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The Debut

The Chevrolet Camaro debuted half-way through the year of 1966 as a 1967 model. Its main reason for existance was, and still is (at least for a while..) to keep up with the ultimate Camaro enemy: the Ford Mustang. It was released to the public on September 21, 1966, with the same reaction as the Mustang received on its debut date: instantaneous sales. The responsibility for GM's new automobile to compete with the Mustang was given to the GM Design Center's Chevrolet Studio under the direction of Henry C. Haga. Interior design of the concept car was directed by George Angersbach, who had been involved in the design of the Corvette, Corvair, and the "Chevy II", which became the Nova in 1969. Many people have misunderstood how the Camaro and the Chevy II are related. They have believed that the new '67 Camaro was developed using Chevy II components while it was the exact opposite.

Before the Camaro was to be released, rumors were around that there would be a wide array of engines available on release, inlcuding the 230ci V-6, legendary 327ci V-8, and a special 350ci V-8 for the Camaro.

The "launch date" of the, well "Mustang fighter", was nearing, and yet it still had no name. GM had come up with a few different ideas including "Panther", "Wildcat", "Chaparral", "Nova", and even "Gemini". Finally, it was named the "Camaro" and was released to the press as the "Camaro". GM came up with the name from the French word "camaro", which means "companion".

Here are a few pictures of the Camaro in its early stages: