Car Disgust--1969 Chevrolet Camaro
Wait, Car Disgust? Say again?
Yes. The Chevrolet Camaro, one of the most iconic muscle cars of all time, is a car I loathe. In fact, it's one of my all time least favorite cars.
Sure, it has a prominent place in muscle-car history. Yes, it has quite attractive proportions, and classy yet aggressive styling. And yes, it can be quite the performer, depending on what lurks under the hood. All of these qualities made it huge success for Chevrolet, and to this day it remains as one of the most popular sporty cars in history ... which is why I can't stand the thing.
Growing up in the 1980s, I attended many car shows with my father and friends. I remember Camaros absolutely captivating me during that time period, with crazy paint jobs, massive wings, huge wheel tubs framing steamroller-like rear tires, dechromed bumpers, wheelie bars and all the other trimmings of the pro street era. I was brainwashed with Camaro after Camaro; they outnumbered any other model by a landslide.
Between the shows and car magazine subscriptions, I was exposed to literally thousands of first-generation Camaros by the time I turned 10 years old. Pro street, sleepers, survivors, road racers, drag monsters, and barnyard finds; every variety of Camaro was consistently covered by every source of automotive culture I knew. Car Craft was more like Camaro Craft; it featured at least one Camaro in every other issue. Towards the back of the magazine, almost any muscle car ad involved a '69 Camaro. Other magazines didn't offer much more variety.
When I turned 16, I had been working two jobs as a dishwasher and cashier the entire summer to save up enough money for a car. The rational side of my brain, already weakened by growing up with The Dukes of Hazzard, quickly surrendered to the insane. I wound up purchasing a 1968 Dodge Charger with a 383 big block V-8 and a Hurst 4-speeed shifter. I did my best to restore it, and I spent any dollar I made on restoration and speed parts.
It was at this point I started noticing something. You can practically build a brand new 1969 Camaro with the parts available in the aftermarket. All it takes is money. Want reproduction visors? No problem. Reproduction hoods? Sure. Reproduction consoles, reproduction seatbelts, reproduction gauges; almost every single part on the entire car, even the glass, is currently being produced today.
Where is the skill, devotion, or work necessary to restore a 1969 Camaro? With a huge credit limit, one could simply order every part in the catalog and have a stunning example.
Making things worse were the attitudes of Camaro owners. No, I'm not referring their predisposition towards certain haircuts. I'm referring to how they treated people who owned muscle cars from other manufacturers.
Some sample comments: 
"If Chargers were so good, how come they don't make them anymore?" "The Camaro sold a lot more than that car, 'cuz it was better."
Ugh. I just couldn't stand it. I'd go to muscle car shows, and instead of seeing a wide variety of cool vehicles, I'd see lines upon lines of perfect Camaros with very little variation.
To me, the Camaro is now just utterly boring. The 1969 Camaro is the Tyrannosaurus Rex of musclecars. Every kid who likes dinosaurs knows what the T-Rex is, and almost every kid calls the T-Rex their favorite. But, at some point in life, everyone should have some personal growth and realize there's more to life than only what they knew first. They should start to realize it's a bigger world with a beautiful amount of variety, and honestly, it's really just boring when everybody has the same "favorite."
This is one of the reasons I like Car Lust. Every few weeks, I learn about a new car that I have never even heard of before, which is strange and wonderful in a way any '69 Camaro could never be. Or, for that matter, a 1957 Chevy, a 1970 Chevy Chevelle, or a 1964 Ford Mustang.
The blue Camaro image came from RKMPhoto on Flickr, the green Camaro image came from TotalPhoto on Flickr, and the Camaro car show image came from the Mid-Iowa Camaro club.
--Rob the SVX/Audi Guy
Chris Hafner on February 17, 2010 at 12:35 PM
Just for reference, Rob wrote this a long time ago - like, more than a year ago - and it was my dumb error that it was forgotten until now. Sorry, Rob.
So - Rob may not still find 1969 Camaros disgusting, although knowing Rob (he's a man of strong emotion) I'd be surprised if he didn't.
That Car Guy on February 17, 2010 at 12:43 PM
Ummm... that blue car is a '67 or '68 Camaro. Hard to tell with the side marker lights and vent windows possible removed. Even the side sheet metal is different.
