Camaro:  The First Five Generations

 The Chevrolet Camaro is one of the most coveted of American-made muscle cars. In 1967, the Camaro was considered General Motor's answer to the Ford Mustang. As the Camaro developed though the decades, and became reincarnated with the car's fifth generation, it remains one of the mainstays in the domestic muscle car market.

Birth of the Camaro – First Generation:   1967- 1969

The first Chevrolet Camaro became available in 1967 for a suggested sales price of $2,466. The original body style was based on Chevy's revamped Nova. However, the newly created Camaro was stockier and more robust than the Nova. Under the hood of the Camaro's unibody structure was Chevy's 230-cubic inch straight-six engine and a three-speed manual transmission.
Chevy offered the Camaro with two trim packages, the Rally Sport, which was centered on appearance, and the Super Sport, which was based on performance. The two could also be ordered together to make the Camaro RS/SS.

Second Generation:  1970-1981

In 1970, the second-generation of the Camaro was born. The second generation was still based on the Nova, but it was bigger and heavier than the earlier model. It was no longer available as a convertible. While Chevy built up the horsepower in the earlier version of the Camaro, new government regulations caused Chevy to decrease the Camaro's horsepower. Chevy dropped its new 360-horsepower, 350 LT-1 engine in some versions of the second generation.

 The Camaro exterior change, with bigger bumpers and a new plastic nose to comply with new safety regulations. Also, in 1973 the Type LT became available, which offered a luxurious interior and standard V-8 engine. In 1974, the Rally Sport package made way for Camaro's Berlinetta. The sporty and powerful Camaro Z28 also debuted.

Technology cause the end of the second generation as on-board engine control computers made way for the next generation of this muscle car.

Third Generation:  1982 - 1993

The third generation of Camaros made way for an all-new Camaro. The slightly smaller Camaros were the first with factory installed fuel injection. Some of these new Camaros were installed with four-speed automatic transmissions and four-cylinder engines. The great horsepower generated by past incarnations was subdued a bit during these years. The Camaro was available in three styles: Sport Coupe, Berlinetta and Z28.

In 1985, Chevrolet launched the Camaro IROC-Z, which was named after the International Race of Champions, a contest that features Camaros. The IROC featured unique graphics and bigger wheels. The big improvement came with the IROC's tuned port Injection that produced a flexible 215 horsepower.

In 1987, the Type LT replaced the Berlinetta model and also was available as a convertible.

Chevy ended the IROC with the 1990 model year, after Dodge became the sponsor of the International Race of Champions. In 1992, the third generation of the Camaro had run its course.

The Fourth Generation: 1993-2002

The 1993 model year gave way to the fourth generation of the Chevrolet Camaro. The changes in the fourth generation weren't as drastic as they had been with the third generation. The new version included plastic front fenders, a front suspension, rack-and-pinion steering and a slightly sleeker profile.

In 1998, the Camaro got a new front fascia design. Aside from the physical change, 1998 brought the inclusion of the LS-1 V-8 (the C5 Corvette's 305-horsepower, aluminum small-block engine) in the Z28. However, the days of the Camaro were numbered. In 2002, after celebrating the car's 35th anniversary, Chevrolet ceased production of the Camaro.

The Fifth Generation:  2010 - ?

A full-force marketing campaign by Chevrolet introduced the long-awaited relaunch of the Camaro. Featured prominently in blockbuster films like "Transformers," the fifth Generation Camaro became available as a 2010 model in early 2009. The look of the reborn Camaro styling is much like that of the first-generation; however, the 2010 has a huskier stance and is thicker in the rear end. It's available only as a coupe in LS, LT and V-8-powered SS models.

The LS and LT trim levels are powered by a 3.6 liter V-6 engine that produces 300 horsepower. The SS has a 6.2-liter V-8 that delivers 426 horsepower with a manual transmission, or 400 horsepower with an automatic transmission.

An RS appearance package is also available and adds bigger wheels, a rear spoiler, HID headlights and smoked taillights.

Well, I guess we all have our favorites,  the first and fifth generations are my favorite.  As for a specific year and medel, well it has to be the 1969 RS SS.  Barry Hadley - Editor