1970 Chevrolet Camaro

The second-generation F-body Chevrolet Camaro was designed by Bill Mitchell and his staff without the time and production restrictions imposed by management during the first generation's creation to catch up with the successful Mustang. The fastback body style certainly influenced the new Camaro design, Mitchell and his team were seemingly inspired by Carroll Shelby's Pete Brock-designed Daytona Cobra Coupe. The profile and several subtle similarities are undeniable. The sleekly sloping roofline ended in a recessed Kamm-back tail containing round tail lights. The aggressively stanced front-end treatment included a sharply V-shaped rectangular egg-crate grille between single headlights set above a thin, wraparound bumper and rectangular parking lights.

A strike at the Norwood, Ohio GM assembly plant delayed the new F-Body Camaro and Firebird introduction. When they were finally launched, they were designated as 1970 1/2 models due to the time constraints of the shorter year.

The Z28 package came with the Corvette's LT1 350 cubic-inch V8 engine offering 360 horsepower. The Z/28 option had been quietly introduced for 1967 and carefully refined through 1968 and 1969. Development had been spearheaded by Vince Pigins as Chevrolet's SCCA Trans-Am contender. The Z/28 package included a 302 V8 with highly developed underpinnings, and a race-bred chassis and powertrain improvements. The racing versions of Team Penske Racing with Mark Donohue driving were very successful, winning back-to-back SCCA Trans-Am Championships in 1968 and 1969.

The first-generation Z/28's 302 engine had drawbacks, particularly with its lack of low-end torque and only truly came alive when the RPM's exceeded 5,000. This made it impossible for Chevrolet to offer the Z/28 with an automatic transmission for the street. Things changed when SCCA Trans-Am rule changes allowed larger-displacement street versions of each manufacturer's racing cars to be reduced in displacement to a 5.0-liter or 305 cubic-inch limit for the track. Chevrolet developed the LT-1 engine for the next-generation F-Body Camaro. It was given an 11.0:1 compression ratio, a solid-lifter camshaft, free-breathing big-valve cylinder heads, efficient exhaust manifolds, and an aluminum intake with a 780-CFM Holley four-barrel carburetor. To increase strength, it was given a four-bolt main cylinder block, steel crank, forged rods and aluminum pistons.

The LT-1 small-block was produced between 1970 and 1972 and was available exclusive in the Corvette and Camaro. For the Camaro, it was available only through the Z/28 option. During 1970, 8,733 examples of the LT1 engine were fitted into the Camaro. This was followed by 4,862 in 1971 and 2,575 in 1972.

The base engine in the Camaro was the 250 cubic-inch six-cylinder engine which had 155 horsepower and 235 lbs of torque. The base V-8 was the overhead-valve 307 CID with 200 horsepower and 300 ft-lbs of torque. Sales were strong with the base coupe selling for $2,750 with 100,967 examples sold. 27,136 were fitted with the Rally Sport package (RPO Z22) which added $168.55 to the base price. Additionally, it could be added to the SS or Z/28 packages. The Rally Sport brought cleaner styling with a body-color Endura grille surround and a pair of trim front bumperettes. There were Hide-A-Way windshield wipers and RS identification and badging which added to the appearance.

The Camaro SS, also known as the Super Sport (RPO Z27 SS), was a $289.65 option. It came with the V-8 engine (either the base 300 horsepower Turbo-Fire 350 V8, or optional 350 HP L34, or 375 L89 396 Turbo-Jet V8) backed by a four-speed or Turbo Hydra-Matic transmission. There were SS badging, F70x14 wide-oval white letter bias-belted tires, dual exhaust outlets, Hide-A-Way windshield wipers, and a black-finished grille with a bright outline and SS identification. A total of 15,201 examples of the Camaro SS coupes were sold.

by Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2020