We couldn’t skip the 50th anniversary of the Chevrolet Camaro without writing a story about it. Nor could the Historic Vehicle Association, whose mission is to promote the cultural significance of iconic automobiles such as the Camaro.
The Chevrolet Camaro is set to enter the Historic Vehicle Association’s register, an event that will be celebrated by displaying Chevrolet Camaro VIN #100001 in Detroit. You’ll be able to admire the Chevrolet Camaro that started it all between August 13 and 20, during the annual Woodward Dream Cruise. The landmark vehicle will be displayed in a glass cube.
The question is, why is Camaro No. 100001 so important? Although it was a rush job (36 months from the start of development to launch) and it arrived late to the pony car party, the first unit of the Chevrolet Camaro washed away the sins of the rear-engined Corvair. More than that, the Camaro heralded a new age of performance for Chevrolet.
Another thing we have to thank the first Camaro for is that it sparked the greatest rivalry in American automotive history. If it weren’t for the Camaro, the Ford Mustang would’ve had a live rear axle to this day. The Camaro also holds the title of third most popular collector car in America. According to the Hagerty Insurance Agency, the Corvette leads the popularity chart and the Mustang comes in second.
Compared to Ford, who spent years teasing the public with the Mustang, Chevy announced the name of the car in June 1966 then introduced the Camaro in August. Better still, dealers had cars in stock in September. That’s a very different way of doing things compared to the still-not-ready-for-production 2017 Ford GT.
Did you know the Camaro wasn’t supposed to be named as such? Chevrolet considered many nameplates until it settled on Panther. After the golden bowtie had spent almost $100,000 on manufacturing Panther badges, Chevrolet changed the nameplate to Camaro a few weeks prior to the debut in Detroit. Don't ask.
The first-generation Chevrolet Camaro is, without a shadow of a doubt, a rockstar of the automotive realm. Be that as it may, there’s no denying that the golden bowtie produced a handful of awful Camaro models in the past. Click right here to find out which are the best and which are the worst incarnations of the Camaro.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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