Of my three Camaros (67, 72, 88) this was my favorite. Some people didn't like the styling but the 1970 to 1973 were my favorites of all time. Okay, maybe it was a coin toss with the Gen 3 as far as looks, but they were beautiful to me.
Hideous looking Federally mandated 5 mph bumpers ruined the cohesive styling in 1974. Also, by this time the slow (rapid?) downward spiral in horsepower was well underway. Not a good time for enthusiasts of any brand.
As is typical of the government's extremely finite wisdom, pickups were largely exempted from the emissions regulations forced upon passenger cars and thus became the performance choice of the mid 70s to early 80s vehicles.
As to my 1972 Camaro though, it preceded the majority of the mandates and ended up being a very competent vehicle for the time period. A 350 small block with a Turbo 350 automatic. Not a dragstrip terror but plenty of acceleration and braking for normal useage. It also seemed to handle well enough.
It's hard to define exactly but it just seemed to be superior in every way to the 67. A well thought out and refined car. If I'd known at the time that life would get in the way and it would be a long time before I was able to purchase another Camaro I never would have sold it. Very happy with that car.
Hideous looking Federally mandated 5 mph bumpers ruined the cohesive styling in 1974. Also, by this time the slow (rapid?) downward spiral in horsepower was well underway. Not a good time for enthusiasts of any brand.
As is typical of the government's extremely finite wisdom, pickups were largely exempted from the emissions regulations forced upon passenger cars and thus became the performance choice of the mid 70s to early 80s vehicles.
As to my 1972 Camaro though, it preceded the majority of the mandates and ended up being a very competent vehicle for the time period. A 350 small block with a Turbo 350 automatic. Not a dragstrip terror but plenty of acceleration and braking for normal useage. It also seemed to handle well enough.
It's hard to define exactly but it just seemed to be superior in every way to the 67. A well thought out and refined car. If I'd known at the time that life would get in the way and it would be a long time before I was able to purchase another Camaro I never would have sold it. Very happy with that car.