When it comes to the Camaro, the car has been at the front of the pony car era since the beginning, in 1967. It was Chevy's answer to the drivers who may not want the Ford Mustang, which came out two years before in 1965-1966.

It's survived many design changes through the years, but horsepower and handling has been in it's genes since the first car was bred at GM, and continues to be a force in the muscle car stable today.

With special editions, from the Baldwin Motion dealership cars, to the COPO 427 models, the Camaro has been used as a test base car for just how much power and engine can be stuffed into a midsize car.

From the Camaro SS to the Camaro Z28 options, the sky was the limit when it came to engines. Big block or smal block, with a wide range of horsepower ratings, you could get a variety of performance packages to suit your driving needs.

These model kits reflect the range of possibilities, and just about every example of Camaro's heritage can be built. The early 1967-1969 series, the 1970-1981 bodies, and the ever popular 1982-1992 kits. The 1993-2002 styles are well represented, many which sport the all new LT1 engine.

Of course, there was a lull between generations, as the Camaro brand tried to find a way to balance power with fuel mileage, and loose it's bloated body shape. By the time 2010 rolled around, GM had figured out how to make the Camaro perform, as well as be stylish again with an all new body.

There are many kits of this new hot style, and they have become quite the popular kits recently. (Chevy skipped making Camaros from 2003 to 2009 - and when they brought it back in 2010, they made the cars in Canada. Maybe this is Canada's pony car?)

The 2010 and 2015 years are well represented in model form, and Round2 / AMT is coming out with the new 2016 car models soon.

The sister car to the Camaro is the Pontiac Firebird, which is often available in a Trans Am package, with extra upgrades in handling and performance. Like the Camaro, the Firebird followed the trends of the times, and resembled the Camaro in many ways, often sharing parts as well as engines. Firebirds from time to time could have a Chevy 350 V8, a Pontiac V8, even an Oldsmobile V8.

But the Firebird Transam's were popular sellers, with Ram Air options, and sometimes more horsepower than it's Camaro cousin. TV and movies, like Smokey and the Bandit, and Knight Rider, made the cars even more popular, and drove sales of the cars off the dealership floors.

Pontiac Firebird model kits are available in most of the body styles. Though there is no Transam to follow the lead of th 2010+ Camaro styles.

But with these kits, you can still remember the days when horsepower ruled, and the Trans Ams were the muscle cars of their time.