Camaro Essay Example For Students

Camaro Essay Joshua Lee WilliamsonMrs. RenteEnglish 11January 24, 2002The name Camaro came from a French word for friend. The decision on the name came down to the last minute, with most of the world sure the car would be named, The Panther. Although the strange name had to be explained to the public, Camaro fit in with other Chevy names- Corvette, Chevelle, Chevy 2, and Corvair. The main reason the Camaro was introduced was because of the huge success of the Ford Mustang. The Camaro was roughly the same size as the Mustang, a little wider and based more on performance. The Camaro is one of the last remaining muscle cars still in production today. It is only fitting that buyers still expect maximum performance from their Camaros. It is that expectation that has kept the Camaro alive for all these years, while many other cars have faded away, lost in memory. The Mustang GT only only offered the 289- cubic inch or an 390- cubic inch V8 in 1967. The Camaro rolled out with 302, 327, 350, and 396 cubic inch V8s (Camaro 14) The Camaros style was much smoother as well. The introduction of the Camaro threw pony car development into a frenzy. Before the Camaro, the Mustang and Barracuda were not quite considered full muscle cars. Most serious performance enthusiasts still opted for intermediate sized GTOs or the Chevelle Super Sports (SS). The Camaro changed the image of those sport coupes. (Camaros, Eric Ethan)The Z28 and the stout SS-396 were more than just a stylish ride. Under the hood Camaros were well respected. Such respect helped establish the Camaro as the premier high-performance pony car. Camaro sales increased each year form 1967-1969. To this day, these Camaros are the favorite among enthusiasts. The Camaro brings a bad-boy image to the street and the track. The car has always been based on racing even when the Camaro was not officially involved. Its at home drag racing, and racing away from convenience stores after hold-ups. Because of this, media has given the Camaro a bad boy reputation.(American Muscle Cars, 47)1969 saw several noteworthy changes to the Camaro. The grill became deeper set, the taillamps were longer and thinner and broken into three segments. A heavy eye-brow crease was added on the both sides of the car extending from the front wheel well to the rear wheel well. A matching crease went from the rear wheel well to the rear quarter panel. Endura rubber bumpers were available on the Camaro as well as a two ram air induction systems for the SS. The first was a new special hood with a rear facing inlet and cold-air duct underneath the hood. The second was a dealer installed cowl plenum kit that came with a special air cleaner and adapter. No special hood was needed. The RS package was still popular, and included a special grill with concealed headlights and washers, and RS badging. The SS standard 350 received a slight power boost to 300bhp but the big news was the availability of special 427 cid equipped Camaros. The first were special dealer-installed units, most notably the Yenko Camaro 427. Yenko Sports Cars, based in Pennsylvania, along with other Chevy dealers such as Nickey in Chicago, Dana in California, and Baldwin-Motion in New York, would install the L72 427 cid block, rated at 425bhp by Chevrolet, ordered under the Central Office Production Order System (COPO) code 9562 into a buyers Camaro. The Yenko Camaro 427 is typical of the breed; it came from the factory with no ornamentation, badging, and the 427 in a crate. Yenko installed the 427 block, changed the rating to a more realistic 450bhp, and added 15-inch rally wheels, bigger front roll bar, and sYc (Yenko Sports Car) badging. A full complement of racing add ons were available and sub 13 second quarter miles were possible with a few more dollars. Overshadowing these dealer souped up Camaros was the factory Camaro ZL1. Specially designed to compete in the NHRA Super Stock drag classes, Chevrolet made it an option under the COPO system. The cars began as SS-396 cubic inch/375bhp Camaros with the F41 suspension. The SS trim and engine were deleted, and the 427 engine, cowl-induction hood, front disc brakes, a choice of heavy duty 4 speed transmissions were added. The ZL1 sported aluminum heads and the first aluminum block ever made by Chevrolet. It shared the L88 aluminum head/iron blocks engine rating of 430bhp but made closer to 500bhp making it probably the most powerful engine Chevrolet ever offered to the public. And it weighed just 500 pounds, the same as Chevys 327 small block. The car was blessed with a 5 year/50,000 mile warranty an d was fully street legal. With factory exhausts and tires, it turned low 13s; with headers and slicks, it could turn 11.6s @ 122mph. This was the fastest car ever produced by Chevrolet. Performance had its price $4,160 for the ZL1 engine alone pushing the price of the Camaro ZL1 to an unbelieveable $7,200 (about double the price for a SS396 Camaro). Chevy needed to build 50 to qualify the car for racing; it actually built 69, 59 Camaros and 2 Corvettes. The high price made them difficult to sell and at least 