GM spotted Ford more than two years and 1.3 million Mustangs before answering the pony-car challenge. When it did, the 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS 396 had instant muscle car credibility.
 ©2007 Publications International, Ltd. The Camaro muscle car came in Super Sport form right from its '67 debut. See more muscle car pictures. |
From the start, Camaro featured a Super Sport edition as an authoritative counterpunch to the Mustang GT. It added $211 to the $2,572 Camaro Sport Coupe or the $2,809 convertible. Included were firmer springs and shocks, wide-oval tires, a special hood with die-cast simulated louvers, and a bumblebee stripe around the car's nose. Many buyers combined it with the $105 Rally Sport package, which included hidden headlamps.
 ©2007 Publications International, Ltd. A woodgrain steering wheel was part of the SS package. |
A new 295-bhp four-barrel 350-cid V-8 was the standard SS engine. With a four-speed and 3.31:1 gears, Motor Trend's SS 350 ran 0-60 in 8 seconds and the quarter in 15.4 at 90 mph. That was directly comparable to a 335-bhp 390-cid Mustang GT.
Then, a few months into the model year, Chevy unleashed the SS 396. It initially came in 325-bhp tune and tacked $263 onto the SS group. Still later in the year, the 375-bhp L78 variant was offered for $500. Since the L78 violated GM's rule against any car except the Corvette exceeding 10-pounds-per horsepower, it technically was listed as a dealer-installed option. (A few high-performance dealers also would install a 400-hp-plus 427-cid V-8.) SS 396 Camaros came standard with a four-speed manual; the three-speed automatic was a $226 option.
 ©2007 Publications International, Ltd. The strongest of the Camaro Super Sport bunch was the SS 396. This one is a 325-bhp version. |
With inadequate single-leaf rear springs and a near-vertical mounting of the rear shock absorbers, all V-8 Camaros were handicapped by severe rear-wheel hop in hard acceleration. With more weight over the nose and additional torque, the 396s suffered even more. But no rival was quicker.
First-year Camaro sales trailed those racked up by Mustang by a wide margin, but of the 220,917 sold, more than 34,000 were Super Sports. Chevy's pony car was off and running.
Camaro SS 396 Wheelbase, inches: 108.1 Weight, lbs: 3,720 Number built: NA Base price: $3,046 Top Available Engine Type: ohv V-8 Displacement, cid: 396 Fuel system: 1 x 4bbl. Compression ratio: 11.0:1 Horsepower @ rpm: 375 @ 5600 Torque @ rpm: 415 @ 3600 Representative Performance 0-60 mph, sec: 6.5 1/4 mile, sec. @ mph: 14.5 @ 99 |
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For more cool information on muscle cars, see:
- Chevy muscle cars beat at the heart of big-cube high performance. See profiles, photos, and specifications of more Chevy muscle cars.
- Muscle cars came in many shapes and sizes. Here are features on more than 100 muscle cars, including photos and specifications for each model.
- Muscle cars created their own culture. To learn about it, read How Muscle Cars Work.
These muscle car profiles include photos and specifications of each model:
- The 1961 Pontiac Ventura 389 was among the most stylish early muscle cars.
- Fastbacks were nothing new, but none was faster than the 1966 Dodge Charger 426 Hemi.
- The 1963 Plymouth 426 Wedge was so undomesticated it came with warnings not to use it on the public roads.
- Any '71 Chevelle could wear a Super Sport badge, but only the 1971 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 earned the right to display its engine size, too.
