1967 Camaro Sport Coupe. Photo from wikipedia.com

While it’s true that Ford’s release of the Mustang prompted the Chevy crew to design a completely new sports car to replace the Corvair, the Camaro’s roots are deeply entrenched in SCCA’s Trans-Am series. True, the Mustang’s sales kicked the gears into motion, but the popularity of the SCCA in the mid-sixties forced the car manufacturers to design their sports car sedans to SCCA rules.

The Camaro was originally given the code name XP-836, and was called the “Panther” in the inner circles of Chevrolet. But… early mock-ups of the car showed up with the name Chaparral. Jim Hall and Hall Sharp’s Chaparral racing had been racing and winning in the United States Road Racing Championship and other sports car races since 1963. It’s well known that Hall had significant “under the table” assistance from GM, including engineering and technical support. The Camaro test car, with the Chaparral name, are testament to the success of Chevrolet’s road racing supported team.

Chevrolet’s First Camaro Commercial in 1967

http://youtu.be/MAiOt08dgcg

The Camaro name was finally revealed to the press and public in a live press conference in Detroit on June 28, 1966. Chevrolet General Manager Pete Estes announced a new car line with a name that Chevrolet chose in keeping with other car names beginning with the letter C. He claimed the name, “suggests the comradeship of good friends as a personal car should be to its owner” and that “to us, the name means just what we think the car will do… Go!” The new Camaro name was then unveiled.

The Camaro was first shown at a press preview in Detroit, Michigan, on September 12, 1966, and then later in Los Angeles, California, on September 19, 1966. Public introduction of the new model was on September 26, 1966. The Camaro officially went on sale in dealerships on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year.

The 1967 Sunoco Camaro Z28. Photo from wikimedia.org

The first generation of Camaro was offered with eight different engine combinations and three different trim levels. A year after the introduction, the Z/28 trim would arrive at the dealers.

As far as the SCCA-sanctioned Trans-Am series and Camaro racing goes… Chevrolet won the title in 1968 and 1969 with Penske’s driver Mark Donohue. Jim Hall raced under the Chevrolet banner in 1970. By 1973, the Camaro was splitting time in the series with the Corvette. Shortly thereafter, the series began to dwindle.

2011 Daytona 500 Camaro pace car. Photo from wikimedia.org

The Camaro was the official car of and used in the International Race of Champions starting in 1975 and lasting for 12 years until 1989. The Camaro was the Indianapolis 500 Pace Car in 1967, 1969, 1982, 1993, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2014.

With a racing heritage behind it, the Camaro shows no signs of letting up as the 2016 Camaro will be riding on the newly redesigned alpha-platform.

Happy Birthday Camaro, and many, many more.