Chevrolet Camaro Z28 LT

The second-generation Camaro was larger and heavier than its predecessor. The design was inspired by Ferrari. Over the course of the 1970s, the Camaro became less and less powerful due to stricter emissions regulations and the fuel crisis, but this did not dampen its sales success. The reason for this was the ever-shrinking competition.

The new Camaro was still based on the Nova and had a similar design to its predecessor. Unibody structure with a front subframe, leaf springs and rigid axle at the rear and wishbones at the front. The wishbones were redesigned and the steering gear was moved from the rear to the front axle. Otherwise, the basic mechanical parts remained unchanged.

As before, the Camaro was offered with Rally Sport or Super Sport trim, or both. The Rally Sport package featured a unique front end with a split bumper and rubber-covered grille. The SS package again had a reinforced suspension and the „SS“ logos.

The star among the 1970½ Camaro models was the Z/28, which was powered by a high-compression 360-horsepower LT-1″-350. Unlike the high-revving 302 used in the first Z/28s, the LT-1 was composed in everyday driving, still revved with gusto and was now available with an automatic transmission.

But the glory days of the LT-1 were only to last one year. In view of the increasingly strict emissions regulations, GM lowered the compression ratios for the entire engine range in 1971. Otherwise, the '71 was hardly any different from the '70½ model. New were high-back bucket seats and the rear spoiler of the Z/28 models was now a larger, three-piece unit.

In 1973, the bumpers were slightly revised and the drop in performance continued: the basic six-cylinder now only produced a paltry 100 hp, the L82 only 245 hp. The big block was no longer offered as an option. The Super Sport was replaced by the „Type-LT“ Camaro, which combined a whole range of luxury options in one package.

To meet the new bumper regulations, the 1974 Camaro was redesigned with thick aluminum front and rear bumpers. The only radiator grille, the Rallye Sport option was dropped, was now scoop-shaped and the rear tail lights were integrated into the fenders. However, there were no changes to the available engines and equipment variants.