Since the beginning, the Camaro has always been Ford Mustang’s most important rival
Born in the mid-1960s, the Camaro was Chevrolet's response to Ford's Mustang. The bitter rivalry continues to this day, as the two American car manufacturers watch and mimic each other's steps when it comes to pretty much any market segment.
Origins of the Camaro
The name Camaro is an interesting story by itself. According to the book The Complete Book of Camaro: Every Model Since 1967, the name Camaro was conceived by Chevrolet merchandising manager Bob Lund and General Motors vice president Ed Rollett, while they were reading the book Heath's French and English Dictionary by James Boïelle and by de V. Payen-Payne printed in 1936. The two GM executives found the word camaro in the French-English dictionary was slang, to mean friend, pal, or comrade.
The article further repeated Estes's statement of what the word camaro was meant to imply, that the car's name "suggests the comradeship of good friends, as a personal car should be to its owner".[8] In fact, the actual French word that has that meaning is "camarade," from which the English word "comrade" is derived, and not "camaro". In fact, camaro is not a recognized word in the French language.
The first generation has a short lifespan
The very first Camaro came off the production line in late 1966. From the beginning, the car was available in two versions – convertible and coupe – both with 2+2 seating. The range of engines went from a 3.8-liter inline-6 to the mighty 6.5-liter V8.
The second generation comes in 1970 and was produced with a series of improvements up until 1981.
Power becomes an issue
Starting with the third generation that was launched in 1982, the Camaro goes from muscle-car to luxury-oriented berlinetta. Not everyone is a fan of this change, as the new Camaro comes with not so powerful engines and bland style.
The fourth generation makes its debut in 1993 and is sold up until 2002.
Back to its roots
In 2010, the Camaro name is back in Chevrolet's after an absence of almost eight years. Going back to its roots, the new Camaro is a proper muscle car with V6 and V8 engines that produce plenty of power.
The sixth generation, launched in 2016, is an evolution of the fifth. It uses a lighter platform that saves around 200 lbs (91 kilos) compared to the predecessor. Since the beginning, the newest Camaro has been offered with a range of four, six and eight-cylinder engines with powers ranging from 275 to 650 hp.