50 years of Camaro commercials
The Chevrolet Camaro was introduced September 12, 1966, just shy of 50 years ago. Chevrolet is honoring a half century of the Camaro a bit early with a series of gatherings and appearances, as well as this new video compilation featuring snippets from ads throughout the pony car's history.
As these commercials show, the Camaro started with a bang. The 1967 Camaro was a stylish response to the Ford Mustang, the '69 would become an icon, and the '70 1/2 Camaro injected European style and handling into the mix.
However, that history wasn't always grand. At one point in the video, the narrator boasts about the 1982 Camaro's 170-horsepower engine. That was the lingering hangover of the 1970s, when new emissions standards sapped horsepower and ended the era of the muscle car into which the Camaro was born.
DON'T MISS: The 10 Greatest Chevrolet Camaros of all Time
Those initial third-generation Camaros weren't impressive, but the 1985 IROC-Z changed that, as power and handling returned. The Camaros of the 1990s were also quite powerful but the badge took a hiatus after the 2002 model year, which, coincidentally, marked its 35th anniversary.
The reborn 2010 model took cues from the most revered Camaro of all time: the 1969. It wasn't a great car to start, but it came into its own by the end of its run, with such highlights as the 1LE handling package and the 580-hp ZL1.
The current Camaro, which also makes an appearance in the video, is the best yet. In fact, we named it the 2016 Motor Authority Best Car to Buy.
This video is a pretty cool trip down memory lane. However, we'd rather see a complete compilation of the full ads from each generation of Camaro. How about it, Chevrolet? We can muster the attention span.
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