Chevrolet · 1966–1969

Chevrolet Camaro (first generation)

The first-generation Chevrolet Camaro is an American pony car introduced by Chevrolet in the fall of 1966 for the 1967 model year. It used a brand-new rear-wheel-drive GM F-body platform and was available as a 2-door, 2+2 seat, hardtop, and convertible. The F-body was shared with the Pontiac Firebird for all generations. A 230 cu in Chevrolet straight-6 was standard, with several Chevy V8s available as options. The first-generation Camaro was built through the 1969 model year. Almost all of 1967–1969 Camaros were built in the two U.S. assembly plants: Norwood, Ohio, and Van Nuys, California. There were also five non-U.S. Camaro assembly plants in countries that required local assembly and content. These plants were located in the Philippines, Belgium, Switzerland, Venezuela, and Peru.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Successor: Chevrolet Camaro (second generation)

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Options

The debut Camaro's standard drivetrain was a Chevrolet Turbo-Thrift 230 cu in (3.8 L) straight-6 engine rated at 140 hp (104 kW) at 4400 rpm and 220 lb⋅ft (298 N⋅m) of torque at 1600 rpm, coupled to a 3-speed manual transmission. To keep up with other manufacturers in the ever more crowded pony car niche, a selection of optional base-model and high-performance V8s was offered, as well as a variety of optional manual and automatic transmissions. Eight different engines were available in the 1967 Camaro, 10 in 1968, and 12 in 1969. Optional transmissions during the first-generation model run included the two-speed "Powerglide" automatic transmission, and a four-speed manual, available with any engine. A three-speed "Turbo Hydra-Matic 350" automatic became available on most V8s starting in 1968. The optional automatic for SS 396 cars was the three-speed Turbo 400. In 1969, a semi-automatic "Torque-Drive" two-speed transmission was available on six-cylinder models. Packages. The Camaro was offered in three main optional packages: The RS appearance package. Available on any model, it included hidden headlights (with horizontally retractable doors that hid behind the grille when opened), revised taillights with back-up lights under the rear bumper, RS badging, and bright exterior trim. The SS performance package, consisting of a 350 cu in (5.7 L) or 396 cu in (6.5 L) V8s and chassis upgrades to handle the additional power and deliver better handling. The SS featured non-functional air inlets on the hood, special striping, and SS badging. The Z/28 performance package, designed to allow the Camaro to compete in the SCCA Trans-Am Series. It included a solid-lifter 302 cu in (4.9 L) V8, 4-speed transmission, power front disc brakes, 12-bolt rear axle, 15" wheels, heavy duty susp

1967

The 1967 styling was done by the same team that had designed the 1965 second-generation Corvair. The Camaro shared the subframe / semi-unibody design with the 1968 Chevy II Nova. Almost 80 factory-and 40 dealer-installed options were offered, including the RS, SS, and Z/28 main trim packages. SS. The SS included a 350 cu in (5.7 L) producing 295 bhp (299 PS; 220 kW) at 4800 rpm and 380 lb⋅ft (515 N⋅m) at 3200 rpm of torque; and the L35 and L78 396 cu in (6.5 L) big-block V8 engines producing 325 bhp (330 PS; 242 kW) or 375 bhp (380 PS; 280 kW) at 5600 rpm and 415 lb⋅ft (563 N⋅m) at 3600 rpm of torque were available. The SS featured non-functional air inlets on the hood, special striping, and SS badging on the grille, front fenders, gas cap, and horn button. In 1967, a Camaro RS/SS convertible with a 396 engine paced the Indianapolis 500; 100 replicas were sold to the public. Z/28. The Z/28 option code was introduced in December 1966 for the 1967 model year. It was the brainchild of Vince Piggins, who conceived offering "virtually race-ready" Camaros for sale from any Chevrolet dealer. This option package was not mentioned in any sales literature, so it was unknown to most buyers. The Z/28 featured a high-output small-block 302 cu in (4.9 L) V8 that had been designed for competing in the 5 litre (305 cu in) class of the then-popular Trans-Am racing series. It had a strongly over-square, high-revving 4 in (101.6 mm) bore and 3 in (76.2 mm) stroke, with an aluminum intake manifold, and a 4-barrel vacuum secondary high-volume 780 cfm Holley carburetor. It took Ford until 1969 to mount a head-to-head competitor: the Boss 302 Mustang. Advertised power of the 302 V8 was 290 hp (216 kW) at 5300 rpm — intentionally under-rated (a common practice at the time) so Chevrolet could k

