ARC Camaro

Almost all of 1967–1969 Camaros were built in two U.S. assembly plants: Norwood, Ohio, and Van Nuys, California. There were also five non-U.S. Camaro assembly plants in countries that required local assembly and content. These plants were located in the Philippines, Belgium, Switzerland, Venezuela, and Peru.

The debut Camaro's standard drivetrain was a Chevrolet Turbo-Thrift 230 cu in straight-6 engine rated at 140 hp (104 kW) at 4400 rpm and 220 lb⋅ft (298 N⋅m) of torque at 1600 rpm, coupled to a 3-speed manual transmission. A selection of optional base-model and high-performance V8s was offered. Eight different engines were available in the 1967 Camaro, 10 in 1968, and 12 in 1969. Optional transmissions during the first-generation model run included the two-speed "Powerglide" automatic transmission, and a four-speed manual. A three-speed "Turbo Hydra-Matic 350" automatic became available on most V8s starting in 1968. The optional automatic for SS 396 cars was the three-speed Turbo 400. In 1969, a semi-automatic "Torque-Drive" two-speed transmission was available on six-cylinder models.

The Camaro was offered in three main optional packages. The RS appearance package included hidden headlights, revised taillights, RS badging, and bright exterior trim. The SS performance package consisted of a 350 cu in (5.7 L) or 396 cu in (6.5 L) V8s and chassis upgrades. The SS featured non-functional air inlets on the hood, special striping, and SS badging. The Z/28 performance package was designed to allow the Camaro to compete in the SCCA Trans-Am Series. It included a solid-lifter 302 cu in (4.9 L) V8, 4-speed transmission, power front disc brakes, 12-bolt rear axle, 15" wheels, heavy duty suspension and a pair of wide "skunk" stripes down the hood and trunk lid.

The 1967 styling was done by the same team that had designed the 1965 second-generation Corvair. The Camaro shared the subframe / semi-unibody design with the 1968 Chevy II Nova. Almost 80 factory- and 40 dealer-installed options were offered, including the RS, SS, and Z/28 main trim packages.

The SS included a 350 cu in (5.7 L) producing 295 bhp (299 PS; 220 kW) at 4800 rpm and 380 lb⋅ft (515 N⋅m) at 3200 rpm of torque. The L35 and L78 396 cu in (6.5 L) big-block V8 engines producing 325 bhp (330 PS; 242 kW) or 375 bhp (380 PS; 280 kW) at 5600 rpm and 415 lb⋅ft (563 N⋅m) at 3600 rpm of torque were available. In 1967, a Camaro RS/SS convertible with a 396 engine paced the Indianapolis 500; 100 replicas were sold to the public.

The Z/28 option code was introduced in December 1966 for the 1967 model year. It was the brainchild of Vince Piggins, who conceived offering "virtually race-ready" Camaros for sale from any Chevrolet dealer. The Z/28 featured a high-output small-block 302 cu in (4.9 L) V8 that had been designed for competing in the 5 litre (305 cu in) class of the then-popular Trans-Am racing series. Advertised power of the 302 V8 was 290 hp (216 kW) at 5300 rpm. The Z/28 also came with upgraded suspension, power front disc brakes, a 4-speed Muncie close-ratio manual transmission and a 12-bolt rear axle. The origin of the Z/28 nameplate came from the RPO codes – RPO Z28 was the code for the Special Performance Package. A total of 602 Z/28s equipped Camaros were sold in 1967.

Cars assembled in Switzerland, at GM's local facility in Biel, were all coupes with a Chevrolet 283 cu in (4.6 L) V8 that produced 198 PS (146 kW; 195 hp) at 4800 rpm and 285 lb⋅ft (386 N⋅m) at 2400 rpm. This engine was not available in contemporary Camaros built in the United States. The Swiss-built Camaros had a limited-slip differential and front disc brakes as standard.

The styling of the 1968 Camaro was very similar to the 1967 design. With the introduction of Astro Ventilation, a fresh-air-inlet system, the side vent windows were deleted. Side marker lights were added on the front and rear fenders as part of safety requirements. A 396 cu in (6.5 L) producing 350 hp (261 kW) at 5200 rpm and 415 lb⋅ft (563 N⋅m) of torque at 3400 rpm big block engine was added as an option for the SS, and the Z/28 appeared in Camaro brochures, and nearly 7,200 were sold. A Central Office Production Order (COPO) was placed for the only Z/28 convertible Camaro built. A 1968 Z/28 competed in the 1971 British Saloon Car Championship at Crystal Palace.

The 1969 Camaro carried over the previous year's drivetrain and major mechanical components, but all-new sheet metal, except the hood, trunk lid, and roof, gave the car a new look. To increase competitiveness in the SCCA Trans-Am racing series, optional four-wheel disc brakes with four-piston calipers were made available during the year, under RPO JL8, for US$500.30. The Rally Sport (RS) option, RPO Z22, included a unique black-painted grille with concealed headlights and headlight washers. Z/28 sales soared from 7,200 to over 20,000, available with the same 302 cu in (4.9 L) small block producing 290 hp (294 PS; 216 kW) at 5800 rpm and 290 lb⋅ft (393 N⋅m) of torque at 4200 rpm. It was backed by Muncie manual four-speed transmission with a new-for-69 standard Hurst shifter and connected to a 12-bolt rear axle with standard 3.73 gears. The 1969 model year was extended into November 1969, due to manufacturing problems that delayed the introduction of the second generation model planned for 1970.

A GM corporate edict forbade its Divisions from installing engines larger than 400 cu in (6.6 L) in mid-size and smaller models. Requests from dealers (notably Don Yenko in PA, Baldwin-Motion in NY, Nickey in IL and Dana in CA) prompted Chevrolet to use an ordering process usually used on fleet and special orders to offer 427 engines in the Camaro. Two Central Office Production Orders (COPO), numbers 9560 and 9561, were offered in the 1969 model year.

The COPO 9561 used the cast iron block/cast iron heads, solid-lifter L72 big-block engine, rated at 425 hp (317 kW) SAE gross at 5600 rpm and 460 lb⋅ft (624 N⋅m) of torque at 4000 rpm. Yenko ordered 201 of these cars to convert them into Yenko Camaros. Around 1,000 Camaros were fitted with the L72 engine option.

The COPO 9560 used an all-aluminum ZL1 designed specifically for drag racing. The package was conceived by drag racer Dick Harrell, and ordered through Fred Gibb Chevrolet in La Harpe, IL, to enter NHRA Super Stock racing. A total of 69 ZL1 Camaros were produced. The engine alone cost over US$4,000—or more than an entire base V8 Camaro. Rated at 430 hp (321 kW) SAE gross at 5200 rpm and 450 lb⋅ft (610 N⋅m) of torque at 4400 rpm/376 hp (280 kW) SAE net "as installed", it could produce over 500 gross with exhaust changes and tuning. The ZL1 engines were manufactured at the Tonawanda Assembly Plant.

This article is based solely on the supplied corpus. No external sources were consulted; claims that could not be substantiated against the corpus were omitted under the drop-the-claim rule.