12 engines were removed and about 30 cars were returned back to Chevrolet. It took until the early 1970s to sell them all. (GM auto technical data 134-167)Production of the 1969 Camaros continued into the beginning of 1970 as the all new 1970 Camaros were not released until mid 1970. Despite predictions of the collapse of the pony car market, the new Camaro was released with much fanfare and much success. Most of the credit went to the new styling, which was European-inspired a nd would prove so popular that it would last until 1982. The new Camaro was two inches longer and had five inch longer doors. It had better noise insultation. Under the hood, the Camaro SS continued with the 350 and 396 engines. After January 1970, however, the 396 engines no longer displaced 396 cubic inches. Chevrolet actually enlarged them to 402 cubic inches but the executives decided to name it the 396 to take advantage of the name recognition and avoid any attention from insurance carriers. The Z28 saw the most radical change an all new 350 cid engine know as the LT-1 350. It was rated at 360bhp (it had a rating of 370bhp when installed in Corvettes). This engine proved much more tractable, reliable, and generally outperformed the 302. (GM tech 155-162)For a lot of reasons, the 1970 is often remembered as the last great year for American muscle cars. The pressure on the auto makers had been building for quite some time. The Environmental Protection Agency was formed shortly a fter the 1970 Camaro hit the road, and insurance companies were making it harder and harder for young people to buy the high-powered machinery everyone wanted. One of the first mandates form the government was the phasing out of leaded gasoline and a dramatic lowering of auto exhaust emissionsThe 1970 Camaro had huge changes under the hood because of the new government restrictions. The Z-28 saw its 350 cid engine drop from 360 hp to 330 hp. Both the SS350 and SS396 (still with a 402 cid engine) saw decreases in power ratings and a proposed 400 cid engine never saw production. The RS package was still available with corresponding trim and appearance changes. A 174 day strike at the Ohio plant where all Camaros and Firebirds were built severly limited 1972 model year production. Even worse, 1,100 unfinished Camaros had to be scrapped because they didnt meet 1972 federal bumper safety standards. With the declining performance market, there were many calls to cancel the Camaro. Luckily cooler heads prevailed and the Camaro stayed in production. Visually, the 1972 Camaros had a revised grill with only seven vertical slats instead of the previous 12. Another GM mandate required that all power ratings be given in net terms (including all accessories). Although that led to drastic drops in peak numbers, the new ratings were actually more accurate than the old gross power ratings because they were a better reflection of the power that actually hit the roadThe big news for 1973 was the deletion of the SS option, which only left the Z-28 to carry the performance banner. The RS option remained with revised front bumperettes. A new Type LT option wa s added as a luxury package which included a weak V8 and several trim items. The Z-28 saw another decrease in power as hydraulic lifters replaced its solid ones. As a sign of the times, air conditioning was available on the Z-28 for the first time. Despite all this, production for all models was up. The Chevrolet Camaro would continue, unlike most of its muscle car era competitors, in one form or another, until it would return to its performance roots in the early 1990s. For 1974, the Camaro was given its first real face-lift of the new generation. Its nose featured a revised grille opening and the larger, impact-absorbing bumpers required by law. The taillights were replaced by flat, one-piece assemblies. The reworked nose and new bumpers stretched the carss overall length by 7 inches. The engine lineup was simplified by the removal of the 307 inch V8, leaving the 250 V6 and the 350 V8 engines as the sole choices. The Z28 was back for 1974 but with the first major alteration of its appearance since 1967. The traditional twin stripes running the length of the car were replaced by huge Z28 graphics on the hood, with three stripes trailing behind each character. The Z28 continued with 245 hp, although the engine benefited from the introduction of GMs High Energy Ignition (HEI). Cbest Ernest Hemingway EssayThe Rally Sport replaced the Sport Coupe in 1989, and was now available with the L03 V-8. Headlamp pockets were no longer painted black on the RS, as well rear shoulder belts, and the Corvette PASS-Key Ignition lock system was on all Camaros. As for the IROC, the P245/50ZR-16 were replaced with new P245/50VR-16 tires. The TPI motors for better Multec fuel injectors, which meant more performance, and new calibration eliminated the cold start injector. As well the base 15 inch IROC wheels were restyled to match the appearance of there 16 inch sibling, the four wheel disc optional rear brakes were increased to 11.65 inch rotors (from 10.5 inch), which allowed for better stopping and a more reliable parking brake. The G92 option upped the ante a bit with its performance exhaust (Dual Catalytic converters) which added an extra 10 ponies (hp)The 1990 model year was only a half year of production. Due to the termination of the Chevrolet IROC contract, no IROC-Z s were produced after 12/31/1989. Instead, the 1991 Camaros were introduced early during last half of the normal 1990 model year. 1990 IROCs and RSs are easily identifiable: 1990 was the first year for the updated interior which included drivers side airbag, redesigned instrument panel, yellow lettering on dash, rounded controls. So 1990 IROCs are the only IROCs with the new interior. 