1968

The styling of the 1968 Camaro was very similar to the 1967 design. With the introduction of Astro Ventilation, a fresh-air-inlet system, the side vent windows were deleted. Side marker lights were added on the front and rear fenders as part of safety requirements for all 1968 vehicles. Side mirrors changed from round to square. It also had a more pointed front grille and divided rear taillights. The front running lights (on non-RS models) were also changed from circular to oval. The SS models received chrome hood inserts that imitated velocity stacks and big block models had a low-gloss black rear tail light panel. The rear shock absorber mounting was staggered to resolve wheel hop issues, and higher-performance SS models received multi-leaf rear springs instead of single-leaf units. A 396 cu in (6.5 L) producing 350 hp (261 kW) at 5200 rpm and 415 lb⋅ft (563 N⋅m) of torque at 3400 rpm big block engine was added as an option for the SS, and the Z/28 appeared in Camaro brochures, and nearly 7,200 were sold. The 427 cu in (7.0 L) was not available as a Regular Production Option (RPO). Chevrolet's Special Production Division had to convince Chevrolet's General Manager Pete Estes, but the General Manager only drove convertible vehicles, and the Z/28 was never produced as a convertible. A Central Office Production Order (COPO) was placed for the only Z/28 convertible Camaro built. The car was parked in the executive garage which Pete Estes had access to. Upon driving the vehicle, he promptly approved promoting the Z/28. A 1968 Z/28 competed in the 1971 British Saloon Car Championship at Crystal Palace in a three-way battle for the lead, a race which was later featured in the "Sporting Moments" episode of BBC's 100 Greatest series. Production numbers.

1969

The 1969 Camaro carried over the previous year's drivetrain and major mechanical components, but all-new sheet metal, except the hood, trunk lid, and roof, gave the car a new look. The grille was redesigned with sharper V and deeply inset headlights. New door skins, rear quarter panels, and rear valance panel made the car look lower and wider. This styling would only serve for the 1969 model year. To increase competitiveness in the SCCA Trans-Am racing series, optional four-wheel disc brakes with four-piston calipers were made available during the year, under RPO JL8, for US$500.30. This system used components from the Corvette and made for a significant improvement in the braking capability and was a key to winning the Trans-Am championship. The option was expensive and only 206 units were produced. The Rally Sport (RS) option, RPO Z22, included a unique black-painted grille with concealed headlights and headlight washers, fender striping (except when sport striping or Z/28 Special Performance Package is specified), simulated rear fender louvers, front and rear wheel opening moldings, black body sill, RS emblems on grille, steering wheel and rear panel, Rally Sport front fender nameplates, bright accented taillights, back-up lights below rear bumper; hardtops got bright roof drip moldings. The RS option cost $131.65, with 37,773 orders filled. Z/28 sales soared from 7,200 to over 20,000, available with the same 302 cu in (4.9 L) small block producing 290 hp (294 PS; 216 kW) at 5800 rpm and 290 lb⋅ft (393 N⋅m) of torque at 4200 rpm. It was backed by Muncie manual four-speed transmission with a new-for-69 standard Hurst shifter and connected to a 12-bolt rear axle with standard 3.73 gears. The 302 featured 11:1 compression, forged pistons, forged steel crankshaft and con

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name

Chevrolet Camaro (first generation)

Manufacturer

Chevrolet (General Motors)

Production

September 29, 1966 – November 1969

Model years

1967–1969

Assembly

United States: Van Nuys, California, United States: Norwood, Ohio, Venezuela: Caracas, Peru: Lima, Belgium: Antwerp, Switzerland: Biel, Philippines: Manila (Yutivo)

Successor

Chevrolet Camaro (second generation)

Class

Pony car, Muscle car

Body style

2-door hardtop, 2-door convertible

Layout

FR layout

Platform

F-body

Related

Pontiac Firebird (first generation)

Engine

230 cuin L26 I6, 250 cuin L22 I6, 283 cuin small-block V8, 302 cuin Z28 V8 (Z/28), 307 cuin L14 V8, 327 cuin LF7/L30 V8, 350 cuin LM1/L65 V8, 350 cuin L48 V8 (SS350), 396 cuin L35/L34/L78 V8 (SS396), 427 cuin L72/ZL1 V8 (COPO)

Transmission

3-speed manual, 4-speed manual, 2-speed semi-automatic, 2-speed automatic, 3-speed automatic

Wheelbase

108 in

Length

184.7 in (MY1967) , 184.7 in (MY1968) , 186.0 in (MY1969)

Width

72.5 in (MY1967), 72.5 in (MY1968), 74.0 in (MY1969)

Height

51.4 in (MY1967), 51.4 in (MY1968), 50.9 in (MY1969 conv.), 51.1 in (MY1969)

Designer

Henry Haga

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

US EPA fuel-economy records

US EPA test figures (US MPG, US test cycle).

Sources

• Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5094379CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Camaro_(first_generation)CC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1370188693 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1968ChevroletCamaroZ28.pngCC BY 2.5 · Photo: Rich Niewiroski Jr. · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.

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