Ford scored the ultimate market takeover in automotive history in the
Spring of ‘64 with the introduction of the 1964-1/2 Mustang! Everyone in Detroit
got caught with their knickers down. It took Chevy 2-1/2 years to catch
up!
The amazing thing about the ‘67 Camaro is that it was very close to a
perfect bull’s eye. Chevy fans fell in love with the car immediately! Almost
over-night, nearly every Chevy fan had to have a Camaro. Chevy lovers knew that
they were picking up a winner to fight to pony car wars of the late ‘60s. There
were Camaros for everyone. There was a 6-cylinder grocery-getter, a mild 307 V8
model, a street-machine SS model, and the road racer Z-28 option.
When
‘68 came along, there were a few minor changes to the one-year-old Camaro. It
now wore side marker lights (kind’a cool), and the side-window vents were gone
and replaced with “Astro Ventilation.” The SS option mow included a 375hp 396
engine, and the Z-28 was still a lightweight.
No one has ever duplicated
the quick sales success of the first Mustangs. But not only did the Camaro
quickly catch up with the Mustang, we now had a real horse race. The current
Camaro is in suspended animation for a brief time while GM sorts out the new
Camaro / Firebird assembly plant. No doubt, there are already well on their way
to the completed design (as of 2/05). With the new retro Mustang already on the
road, that means that soon, the pony wars will begin all over
again.
