A museum collection, not in a museum
The 2016 Chevrolet Camaro reveal was a treat, with unfettered access to the all-new sixth-generation model, a claimed 250 privately owned Camaros and their owners and families in attendance, and the scenic environs of Detroit's Belle Isle smack dab in the Detroit river. What could go wrong? Well, the weather, for starters—but that's okay. The heavy rain forced us into the makeshift Camaro "museum" Chevy put on-site while we waited for the 2016 Camaro’s reveal, and boy did we find some gems. Among the throngs of classic Camaros were privately owned and GM Heritage Center collection vehicles, all of them pristine, save for the race cars, which were pristinely not pristine. Take a tour through the five generations of museum-quality Camaros by swiping right (that’s the good swipe on Tinder, right?).
2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 Nürburgring prototype
While this may look like every other fifth-generation Camaro Z/28 out there, it isn't. This is the engineering car that set General Motors' widely touted 7:37.40 Nürburgring lap time. Essentially stock save for some safety equipment and—at one time—camouflage covering its true identity, this is the real deal. It's currently in the GM Heritage Center's collection.
Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R race car
This is Stevenson Motorsports' Z/28.R endurance race car, which shares the majority of its components with the production Z/28. We think it looks awesome, but where is the production car's signature "Flow-Tie" badge?
2012 COPO Camaro Drag Racer
According to the GM Heritage Center, this is the "first production model" COPO Camaro qualified for NHRA Stock and Super Stock competition.
2012 COPO Camaro Drag Racer
COPO Camaros, like their Ford Mustang Cobra Jet nemeses, are factory-built drag cars. In 2012, Chevy only built 69 of the special-edition Camaros, which came with a roll cage, a solid rear axle in place of the mainstream model's independent rear suspension, and a choice of "racing engines." This COPO Camaro is, strangely, a convertible model. Still, it looks quite badass.
2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS
You're looking at the very first production fifth-generation Camaro ever built, complete with a VIN that includes the numbers 001. This is an SS model, meaning it is powered by a 426-hp 6.2-liter small-block V-8, and of course it currently resides in the GM Heritage Center's careful hands.
Fifth Generation Chevrolet Camaro cop car prototype
Sans an informative plaque, this interesting Camaro engineering mule made the perfect canvas on which we could paint our weirdest pre-production car fantasies. Was it actually a police car design study? Perhaps it was used to police the engineering team working on the fifth-generation Camaro. Who knows, but with camouflage AND a light bar, this 'Maro is weird—in an excellent way.
Fifth-generation Chevrolet Camaro concept convertible
Another GM Heritage Center car, this Camaro convertible is in fact the 2007 concept car previewing the fifth-generation droptop Camaro. It followed the debut of the Camaro coupe concept and amped things up with a Hugger Orange paint job and a sweet houndstooth interior.
Camaro concept coupe
First introduced at the 2006 Detroit auto show, the Camaro concept coupe previewed what the then still-on-hiatus Camaro could look like—if it returned. The fourth-generation Camaro went out of production in 2002, and this car previewed the fifth-generation model that would bring back the Camaro name for 2010.
2002 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 convertible
Speaking of production hiatuses, this 2002 Camaro droptop was the very last fourth-generation model to roll off of the production line. Yep, on August 27, 2002, the Camaro name officially went dark (GM says it was "suspended") until the fifth-generation model appeared for the 2010 model year.
1996 Chevrolet Camaro SS
For 1996, Chevy brought back the SS trim level, which for the Camaro meant a sweet hood scoop, a rear spoiler, and Corvette ZR1-mimicking 17-inch wheels. The LT1 V-8 engine made 305 horsepower—a decent bump over the regular Z28's 285 ponies. This example is owned by Carl Linds, and it is one of 73 Arctic White, six-speed manual cars.
1996 Camaro AER/Sunoco race car
This AER Camaro Trans Am racer was driven by Ron Fellows, who won four races that season and came in third for overall points.
1993 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 Indy 500 Pace Car
Just as there were multiple 1993 Camaro Indy 500 Pace Cars among the customer Camaro fleet on-site at the sixth-generation Camaro's unveiling, there was one in the museum collection. But don't worry, it's still special. We think.
1992 Chevrolet Camaro 25th Anniversary
The final year of third-generation Camaro production also coincided with the nameplate's 25th anniversary, prompting this special edition. This car is part of the GM Heritage Center collection, and it is equipped with the ultra-rare 1LE track package.
1987 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z convertible
Believe it or not, but the '87 IROC-Z Camaro convertible the first droptop Camaro offered since 1969. This anonymously presented example looks great in red, and it has just over 4000 original miles.
