Camaro: 35 Years of Performance

Summer, 1964. GM Design Vice President William L. "Bill" Mitchell is holding forth to a group of young engineers. "When will GM have an answer for the Mustang," he is asked.


Ford's surprisingly successful Mustang had been launched to great fanfare that April, and by August was rocketing through its first 100,000 sales. In most measurable ways, it was not a great car. But it looked good, performed well in V-8 form and—based on the compact Falcon—was cheap enough, so nearly anyone who really wanted one could find a way to have one.


"We have an answer," Mitchell retorts. "It's called the Corvair. Wait'll you see the new one!"


Sure enough, Chevy's 1965 rear-engine Corvair emerged vastly improved in both looks and function that fall, and it would sell fairly well, especially in sporty Monza trim, but it wouldn't be enough. Mitchell probably knew that, even as he said it, and so did most of his audience. And it wasn't long before GM realized it would have to compete in this new "ponycar" class.


When the corporate light finally turned green that August, work began in earnest on what would become the Chevrolet Camaro. The mandate was clear: it would have to out-gun the Mustang in every dimension—longer, lower, wider, roomier, faster, smoother, and better handling. It would have to be based on the upcoming redesign of Chevy's compact Chevy II/Nova, using as many off-the-shelf components as possible to keep the cost down; and, oh, yes—it would have to be ready for production in just 24 months for a fall, 1966 introduction.