o retains

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Chevrolet sports car celebrates 28 years by sticking to its muscle-car roots

OVERDRIVE

OVER THE years, cars have
changed dramatically. In
fact, some cars — for better
or worse —- have changed so
much that they no longer
cater to the same kind of
buyers. -

The Chevrolet Camaro, howev-
er, doesn’t belong to this “tran-
sient” group of cars. While the
Camaro has received countless
modifications and design changes
over the past three decades, it has
always maintained its original her-
ilage, character, and image.

The Camaro was, is, and'will
always be, a fust, fun, sleek
American sports car with enough
punches to out-accelerate all but the
few competitors. So when did this
legendary sports car first arrive?

It all started when the car was
introduced on Sept. 26, 1966 — a
few years after Ford intraduced the
highly successful Mustang sports
car. .

The Chevy Camaro and its twin
counterpart, the Pontiac Firebird,
were both brought out by GM to
Steal sales away from the Mustang
and to take full advantage of the
booming muscle-car cra.

Like today’s Camaro, the 1967
version was available as a sports
"coupe and a convertible model. The

Phato submitted

THE CAMARO was, is, and will always be, a fast, fun, sleek American sports car.

first Camaros were attractively
priced at about $3,000.

The base °67 Camaro featured a
six-cylinder engine, vinyl front
bucket seats, energy-absorbing
steering column, and padded instru-
ment panel — nothing to get too
excited about.

Check off the $S350 perfor-
mance option, however, and the
Camaro suddenly turns downright:-
nasty with a 295-horsepower, 5.7-
litre (350-cubic-inch) V-8 engine,
heavy-duty suspension, and “bum-
ble bee™ striping around the front
nose.

Halfway through the model »
year, even more powerful versions
became available: the $5396 model
and the king-of-the-Camaro 228.
The limited production Z28 was
tauted as “the closest thing to a
‘Vette,” and boasted a high-output
4.9-litre (302-cubic-inch) V-8
engine, 4-speed manual transmis-
sion, and bold rally stripes.

The Camaro received a complete
make-over for 1970, becoming
rounder and sleeker in the process.

Though the convertible model

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performar:ce (road test) ..
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was dropped, the Camiuro sports
coupe was still offered in many dil-
ferent variations including the RS,
$8350, $8396, and Z28 models.

As before, the Z28 model was
the choice for the performance
purists, lts high power, 5.7-litre V-8
engine -—~ dubbed the LT-i —
pumped out staggering 360 horses,
amere 10 horsepower fess than
Chevrolet’s flagship Corvette sports

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coupe.

Thanks to the oil crisis of the
early °70s, however, Chevrolet was
forced to drop the gas-heavy Z28
designation in 1974 — but not for
long.

The Camuaro’s ever-increasing
sales figures prompted Chevy to
bring back the 228 for a mid-1977
introductio 1. and the Camaro fans
went crazy once.more,

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CARAVAN SE

“ICH put butterflies in your
stomach, a lump in your throat, and
asinile on your face,” said the Z28
advertisement in 1978.

Not to be outpaced by fast-mov-
ing competilors, Chevrolet brought
out the all-new third generation
Camaro in 1982, complete with
aggressive new looks, sharp stance,
aircratt-inspired cockpit, and highly
improved chassis.

With an available high output V-
S engine, the new 228 captured
many enthusiasts” hearts, and
brought new meaning to the word
“fun-to-drive."

{In LORS, the still-populir Z28
became available with the hot
IROC option, which was introduced
to commemorate the International
Race of Champions racing Se

Two years later, the convertible
model returned after [8 years of
absence. and quickly became the
most desirable Camaro to own — at
least in rain-free cities.

The Camaro reached its 25th
birthday in the 1992 model year,
and Chevy made available a special
edition Heritage Appearance
Package. With bold stripes and
body-colored grill and wheels, the
25th Anniversary model harked
back to the ‘60s muscle car
Camaro.

Despite the fact that engincers
implemented numerous changes to

See Changes pase 42.

793 PLYMOUTH
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