1990 RSs are the only RSs with the new interior. (GM tech manual: Camaro)For 1991 The IROC-Z was dropped, and the Z28 returned was the big headline for 1991. All Ground effects were redesigned, with side scoops in front of each wheel, and received a large Ferrari F40 like Wing. The Z28, CAMARO on the front license plate, was replaced with the Bow-tie, and the the hood louvers were replaced with power blisters, and badging only appeared on the rear bumper. The fresh new 16 inch wheel was now standard on the Z28 with optional P235/55R-16 tires or P245/50ZR-16 tires. But the P245/50ZR-16 tires were standa rd on the 350 Z28 and the Z28 Convertible. Fr the first time the Rally Sport was available with 16 inch wheels, it also received grid tail lights from its sister the Z28. B4C special service police package became available to law enforcement agencies only. Cars were RS coupes with Z28 5.0 TPI or 5.7 TPI drivetrains and Z28 suspensions. These cars came equipped with the 16 inch wheels and P245/50-ZR16 tires, engine oil cooler, rear disc brakes, and limited slip axle. Midyear, the 1LE 11.86 inch front brakes and HD calipers became optional for the B4C. This package was the only way to get air conditioning and the HD front brakes. There were 592 1991 B4C Camaros built. It was the 25th anniversary of the Camaro and the last year for third Generation production. 1992 also marked the end of Camaros produced at the Van Nuys plant (the only Camaro producing plant since the Norwood plant closed at the end of the 1987 model year). All Camaros had 25th anniversary badge on dash. The 1992 model wasnt changed very much because of the long awaited debut of the next generation Camaro. And so, after two fuel crises, a couple recessions, and six presidents, all was much as it had been 25 years earlier: high-powered Camaros and Mustangs dueling on the street and on the track. And the scary part was, things were about to get even more competitive. 1993 was the year of the 4th generation Camaro . Not only was the exterior radically transformed, but under the hood there were numerous performance upgrades. 1993 saw the debut of the fourth-generation F-body, and a marked increase in power. Camaros and Firebirds received a version of the 5.7 liter LT1 engine from the Corvette. This Gen-II small-block featured aluminum heads, reverse-flow cooling, and a redesigned intake setup that made good power all the way to the engines 5800 rpm redline. The 1993 LT1 was rated at 275-horsepower, and LT1-powered F-bodies were good for low-14s at the strip. Behind the new engine was an equally new Borg-Warner T-56 6-speed manual transmission, or a 4L60 (a renamed 700-R4) 4-speed automatic carried over from the previous generation. The rear-axle assembly remained basically the same as the third generation, albeit a tad wider. A new short/long arm (SLA) independent front suspension and aggressive, flowing bodywork capped by an extremely raked windsh ield rounded out the first models of the new generation. In 1997, Chevrolet celebrated the Camaros 30th birthday with an anniversary option to commemorate the event. The anniversary Camaros were draped in white paint with Hugger Orange stripes, as used on 1969 Indy Pace Cars. Overall, the visual effect of orange over white was perhaps better suited to the older cars, but the look was still striking. Chevrolet even revived the interior with 30th anniversary logos. White wheels added to the effect. 1998 was a big year for the Camaro. It received a major refreshening with body upgrades including a new front fascia, a new hood, composite reflector headlamps, and new fenders. The 1998 model also received chassis upgrades, a new 4-wheel disc brake system and a new anti-lock brake system (ABS). But the biggest upgrade was the all new LS1 V8 engine for the Camaro Z28. This new engine produces 335 horsepower. Thats more than twice the standard horsepower offered in the 1982 Z28, to shine a little perspective on the state of modern high-performance. Although most Camaros sold through the years have not been performance models, it is still the image and reputation of the various Super Sports, Z28s, Pace Cars, and IROC-Zs that have defined the Camaro and kept the car in the public eye. While other car fashions have changed, Camaro buyers still want powerful V8s driving the real wheels, preferably with a manual transmission between the two. Given the opportunity, they will buy performance . Words/ Pages : 4,830 / 24