The public loves stories of arch rivalries: China vs the United States of America, Michael Corleone vs Hyman Roth, and Joker vs Batman. Naturally, the automotive industry has its own frenemies, like Ferrari vs Maserati, and Ford Mustang vs Chevrolet Camaro. For years, Chevy played catch up, always coming behind the prominent Ford Mustang. However, in the 1960s, it finally understood that in order to win a larger chunk of the American market, it had to build an innovative vehicle.

Given this, in September 1966, Chevy inaugurated the Camaro, an American muscle car that will take on its arch enemy and dominate the racetracks for years. For half a century now, Mustangs and Camaros have been competing against each other for the coveted position of the best and most popular American muscle car. But without the 1967 Camaro SS, there wouldn’t be any competition and probably neither of the two shotguns would continue to innovate, so let’s have a closer look at the first-generation Chevrolet Camaro SS and see what made this car so special.

Related: Epic Battle Between A Chevrolet Camaro SS And A Ford Mustang GT

The 1967 Camaro SS Is A High Performance Car Built For Gearheads That Love To Speed

1967 Chevy Camaro SS
via: Bring a Trailer

The original powertrain found under the hood of the Camaro SS was the 295 horsepower 350 cubic inch engine. But, in November 1966, Chevy inaugurated the 396 Mk IV big block that generated 325 horsepower, according to Holisticpage. Elsewhere, ProfessCars’ rough calculations show that the 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS-396 Sport Coupe that generated 325 horsepower with the 6.5-liter V8 engine could speed up from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 6 seconds and from 0 to 100 miles per hour in 15.2 seconds.

The Best Features Of The 1967 Camaro SS

1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS 'Bumblebee' rear end
Barrett-Jackson

Originally designed on the platform of the Chevy II Nova, the 1967 Camaro was envisioned as the ultimate Ford Mustang rival. Accordingly, Chevy wanted to create a car that would satisfy the needs of the most demanding consumers, so they came up with the two-door coupe and the highly popular convertible model, which sold 25,141 units in 1967.

Marketers promoted the Camaro as the car that shared the same rear-drive, front-engine configuration with Mustang. It is worth noting that despite the performance, reliability and beautiful design, the Camaro wasn’t too pricey being retailed at $2,800 to $3,500. Adjusted for inflation, this would be $23,728 to $29,660 in 2022.

The Camaro's Indy 500 History

Mecum

In 1967 and 1969, Camaro was selected as the pace car in the Indy 500. For the 1967 Indianapolis 500 race, Chevy built four special edition Camaros to complete track duties. An additional 100 replicas pace cars were built for race officials and celebrities during and before the race. The Camaros that handled track duties “were all Ermine White with Bright Blue interiors and white soft tops, in RS/SS trim,” says GM Authority.

Furthermore, these vehicles had “Chevrolet Camaro Official Pace Car 51st Annual Indianapolis 500-Mile Race – May 30, 1967” stickers glued on the doors. Another unique detail found on these cars was the blue nose stripe and pin stripe.

Related: The 2022 Chevrolet Camaro LT1 Is No Match For This 2021 Toyota Supra 3.0 GR

The 1967 Camaro SS: The SS Vs RS Trims

A red and black 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS parked
via Mecum Auctions

As most Camaro fans know, SS stands for the Super Sport trim, whereas RS means Rally Sport. The main difference among these trims is that SS is the top performance package that offered buyers aesthetic upgrades, a flawless suspension, and evidently, more power.

The 1967 Camaro SS also came equipped with the standard 350ci V8 engine that generated 295 horsepower. Optional packages included a 396 ci big block V8 engine that generated 325 horsepower or 375 horsepower depending on the customer’s selection. As for aesthetics, the SS vehicles had the “SS” logos and the stripe on the front. Meanwhile, buyers who selected the RS trim had their own perks such as getting the hideaway headlights, unconventional taillights, special side moldings and the “RS” emblems. Nevertheless, this trip didn’t boost performance, being focused merely on aesthetics.

There was also the Z/ 28 package, which was the ideal option for drivers who nurtured their passion for racing or were addicted to speed. As such, the Camaro Super Sport and the Z/28 had similar results and performance on the racetrack. While the SS 396 achieved better results than the Z/28 when tested from rest to 60 mph, the Z/28 was speedier in the quarter mile. Unsurprisingly, the 1967 Camaro SS was a big success with the American public. As such, 34,411 units were sold for the 1967 Camaro SS model. However, in total, 220,906 units of the 1967 Camaro model were sold.