Chevrolet Camaro SS 350

Chevrolet Camaro SS 350

The Chevrolet Camaro arrived in September 1966 for the 1967 model year — two and a half years after the Mustang had created the pony car segment and Chevrolet had been hemorrhaging sales to Ford. The wait was worth it. The Camaro was a polished, purpose-built competitor that immediately challenged the Mustang's dominance.

Built on GM's new F-body platform (shared with the Pontiac Firebird), the Camaro featured a longer hood and shorter deck than the Mustang, giving it a more aggressive, athletic stance. The styling was clean and purposeful, without the Mustang's decorative scoops and ornamentation. Where the Mustang was sporty and accessible, the Camaro was muscular and menacing.

The Super Sport (SS) package was the performance option. For 1967, the SS 350 included the L48 350 cubic-inch V8 with 295 horsepower, a special hood with simulated air intakes, SS badges, red-stripe tires, and a heavy-duty suspension. The SS also added a black-finished grille with a prominent SS emblem and hide-away headlights.

The SS 350 struck an ideal balance between performance and driveability. The 350 small-block was torquey and responsive at any RPM, the Muncie four-speed shifted with mechanical precision, and the car's relatively light weight gave it genuine agility. On the strip, a well-driven SS 350 could turn mid-15s in the quarter — competitive with anything in its class.

For those wanting more, the SS 396 option offered big-block power with 325 or 375 horsepower. But the SS 350 remained the volume performance Camaro, offering 90% of the big-block's thrill with better balance, lower insurance, and a lower purchase price.

The first-generation Camaro was a three-year car (1967-69), with each year bringing styling and mechanical refinements. The 1969 model, with its revised grille, wider fenders, and availability of the ZL1 all-aluminum 427, is generally considered the most desirable. But all first-gen Camaros have appreciated dramatically, establishing the model as one of the most collectible American cars of the era.