Chris Hafner on February 17, 2010 at 12:54 PM
On the subject of the 1969 Camaro, I both agree and disagree with Rob. Completely unsurprisingly, I agree with his conclusion - that the diversity of cars in the world is a wonderful thing and that it's easy to get overwhelmed by too much adoration laid on one car. I get this feeling whenever I go to any major muscle car show - I'm astounded and excited when I see the first '70 Chevelle SS454, but when by the end of the day, when I've seen 80 of them, all perfectly restored, I'm officially burned out and would rather see a Maverick Grabber or something.
Still, that doesn't mean that I don't love the '70 Chevelle SS454 in a way untouched by the popular adulation. The same thing goes of the first-gen Camaros - as Rob points out, they're great in almost every way. I grew up as a Chevy guy, and so the '69 Camaro remains an object of lust for me; it's pretty, fast, and has a distinguished competition history. If Mark Donohue drove one, it's good enough for me.
Now, the 1964 Ford Mustang? I'm on-board with that - that car never did anything for me, and the sepia-toned nostalgia surrounding it turns me off just as Rob is turned off from the 1969 Camaro.
Anthony Cagle on February 17, 2010 at 01:35 PM
Heh. This should generate a good ol' flame war. . . .
I never liked the looks of this generation, it just seems utterly bland to me. Pretty much the same with most of the GM muscle of the late '60s and early '70s, IMO, except maybe some of the later Trans Ams and GTOs. I liked the Gen 1 Mustangs because they were more angular and didn't really look like much else (although you can see the family resemblance with the Falcon initially).
So yeah, I pretty much ignore the usual suspect muscle cars. I'll be over drooling at the Marauders, thankyouverymuch.
Anthony Cagle on February 17, 2010 at 01:37 PM
(BTW, rumor has it that, among other things, the word "Camaro" can mean 'friend', 'companion', 'a small shrimp-like creature', and 'loose bowels'. FYI)
tigerstrypes on February 17, 2010 at 02:25 PM
I'm with you guys!! Camaros get too much exposure. It's one of the various reasons I'm not all that warmed up to Chevys.
Hot Rod magazine once made a story about a Camaro in which ALL of its parts were purchased by catalog (mind you, it's the quality of the build and attention to detail that separates the men from the boys, so there's still skill involved when building 'em.) There are even brand-new Camaro bodies being made by Dynacorn (I'm still waiting that they would do a Mopar).
I've seen complete magazine issues dedicated to the Camaro. Car Craft, has been trying hard to shed its Camaro Craft image, though they admit that it's easier said than done.
Would I own one? Of course! Because believe it or not, a Camaro will stand out as a daily driver in a sea of Toyotas and Mitsubishis. Of course, I'm gonna have to tweak it a little for my tastes (can you say 80s street machine?)
Mochi Mochi on February 17, 2010 at 02:47 PM
IMHO The 67/68 fastback Mustang was a lovely light and attractive car, though the notchback and convertible never did much for me. I don't feel much nostalgia about them, they've got nice lines and there's not too much there in terms of weight. My opinion again is that more muscle is not always better. Camaros yeah - they're ok too. Clean lines. I agree with Rob that their grandeur is overstated. It's so obvious a choice that it's really kind of boring.
The Camaro is certainly a nice car. But I can understand Rob's reaction to the cultists who want to believe that "this is the best car ever". Nonsense, if that were the case it would be a hatchback made by Honda, and it's name would read the same left to right as right to left.
The overstated is always an annoyance. Whether it's a Harley, a Chevy, or a "Pontiac". People who over identify with objects clearly need to have their heads examined. yes I've set up an appointment with a shrink to talk about "my issues".
Car shows are an interesting affair. I've been to more than a few. Seeing rows and rows of pristine-what-evers just gets boring after a while. I've got my eye on something different, and I have to say the best car show I've ever been to was not a car show at all... dry lake racing is perhaps one of the greatest car shows in the world. Cars are meant to be driven, not sit around like statues collecting dust.
Chris Mallow on February 17, 2010 at 02:47 PM
I'm in the same boat as Rob; my first dream car was a 1st-gen Camaro...specifically, Lane Meyer's "tasty" black Camaro from Better Off Dead. As time went on, I grew to appreciate more of the breadth of history's automotive offerings. Personally, I prefer the '69-'70 Mustangs and the '69 Firebirds...and I do like the Dodge muscle cars of the same vintage, before they were ALL ruined by the 70s. But I also like the older Thunderbirds and Chevys, and have even expanded my appreciation into old trucks and proto-SUVs like the Series Land Rovers, Toyota FJs, Broncos, and Scouts, as well as some of the classic hatchbacks like the VW Scirocco and Honda Civic and (Heaven forbid I utter it) AMC Gremlin.
