What Is The Best Camaro Model

What Is The Best Camaro Model

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Generation Gap: Ranking each and every Chevrolet Camaro

Chevy's muscle car has certainly had its share of ups and downs

Dec 20, 2020May 21, 20215 minute read Join the conversation
A 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Sport Coupe.
A 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Sport Coupe. Photo by Chevrolet

The Chevrolet Camaro has had a long and distinguished history as one of the pillars of the American muscle car scene.

From its auspicious late-'60s debut to its recent turn as a startlingly competent, well-rounded sports car, the Camaro has lived many lives and embodied the best and worst of its automotive eras.

Any high-performance automobile that stretches from golden age; to malaise; to rad; to modern is going to attract spirited debate about which versions of the car were the most important, and memorable, to enthusiasts. Check out our take on ranking each and every generation of the Chevrolet Camaro from first to worst.

1967-1969 Chevrolet Camaro

1967 Chevrolet Camaro Z28
1967 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 Photo by General Motors

It's not always the case, but when it comes to the Camaro, the first is still the best. The original coupe and convertible made it to market as a reaction to the success of the Ford Mustang, yet it's hard not to argue that Chevrolet's own pony car went harder in terms of performance, offering a range of small-block and big-block V8 engines right out of the gate.

While it's true that you could order an affordable six-cylinder version of the Camaro, it's the Z/28, the Rally Sport, and the SS that rumble nostalgic boulevards with generous V8 power. The Z/28 was particularly memorable for its suspension upgrades, intended to homologate the car for SCCA racing, while straight-line fans could lust over the ultra-rare COPO with its 427-cubic-inch engines ranging from the 425 horsepower L72 to the all-aluminum 430-horsepower ZL-1. The latter went on to become a legend in the Camaro community and make its mark on far-future generations of the car.

1993-2002 Chevrolet Camaro

1993 Chevrolet Camaro Coupe
1993 Chevrolet Camaro Coupe Photo by General Motors

Why does the fourth-generation Chevrolet Camaro take the second spot in our ranking? Its styling might be controversial, and its interiors overly plasticky, but to our minds it's the 1993-2002 edition of the car that re-established the Camaro as a force to be reckoned with on the streets.

The introduction of the 5.7L LT1 engine brought 275 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque to the party, and by the end of the decade, the LS1 was offering up 305 horses. Each of these drivetrains was more than a match for the Mustang GT of the era, and even nipped at the heels of the much more expensive Corvette.

This doesn't even take into account special models like the 30th Anniversary cars with their 330 horsepower, 5.7L LT4 engines. It was a triumphant return for the SS trim, and while the Camaro might have gone on an extended hiatus following the 2002 model year, it definitely left the muscle car scene a champion.

2010-2015 Chevrolet Camaro

Chevrolet Camaro LT with an RS Appearance Package
Chevrolet Camaro LT with an RS Appearance Package Photo by General Motors

The 2010 Camaro debuted to major excitement by muscle car fans intrigued by its design callbacks to the first-generation cars, combined with the exceptional performance offered by its range of large-displacement V8 engines. Once again Chevrolet was in the driver's seat when compared against the Mustang in terms of power, with 426 horses available from the 6.2L V8 in the SS.

The Mustang eventually caught up, but the Camaro surged forward with the track-ready 1LE suspension and aero package, the supercharged 480-horsepower ZL1, and the radical 7.0L 505-horsepower modern interpretation of the Z/28, which featured unique DSSV shock absorber setup cribbed from the world of Formula One racing. Sure, it wasn't easy to see out of, but you could rest easy knowing that other muscle car owners were safely in the rear view.

1982-1992 Chevrolet Camaro

1982 Chevrolet Camaro Z28
1982 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 Photo by General Motors

There's no doubt that the third-generation Chevrolet Camaro has become a styling icon, being seen today as a shining light of Rad-era design done right. Unfortunately, when it first hit the scene, its drivetrains were still emerging from the smog-choked dark ages, which means a host of sub-150-horsepower V8s and even sadder four-cylinder and V6 options.

Time heals many automotive wounds, however, and towards the end of its run a mightier 5.7L engine with 245 horsepower made it the equal of the Fox-body Mustang that was its most common foe in the stoplight grand prix. A rare convertible option provided the first drop-top Camaro in decades when it debuted in 1987, while the IROC-Z trim level and the 1LE race-ready package both celebrated the return of the coupe to motorsports competition.

2016-present Chevrolet Camaro

2016 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible
2016 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible Photo by General Motors

There's technically nothing wrong with the current iteration of the Camaro. Indeed, the sixth generation carries forward much of its predecessor's power and handling capabilities, and also makes a turbocharged four-cylinder model available for the very first time.

And yet, there's something lacking from this Camaro's personality versus models of old. Perhaps it's the more anonymous styling, or the even higher door sills and gun-slit windows that make the driver a prisoner inside its cabin.

Whatever the reason, despite offering the most powerful V8s (455 horses for the SS; 650 supercharged ponies for the ZL1) in Camaro history, and the best chassis ever offered by a production muscle car, Chevrolet's coupe and convertible pairing have seen sales dwindle compared to rivals like the Ford Mustang and the Dodge Challenger.

1970-1981 Chevrolet Camaro

1978 Chevrolet Camaro Z28
1978 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 Photo by General Motors

Like many muscle machines of the early '70s, the second-generation Camaro started out strong and then faded quickly into humiliation. A dramatic update of the original car's platform, models like the Z/28 offered fastback styling and strong performance starting in 1970, but by the second model year, engine output was already beginning to sag under the effects of reduced compression and increased emissions equipment.

Styling underwent a major shift in 1974 and the Camaro continued to get thirstier and slower with each passing of the seasons. Vehicle weights were up, too, reducing much of the sporty handling that had been a hallmark of the Z/28. By 1975 that trim level had disappeared, only to re-emerge in 1977 as its own unique model, equipped with a paltry 185-horsepower 350-cubic-inch engine.

The end of the decade saw the once-mighty Camaro reduced to caricature and function-free sticker packages and leaky T-tops, but sales were strong throughout the entire decade as hundreds of thousands of buyers tried to hang on to their memories of the coupe's golden years.

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What Is The Best Camaro Model

Source: https://driving.ca/features/feature-story/generation-gap-ranking-each-and-every-chevrolet-camaro

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