille and round parking lights, and there are bumperettes surrounding the grille on both sides.
What a beauty. The body style with its fastback roofline and ventless full-door glass and no rear side quarter windows. In 1970, Strato bucket seats were new and all the rage, and there were bucket cushions in the back. You’ve got to love that all-vinyl upholstery and a matte black dashboard finish. There was also an optional custom interior upgrade of cloth or vinyl upholstery and woodgrain trim on the dash and console.
Did you know that 1970 was the only year not to offer a convertible option?
We had the privilege of restoring one of these terrific cars not that long ago, and we documented the before and after photos here.
What do you love about the 1970 Camaro?