Camaro Generations: What is the Best of All Camaro Models?

What is the Best of All Camaro Models?

What is the best of all Camaro models? From year to year the Camaro has impressed over and again. Here are our top picks for everything from luxury to speed.

Keyword(s): all camaro models

Let's set the stage.

It's 1965. The Ford Mustang has been all the rage for the last 2 years as the first pony car. GM calls a press conference and Chevrolet CEO Pete Estes makes an announcement of a new model...

The Camaro, "suggesting the comradeship between friends, as a car should be to its owner." Chevy managers said. The rest was history.

60 years later, the Camaro is no longer battling with the Mustang for pony car supremacy. It has paved its own road and sped down it in many different incarnations over those years. Come and gone, and come again.

But what is the best of all Camaro models? Let's take a ride back through the years and try to figure that out.

First, we'll go over some important history, then look at which Camaro's rise above the rest.

Through the Generations

The first Camaro went into production in 1966 as Chevrolet's rebuttal to the uber-successful Ford Mustang, but it quickly made a name for itself. What followed was 6 generations of engineering excellence that has spanned over 50 years.

I (1967-1969)

The first generation of Camaro was basically a sportier version of the Chevy II Nova, which was in production to compete with the Ford Falcon. Notice a trend here?  The '67 Camaro was available in coupe or convertible, and with a top end of 375 horsepower, it became the car Chevy was dreaming of to compete with the Mustang. There were a few changes over the next couple of years for the Camaro, including new taillights and grilles. It all culminated in 1969 with the Z28 Sport Coupe, the sexiest of all the first generation Camaros.

II (1970-1981)

The Z28's carried over to the second generation, but by 1975, many people felt that it had become "fat, lazy, and underpowered", so production ceased.  A big change in looks came in 1975 when the Camaro adopted the wraparound rear window for increased visibility. By 1978, the T-top roof had been added as well.  Returning from the dead in '78 was the Z28, which took us until the end of the second generation in 1981.

III (1982-1992)

In 1982, the Camaro went hatchback for the first time and looked good doing it. For the 80's anyways.  But it lacked the classic power that people loved with only 90 horsepower for the base model coupes. It wasn't what people wanted, but by 1984, the Z28 brought back some of the power that the Camaro had been missing.  The '87 Camaro lineup also brought back some of the cosmetic appeal of the late 60's versions with the return of the convertible, and provided power with a 225 HP V8 engine.

IV (1993-2002)

The fourth generation Camaro had a focus on performance with its 275 horsepower V8 and rack-and-pinion steering. As it trudged through the nineties into the aughts, however, slight body and engine tweaks weren't enough to save it from the SUV boom, and its eventual demise.

Chevrolet released the 35th anniversary Camaro Z28 SS coupe and convertible in 2002. It was still a powerful and agile car, but that wasn't enough to save it and production on the Camaro stopped here. For now...

V (2010-2015)

In 2009, the people at Chevrolet saw the err of their ways and brought back the Camaro for another few spins around the sun.  The first of the fifth-generation models are defined by their modern take on the classic design but unfortunately didn't perform up to snuff.  Just a few years later, however, the Camaro did regain some of the old qualities it was known for in the ZL1 and the new, and pricey 2014 Z28.

VI (2016-Present)

The current Chevy Camaro is a trimmed down, more dynamic version of the fifth-generation models. Trimmed down does not mean lacking in power, however.  Some modern Camaro models use the Corvette's 455 HP V8 engine, and of course, there's the 655 horsepower ZL1.

Shining Stars

So as you can see, the Camaro has been reinvented many times over the last 50 years, and not all of the models were created equal. Almost all of them with love, but no, not all equal.

In no particular order, because you wouldn't choose your favorite child, here are our stars that shine just a bit brighter than the rest.

1967 Camaro Pilot Assembly

First on the list is the one that started it all. This is the pilot assembly that Chevrolet used as the introduction to the Camaro.   It was hand built in the Ohio plant with a 3-speed manual transmission and a 3.7L inline-six engine. These were the cars before the car. Not easy to find, but man are they cool.

1970 Camaro SS

In 1970, at the start of the second generation, the Camaro went through a bit of an overhaul looks-wise. Apparently, it was designed by Pontiac engineers with the Firebird, which Camaro lovers didn't love the idea of.  Whatever you think of the way it looks, the 1970 SS kept with the power of the first generation models with its 350 HP big block V8.

1985 Camaro IROC

The mid-'80s saw the introduction of the IROC-Z performance package as an add-on to the Z28's. Being named after the International Race Of Champions means that you'd better have the power and handling to back it up. Luckily this one did. The IROC also has the distinction of being extremely recognizable with its cool, but very '80s looking door tag. The '80s weren't all that bad guys.

1969 Camaro

Alright, let's travel back to the first generation. The first couple iterations of the Camaro were small sporty vehicles meant to compete with the mass appeal of the Ford Mustang.  In 1969, however, the Camaro shapeshifted into one of the iconic muscle cars of all-time. The design was more drastic, wider and lower to the ground, giving it an "aggressive" look, as many would describe. There were many different styles of the '69 Camaro. Z28, Yenko, Big Red, to name a few. This model signaled a change and a bright future for the Camaro. Most "Camaro people" would call this their favorite model.

1988 Camaro Z28 1LE

The IROC models are the most notable of the third-generation Camaro models, but not to be left out are the late 80's into early 90's editions of the Z28. These were "racing ready" and took their handling from the development fourth-generation Corvettes. You probably remember these from more than a few of your favorite action movies from the era.

2000 Camaro SS

Production of the Camaro slowed and eventually came to a halt in the aughts. People were buying SUV's, and these models in all truthfulness were a bit ugly. However, the handling and power were as good as ever. And with the decline in demand came a decline in price. You could fetch one of these 300 horsepower unicorns for around $25,000. The cheapest of all Camaro models.

2010 Camaro SS

Putting this one on because it was the first Camaro after an 8-year hiatus. We thought the Camaro was done for, but not so fast. In retrospect, it wasn't one of the finest models and maybe doesn't belong on the "best of" list, but there's something to be said for being the Lazarus of the Camaro family. It did have a modern design and tons of power with 426 horsepower from a 6.2-liter V8 engine that made it one of the most powerful Camaro models ever at the time. It also won the World Car Design of the Year, which is saying something.

Things would get much, much better from here though.

2014 Camaro Z28

Last but not least the 2014 Camaro Z28 is the Camaro that made it okay to love the Camaro again. When Chevy came back with the Camaro in 2010, it wasn't particularly well received. But just like the original, it took a couple of years to find its place. The engineering of the fifth-generation models improved every single year after 2010, and it culminated in the 2014 Z28.  The 2014 Camaro is a completely different vehicle from what came out in 2010; different tires, a different steering wheel, and even different suspension. It has a 505 horsepower V8 with incredible Brembo brakes. Many are already calling it a classic, which isn't all that surprising considering it is a throwback to a classic period in Camaro production history. And hey, if you find yourself in one of these, give our product page a view for any interior or exterior add-ons you may need.

All Camaro Models Are Unique...

But if we had to pick one... Just kidding, we aren't just going to pick one. As you can see, the legacy of the Camaro is that of perseverance and reinvention. Every great car goes hits bumps in the road that throw it off course slightly, and the Camaro is no different.  Like most things, cars change with the times and we all know that the times are always changin'. For the Camaro though, the brightest spots in its history all go back to the beginning. When all Chevy wanted was something to compete with the Mustang, they stumbled on a 50-plus year history of innovation and excellence. Visit our blog to view more classic car retrospectives, or contact us for all your Chevy Camaro needs!