So I can certainly see Rob's issue with this. I feel the same way, and even more so now, as I watch the prices of those Camaros skyrocket. My wife would love to get a 1st-gen or 2nd-gen Camaro for us to work on and fix up together. (The first Camaros went on sale on her birthday.) Unfortunately, with prices the way they are, I'll probably be well into my 50s before I'll even be able to afford it, and I'm 36 now. Even a complete one in horrible shape and needing full resto would run me close to $10K...and it might not even be running. (I actually find it interesting that it's actually easier and cheaper to get a hold of decent and affordable 60s Mustangs than it is to get a hold of affordable Camaros, considering that the Mustang named the class, as it were.)
I think the main point is, we're all Car Lusters around here, and we prefer our cars with CHARACTER. While the Camaros have their merits, they pretty much had all their character sucked out of them long ago.
John B on February 17, 2010 at 03:59 PM
In its favor: The '69 is better looking than the 67-68 cars.
I like them with the hidden headlights, the others...especially the 67s with the vent windows, look cheesy. We're talking Valveeta.
Still, they're better than the 69 Chevelle...
Yankee on February 17, 2010 at 07:31 PM
I've always preferred the Firebirds of that vintage, mainly due to their bolder styling cues... and the fact that they weren't Camaros (figuratively speaking, anyway). When I had my '68 Firebird convertible I remember once pulling into a gas station and some guy actually telling me with a straight face "I don't remember the Camaros having 4 headlights..." and I was like "that's because it's a FIREBIRD you idiot..." (I didn't actually call the guy an idiot, but I sure felt like it)
Ronnie Schreiber on February 17, 2010 at 09:15 PM
The first gen Camaros never did it for me but the 70 1/2 with the half bumpers is one of the cleanest and most beautiful car designs ever.
CJinSD on February 17, 2010 at 11:40 PM
While there might be something wrong with some hypothetical '69 Camaro zealot, there is something wrong with any automatic transmission equipped Subaru SVX zealot. Whatever happened to that '68 Charger 4-speed?
Yankee on February 18, 2010 at 05:02 AM
The 70-73 Camaro with the RS (Rally Sport) package was the one with the "half bumpers" with the round parking lights beside the headlights, the "regular" Camaros were the ones with the full bumper with the parking lights underneath. The RS package could be combined with the Z28, so it is possible to see Z28s of that vintage with the half-bumpers.
And yes, those are quite desirable. If I had to have a 70-73 Camaro, that one would be it.
Jed on February 18, 2010 at 06:42 AM
You echo my sentiments exactly. 67-69 Camaros are so boring. The same goes for the 70 Chevelle, the 57 and 57 Chevy and the Mustang and first-gen Thundebird. I have seen so many of these at car shows that I usually walk away from them, towards something like a Toronado XS or a Javelin AMX.
I think that Mopar has almost gotten there, with Year One producing lots of parts for these cars and the Hemi Cuda becoming the most valuable car of it's generation. It will still have to take many years for it to equal the overplay of the Camaro.
This kind of herd mentality is one of the reasons I love the offbeat cars so much. To my eyes and wallet, the 73-77 Colonnade cars are much better than the 68-72's. I had a 77 GP SJ that was such a great car with power, good gas mileage, style for miles, and the only one at any car show. To this extent, I would love to have a 73 Grand Am more than any GTO. Same goes for the Matator Coupe, the boattail Riviera, it's maligned bustle back 74-76 successor and lots of other cars that fall through the cracks of popular opinion. Would you believe that my favorite Mustang is the 71-73 and my favorite Cougar is the 74-76?
When I bring my 1980 Seville to a car show, I always hold my head up high. I am preserving a controversial car for the next generation. You almost made up for that vicious tirade the other day about the Regal Colonnade sedan.
Cookie the Dog's Owner on February 18, 2010 at 07:36 AM
The Camaro isn't my cup of motor oil--I'm not a musclecar guy--but when I was a kid back then, it was my favorite Hot Wheels. It is one of the better-styled cars of that generation, you've gotta give it that.
I guess I sort of take a live-and-let-live attitude. I've no great love for the '69 Camaro, or the '57 Bel Air, or the 1970s Stutz or nearly anything with the word "Oldsmobile" on it, but if that's what cranks your starter, enjoy.
