Some believe that the actual translation for the word Camaro means comrade or pal, and to many owners the Camaro literally has become what it means. On Sept. 21, 1966, the 1967 Chevrolet Camaro made an entry like no other onto the showroom floors. With a unique body design and a powerful engine people immediately fell in love. Not only did Camaro influence the vehicle world when it came out but it also affected the clothing world. Chevrolet even created designer dresses for women called the “Camaro Collection.”
The nation responded well to the release of the new vehicle. It loved the design of the Camaro and how it wasn’t similar to other cars on the road. Although the body of the Camaro was about the same size as the Mustang, the overall look was unique.
The first-generation Camaro was a great addition to the Chevrolet car lineup. With the base price of $2,644 for the coupe and $2,704 for the convertible, the automobile was affordable. What was so spectacular about the new pony car was the variety of options a buyer could choose from in order to get exactly what he or she wanted in a car. An individual purchasing a Camaro could choose from the basic Camaro, the Rally Sport, the Super Sport or the Z28. Buyers could choose from 81 factory options and 41 dealer options, such as choice of interior color or size of engine.
The Rally Sport option gave the basic look of the Camaro a makeover with several additions and modifications to the body. Some of the modifications were:
· A different type of grille
· Headlamps which would electronically fold down or hide away
· Parking lights were moved to the lower-front valence panel
· Unique tail lamps
· Reverse lights brought lower to rear valance panel
The Super Sport package added a bumblebee stripe around the grille and added SS emblems on the sides, grille and rear of the vehicle. The Super Sport Camaros came with a 350-cubic-inch small-block engine. If desired, the customer could order a Super Sport with a 396-cubic-inch engine.
Not only could the Rally Sport and Super Sport options be sold separately, but they could also be brought together into one vehicle, creating the super car which would include all of the additions from the Rally Sport and Super Sport packages.
The public loved the Camaro and within the first two years of production 220,906 Camaro lovers bought one for themselves.