The Evolution Of The Camaro: 1966 Manufacturing Secrets

The first-generation Chevrolet Camaro was introduced in the fall of 1966 for the 1967 model year. It was manufactured at the Norwood, Ohio factory and the Van Nuys, California assembly plant. The Camaro was designed as a pony car to compete with the Ford Mustang.

The first-generation Chevrolet Camaro was introduced in 1966 for the 1967 model year

The Camaro was built on a new rear-wheel-drive GM F-body platform, which was shared with the Pontiac Firebird. It was available as a 2-door, 2+2 seat, hardtop, and convertible. The base engine was a 230 cu in (3.8 L) inline-6, with several Chevy V8s available as options. The Camaro was produced at two main US assembly plants: Norwood, Ohio, and Van Nuys, California. There were also five non-US assembly plants in the Philippines, Belgium, Switzerland, Venezuela, and Peru.

The first-generation Camaro lasted until the 1969 model year. During its production, several different models were introduced, including the Super Sport, Rally Sport, and the high-performance Z/28. The Camaro was an immediate success, with 220,906 sold in its first model year.

The Camaro was General Motors' answer to the Ford Mustang

The Chevrolet Camaro was first introduced in 1966 as General Motors' answer to the Ford Mustang. The Mustang's debut in April 1964 caught Ford's competitors off guard, and General Motors (GM) soon realised that their compact rear-engine Corvair would not be able to compete with the Mustang's sales volume. Thus, the Camaro was designed to appeal to the same market as the Mustang, with a conventional rear-drive, front-engine configuration.

The Camaro was first shown to the press in Detroit on September 12, 1966, and later in Los Angeles on September 19. It officially went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year. The base price was $2466, and just over 220,000 were sold in the first year. This was less than half the sales of the Mustang during the same period, which sold over 480,000 units.

The Camaro shared its platform and major components with the Firebird, produced by GM's Pontiac division. It was built on a brand-new rear-wheel-drive GM F-body platform and was available as a 2-door, 2+2 seat, hardtop, and convertible. The base engine was a 230 cu in Chevrolet straight-6, with several Chevy V8s available as options.

The Camaro was designed to be a youthful, stylish, and compact coupe. It was smaller and more affordable than the '63 Buick Riviera, which had been designed to take on Ford's Thunderbird. The Camaro's styling was done by the same team that designed the 1965 second-generation Corvair, and it shared the subframe/semi-unibody design with the 1968 Chevy II Nova.

The name "Camaro" was chosen to mean a small, vicious animal that eats Mustangs, according to Chevrolet product managers. The name was also said to mean "comradeship" or "friend", in keeping with other car names beginning with the letter C, such as the Corvair, Chevelle, Chevy II, and Corvette.

The Camaro was initially code-named "Panther" during development, and its launch included a playful publicity stunt by GM, who sent out telegrams to journalists about the "Society for the Eradication of Panthers from the Automotive World".

The Camaro was designed as a relatively light 4-passenger car

The Chevrolet Camaro was introduced in the fall of 1966 for the 1967 model year. It was designed as a relatively light 4-passenger car, with a curb weight of 3,150 lbs and a shipping weight of 2,850 lbs. The base model Camaro was a 2-door, 2+2 seat, hardtop coupé with a 230 cu in (3.8 L) inline-6 engine, producing 140 hp. This model came with a 3-speed manual transmission.

The Camaro was designed to compete with the Ford Mustang, which had been a runaway success since its introduction in 1964. Chevrolet started with the compact Chevy II Nova as the basis for the Camaro, which shared its platform and major components with the Firebird, produced by General Motors' Pontiac division. The Camaro was available with a range of different engine and transmission options, including several Chevy V8s.

The Camaro was initially produced in two U.S. assembly plants: Norwood, Ohio, and Van Nuys, California. There were also five non-U.S. assembly plants in the Philippines, Belgium, Switzerland, Venezuela, and Peru.

The Camaro was available in three main optional packages: the RS appearance package, the SS performance package, and the Z/28 performance package. The Z/28, introduced in December 1966, was designed for racing in the SCCA Trans-Am Series and came with a high-output 302 cu in (4.9 L) V8 engine.

The first-generation Camaro was produced from 1966 to 1969 and was known within GM as the F-car. It was offered as a convertible in addition to the hardtop coupé, with a base price of $2466. Over 220,000 Camaros were sold in the first year, compared to over 480,000 Mustangs during the same period.

The Camaro was manufactured at the Norwood, Ohio factory and the Van Nuys, California assembly plant

The first-generation Chevrolet Camaro was manufactured at two primary US assembly plants: Norwood, Ohio, and Van Nuys, California. The Norwood factory, near Cincinnati, built around 75% of 1966-1969 Camaros, while the Van Nuys plant, near Los Angeles, assembled the remaining 25%. Norwood units were primarily destined for central and eastern US markets, as well as exports, while Van Nuys focused on western US deliveries.

The Camaro was also assembled at five overseas factories: the Yutivo factory in the Philippines, GM Continental in Belgium, GM Suisse in Bienne, Switzerland, and two additional plants in Caracas, Venezuela, and Lima, Peru. These non-US facilities used "completely knocked down" (CKD) kits, which included separate sheet metal stampings and parts for local assembly.

The first production Chevrolet Camaro was completed on August 11, 1966, at the Norwood, Ohio, assembly plant. When the car officially went on sale on September 29, 1966, as a 1967 model, it was an immediate success. In its first model year, 220,906 Camaros were sold, though it wouldn't outsell the Ford Mustang until 1971.

The Camaro was also assembled in five overseas factories

The Yutivo factory in the Philippines was one of the overseas assembly plants. This factory is the subject of a research article by the Camaro Research Group (CRG). Another CRG research article focuses on the non-U.S. assembly plants in general.

In addition to the five overseas factories, there were two major U.S. assembly facilities for the Camaro: the Norwood, Ohio factory near Cincinnati, and the Van Nuys, California assembly plant near Los Angeles. About 75% of 1967-1969 Camaros were built at the Norwood plant, which served the central and eastern U.S. markets and exported vehicles. The Van Nuys plant was the primary assembly plant for units intended for western U.S. delivery, accounting for around 25% of Camaro production.

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