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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.
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