Chris Hafner on February 18, 2010 at 07:57 AM
Jed, I think you're going to fit in nicely here.
Anthony Cagle on February 18, 2010 at 08:00 AM
We Mustang II people wish we could put one together from aftermarket parts. . .
Chris Meirose on February 18, 2010 at 09:46 AM
I told Chris Hafner the first time we met that the AMX Javelin is my favorite car of all time. I stand by that. Though I don't care what anyone says, I want a '71 Corvette with the 454.
--Big Chris
Yamn Dankee on February 18, 2010 at 12:21 PM
Yeah, I remember a friend's girlfriend showing off the new Camaro her Daddy had just bought her. Bo-o-o-o-ring.
Now this is completely off topic (but somewhat related!)- boring is boring, but ugly can be fascinating. So, my question:
What is the ugliest car, ever? I can't decide between the Siata Spring and the Volkswagen Thing.
kevIN on February 18, 2010 at 12:24 PM
I grew up in a Chevy town and was proud that my first car was a '68 Firebird (with a crappy 400 out of a '74 Lemans and rust in the rear quarters). But yeah, the Camaro just doesn't float my boat. Try building something a little different. My last project car was a 1986 Monte Carlo SS where I swapped in a 355, upgraded transmission and whatnot. I was also working on a '81 Malibu Wagon as a daily driver. Now those were fun cars.
David Colborne on February 18, 2010 at 12:28 PM
You non-conformists are all alike. :-)
Seriously, though, I'm with everyone that lumped this car in with the Mustang, Bel Air, and so forth. Yeah, it's a great car, which is why Chevy sold a ton of them. Because Chevy sold a ton of them, you can get plenty of aftermarket parts for them. Because of that, you see a ton of them at car shows, and, because of that, they all start to look alike after a while. Meanwhile, AMC and Studebaker sold like crap, so seeing one of those is a special treat, which is probably why some of us love the off-brand stuff so much. It's also the same reason I appreciate an International pick-up and shrug at older Chevy C/K-series trucks - and I have an older C-series.
That said, for someone who hasn't been to a ton of car shows, seeing a good, solidly restored Camaro would be a treat. There's not a plethora of them plying the roadways (nothing like the VW Beetle or the Mustang, at least), especially at this point in time. I think, as even Rob pointed out, that it's a good starter car to classical car culture. Then, once you get tired of it, you can move on from the T-Rex and start looking at semi-common dinos like the Brontosaurus (Ford) and the Pterodactyl (Dodge). Once you tire of those, you can then move on to the more obscure domestics, and from there, to truly obscure imports.
You might have seen a Studebaker in person. How many from the US see a Rover P6 in person stateside, though, hmm? How about an NSU Ro80? Or even an Opel Kadett? Hillman Avenger?
That's what I thought.
R.B. Phillips on February 18, 2010 at 12:29 PM
In their time, I had no problem with '69 Camaros. Nearly bought one in 1971, in fact, a Z-28 with dealer installed 4.10s. However, I agree heartily with Rob. Rob can probably chuckle at my even more perverse delight in owning new a '71 base model Mercury Cyclone with a 351C M-Code, one step removed from picking an AMC musclecar. If Fords were weird, '70-71 Ford intermediates were weirder, and Mercurys were weirder still. It took work to get in in the high 13s by 1972-73, but felt, er, distinctive.
kyle on February 18, 2010 at 12:30 PM
Sounds like a conversation i had with another BOP owner 15 years ago about the mustang 5.0, bolt-on parts, and getting smoked by a primer gray vista cruiser. I sold that driver of a wagon to some idiot car restorer with way too much money in 1999 for 3 times what i paid for and ever put into it. Bought a suzuki DR350 and have had more fun riding than i ever did attracting boys while cruising. Chicks dig bikes. And its the journey and not the vehicle that gets you there. I do miss my Monza 2+2 though. And the tree in the back yard it knocked over after the parking pawl failed a month after squeezing a 350 under the hood.
RT on February 18, 2010 at 12:33 PM
I once had a salesman in a dealership try to convince me that a Camaro very similar to the blue one pictured in the article was a 100% original 1967 Z28.
eddie on February 18, 2010 at 12:35 PM
Of course I like Camaros...the 69 Rs in particular. But even if I didn't...a Charger? I like my boats in the water.