Chevrolet is one of the most innovative American carmakers. Its most highly-regarded vehicle, the Corvette, has been grabbing the attention of car fans worldwide. However, the Corvette is not the only iconic vehicle coming out of Chevrolet's factories.

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The Camaro is one of the most popular pony cars ever made. There are tons of reasons why the Camaro is the best car you can buy right now. The newer Camaros are among the most powerful modern-day Chevys for example. Despite its popularity, some facts about the Camaro remain a mystery even to the most diehard Camaro fans.

10 The First Camaro

1967 Chevrolet Camaro Black Panther Cropped
Mecum 

When the Camaro arrived in September 1966, it was a very important milestone for Chevrolet. The long-awaited pony car went above and beyond everyone's expectations despite receiving some negative reviews from prominent car writers. It's safe to say that the very first edition of the Camaro set the tone for Chevrolet's take on the pony car.

Though several editions of the first generation were released, only eight engine options were available. From the 230 6-cylinder engine to the beastly 427 V8, the Camaro was made available for various demographics. In 1967, the official first production year, a total of 220,906 Camaros were built.

9 Its Legendary Engine

Engines found in muscle cars from the 1960s boast crazy engineering prowess. Chevy engines (along with) during this time helped pave the way for American muscle cars. The 350 small block V8 is definitely a legendary engine.

Introduced in the Camaro, the 350 small block V8 and its derivatives were found on Chevrolet cars from 1967 to 2003. That is quite a good run for an engine. Following its success in the Camaro, the 350 was then adapted to the Nova. The engine was such a tremendous piece of art that most Chevrolet cars were offered with the 350.

8 The Rival

Via: Pinterest

It is practically impossible to talk about the Camaro without comparing it to the Ford Mustang. The rivalry between the two ponies has been going on for over fifty years. Since the Camaro came out after the Mustang, the novelty effect played a huge part. To this day, Ford and Chevrolet are still waging a fierce commercial war.

RELATED: Ford Mustang Vs Chevy Camaro: Who’s The Pony Car King?

1967 Ford Mustang GT Fastback 2 Cropped
Via Mustang Society

Three years before the Camaro hit the market, the Mustang was featured on several TV networks. As a result, the Mustangs that were made available were gone the same day. In its first year, Ford sold around 400,000 Mustangs. Understanding the challenge Camaro was going to face, Chevrolet doubled down on coming up with a true Mustang-killer.

7 The Beast

Following the success of the first two production years, Chevrolet started looking into releasing wilder versions of the Camaro. The infamous SS and Z28 trims are some of the best things that happened to Chevy cars, but the ZL 1 is another ballgame. The 1969 Camaro ZL 1 L88 is a collectible that will only appreciate with time.

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The Camaro ZL1 L88 definitely is not among the terrible models Chevrolet would like the general public to forget. As a matter of fact, the ZL1 is one of those Chevy cars people would buy right now. They sure would love to own one of the 69 ZL1 L88s made in 1969. Its 427 big-block V8 is factory rated at 430hp, but it’s been rumored that the actual power output is anywhere between 520 hp and 535 hp. The last ZL1 L88 that sold at auction went for a little over $1 million.

6 Long Production Run

The second generation of Camaros started off really nicely. As the regulations set in place by the government and the oil crisis had not gone into effect yet, the high-end Camaros were still pumping out over 350hp stock. That is fast. However, in the 1970s, the two aforementioned events tremendously undermined the success of the legendary pony car.

The events that could have definitely killed off the Camaro did hit Chevrolet badly. However, it did not prevent the company from manufacturing the second generation for eleven years (1970 to 1981). It was the longest production of the Camaro ever. Even with abysmal power outputs, Camaros were able to maintain their status.

5 Foreign

The 1990s were a weird decade for muscle cars. The designs weren't particularly good, and neither were the engines. Understandably, Chevrolet decided to stop producing Camaros in 2003. Looking back, it was probably the best thing Chevrolet could have done.

Between 1993 and 2002, Camaros were an all-American Canadian car. The production of the once-legendary pony was sent across the border. Although it may have not had any impact on the car itself, it showed that Chevrolet was trying to save money wherever they could, which may explain the cars' botched designs and poor performance.

4 Department Store Edition

There is not a single decent car in the world that does not have a special edition. Ford has the Mustang Bullitt; Dodge has the Demon; Cadillac has the awful Mary Kay. While Chevrolet released several special editions of the Camaro over the years, one in particular wasn’t what gearheads were used to seeing.

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Chevrolet released a Neiman Marcus edition of the Camaro. Only 100 units were made. Sold only through Neiman Marcus, they cost up to $75,000.

3 Hollywood Star

The Camaro SS is among the powerful muscle cars of the 2010s that are worth every dollar. Since the Camaro released in 2010 was nothing like the abominable Chevrolet marketed between 1993 and 2002, the car was used in several motion pictures. In the movie Transformers, the Camaro was known as Bumblebee.

The Transformers franchise targeted quite a young audience, which in turn required some truly mind-blowing special effects, racy vehicles, grandiose stunts, and explosions. Michael Bay is the director, after all. As a result, the collaboration between the movie company and Chevrolet led to the creation of the Bumblebee edition. Several other versions of the Camaro were featured throughout the Transformers movies.

2 5-0

Dubai is a modern-day oasis in the middle of the desert. Its airport is among the nicest in the world. Dubai is also known for its car rental business where it is possible for anyone to rent a Lamborghini Aventador or Ford GT.

Since supercars are a dime a dozen in Dubai, the police force decided to upgrade their cruisers. While people have heard about Lamborghini patrol cars, most people don't know about the souped-up Camaro SS version. Getting into a car chase in Dubai must be something else.

1 2 Million, 3 Million, 4 Million...

Over the years, Camaros have lost some of their power, but also gained a whole lot. The previous editions of the ZL1 are considered to be among the fastest Chevrolets ever made. It's another reason why Camaros are so popular. They are fast and their reputation precedes them. From the smaller 4-cylinder to the humongous V8, there really is a Camaro for just about everyone.

Since its first release in 1966, Chevrolet has sold over 5 million Camaros. That is quite remarkable for a car that went through so many ups and downs. Mustang lovers will say that twice the amount of Mustangs were sold since 1964, and that is perfectly fine. Still, the Camaro remains a true American icon that has aged beautifully over the years.

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