1985 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z
Named after the International Race of Champions race series, the IROC-Z not only became a healthy seller for Chevy, it also quickly became an '80s icon. IROC-Z touches included a 215-hp 5.0-liter fuel-injected V-8, unique wheels, four-wheel disc brakes, and of course, those impressive IROC-Z stickers.
1982 Chevrolet Camaro Indy 500 Pace Car
Throughout the years, Chevy has sold countless Indy 500 pace car replicas, but this isn't one of them. This '82 is, in fact, a real pace car outfitted for track duty, with a roof-mounted light, clear headlight covers, and a 250-hp Crossfire V-8.
1981 Chevrolet Camaro Pro Stock Car
Camaros and drag racing are a longstanding pairing. This Pro Stock Camaro was driven to the first of Reher-Morrison's four consecutive Pro Stock NHRA titles in the early '80s, and it currently resides in the Rick Hendrick collection.
1977 Chevrolet Camaro Z28
Ah, the late 1970s. The 1977 Camaro Z28 put out a meager 185 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque—from a 5.7-liter V-8. At least the Z28 came with goodies such as stiffer springs, large-diameter anti-roll bars, and unique shocks. And cool stripes. Those are key.
1978 Chevrolet Camaro Z28
It came . . . from Canada. This '78 Camaro is a Canadian-market model, but all '78s wore refreshed front and rear molded urethane (plastic) fascias. This example has just 6000 miles—converted from its instruments' metric units—and is a part of the Rick Hendrick collection.
1974 Chevrolet Camaro Z28
Yet another GM Heritage Center–curated vehicle, this '74 Camaro is the first model to comply with federal bumper standards in the mid-1970s. We just dig the brown paint and Torq Thrust–style wheels.
1970 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 Hurst Sunshine Special
Who knew? A special-edition Camaro with "sunshine" in its name would be . . . yellow? Besides looking absolutely incredible, this Z28, part of the Rick Hendrick collection, features a 360-hp LT-1 V-8, a prototype sliding sunroof—and it's one of only three built.
1969 Yenko Camaro
Famed Chevrolet dealer Don Yenko commissioned about 200 "Yenko" Camaros through Chevrolet's COPO special-order system. Similar to the ZL1, this car came with a 427 V-8, although with an iron block. This car belongs to a lucky anonymous owner.
1969 Chevrolet Camaro Indy 500 Pace Car
This '69 Camaro SS 396 droptop would be a blue-chip ride on its own, but with the Indy 500 Pace Car treatment? Yep, time for several loans and perhaps a donated organ or two.
1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
A lot of the names affixed to modern Camaros didn't just come from anywhere. Stuff like Z/28, RS, COPO, and ZL1 came from cars way back in the day. Take, for example, this '69 ZL1. This is one of just 69 built that same year with an all-aluminum 427 big-block V-8. These cars, like the Z/28s, were homologation cars for NHRA Super Stock eligibility, and yes, they're pretty damn cool.
1968 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 convertible
Even though the first-generation Camaro Z/28 was never officially offered as a convertible, contemporary Chevrolet general manager Pete Estes nevertheless had this car built for himself. By hand.
1967 Bill Jenkins Chevrolet Camaro "Grumpy's Toy"
An anonymous owner presented this awesome Bill Jenkins Camaro at the sixth-generation Camaro's reveal event. An SS, 396 V-8–powered car, this Camaro powered Jenkins to an NHRA Super Stock class win in '67, launching the driver's career, as well as the Camaro's.
1967 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28
The very first Z/28s were little more than homologation specials, cars sold to accommodate Chevy's itch to go Trans-Am road racing in the late 1960s. This car sports the 302-cubic-inch V-8 built to comply with the SCCA's 305-cubic-inch engine displacement limit, as well as a four-speed manual and heavy-duty disc brakes.
1967 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 Penske/Sunoco race car
We've driven or tested, in some variation or another, nearly every regular-production Camaro there is, but the special stuff? That's a more rarified list. This Penske/Sunoco Trans-Am racer is one such Camaro we've actually driven. This car is famous for having an experimental light-weight acid-dipped body, and it is currently in a Mr. Patrick Ryan's possession. Mr. Ryan, may we drive your car . . . again?
1967 Chevrolet Camaro
This is it. The very first Camaro, with the VIN number 100001. Apparently, this off-brown coupe was the first of 49 hand-built pre-production cars assembled in 1966. That amount of specialness, then, is more than enough to offset its low-spec trim, as it comes with a 3.7-liter inline-six and a three-speed manual transmission. The car is currently in Corey Lawson's possession, and we're jealous.
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