| The Chevrolet Camaro is an automobile
manufactured by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand, classified
as a pony car and some versions also as a muscle car. It went
on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was
designed as a competing model to the Ford Mustang. The car shared
its platform and major components with the Pontiac Firebird, also
introduced for 1967. Four distinct generations of the car were
developed before production ended in 2002. The nameplate was revived
again on a concept vehicle that evolved into the fifth-generation
Camaro, production started on March 16, 2009.
Before any official announcement, reports began running in
April 1965 within the automotive press that Chevrolet was preparing
a competitor to the Ford Mustang, code-named Panther. On June
21, 1966, around 200 automotive journalists received a telegram
from General Motors stating, "...Please save noon of June
28 for important SEPAW meeting. Hope you can be on hand to help
scratch a cat. Details will follow...(signed) John L. Cutter
– Chevrolet Public Relations – SEPAW Secretary."
The following day, the same journalists received another General
Motors telegram stating, "Society for the Eradication of
Panthers from the Automotive World will hold first and last
meeting on June 28...(signed) John L. Cutter – Chevrolet
Public Relations SEPAW Secretary." These telegrams puzzled
the industry.
On June 28, 1966, General Motors held a live press conference
in Detroit’s Statler-Hilton Hotel. Automotive press asked
Chevrolet product managers, "What is a Camaro?" and
were told it was "a small, vicious animal that eats Mustangs."
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. The Camaro officially went on sale in
dealerships on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year.
The first-generation Camaro debuted in September 1966, for
the 1967 model year, up to 1969 on a new rear-wheel drive GM
F-body platform and would be available as a 2-door, 2+2 seating,
coupe or convertible with a choice of 250 cu in (4.1 L) inline-6
and 302 cu in (4.9 L), 307 cu in (5.0 L), 327 cu in (5.4 L),
350 cu in (5.7 L), or 396 cu in (6.5 L) V8 powerplants. Concerned
with the runaway success of the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet executives
realized that their compact sporty car, the Corvair, would not
be able to generate the sales volume of the Mustang due to its
rear-engine design, as well as declining sales, partly due to
the bad publicity from Ralph Nader's book, Unsafe at Any Speed.
Therefore, the Camaro was touted as having the same conventional
rear-drive, front-engine configuration as Mustang and Chevy
II Nova. In addition, the Camaro was designed to fit a variety
of power plants in the engine bay. The first-generation Camaro
would last until the 1969 model year and would eventually inspire
the design of the new retro fifth-generation Camaro.
This car is partly restored and is in a very nice overall condition.
Recent paintwork in the a desirable smoke grey and black trim.
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