‘The Camaro was extremely buyer-friendly; it could be modified to almost anybody’s taste: there were roughly 80 factory choices and 40 dealer upgrades.
‘The first Chevrolet Camaro was priced from $2,800 to $3,500, depending on features, and was an immediate hit, with 220,906 models sold in 1967 – over 121,000 of those units were the base model. Unsurprisingly: it was a fabulous car. ‘Our SS-350 test car really surprised us,’ wrote Motortrend’s assistant editor Sten Kelly at the time of his chance to check out the then brand new Camaro. ‘Quarter-mile times were exceptionally good, especially considering the over 3500-pound weight with two passengers plus test equipment aboard. We’ve tested comparably equipped cars that were considerably slower. Some finesse with the gas pedal was needed to get the SS-350 off to a good start. High-rpm runs produced excessive wheelspin and slow times. Coming out of the hole with the tach needle running just below 3000 rpm and then stabbing it produced the best times in the acceleration runs.’
‘Classified as a ‘Pony Car’, whose popularity was largely due to the Ford Mustang’s 1964 launch, the Chevrolet Camaro tipped the requisite boxes, affordable and aimed at youthful buyers. Like other ‘Ponies’, the meaty-looking motor had rear-wheel drive and was a sporty compact car with a long hood and plenty of add-on options. (The Camaro ultimately shared some components with the Pontiac Firebird, another General Motors vehicle that premiered in 1967.)
‘So how did the Chevy Camaro fare in its attack on the Ford Mustang market? Very well indeed, it seems. The 1966 Mustang had been an outstanding achievement, with over 607,000 cars sold. But after the 1967 Camaro emerged, Mustang sales declined to around 472,000 units. By 1968 the number of Ford’s Mustangs sold had plummeted to around 317,000.
‘Quite a result. And quite a name.