The Chevrolet Camaro is a "pony car" made in North America by the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors. It was introduced on 26 September 1966 as a 1967 model year and was designed as a competing model to the Ford Mustang. The car shared the platform and major components with the Pontiac Firebird, also introduced in 1967. Four distinct generations of the car were produced before production ended in 2002. A new Camaro is expected to roll off assembly lines in January 2009.

Though the car's name was contrived with no meaning, Chevrolet researchers reportedly found the word in a French dictionary as variation of informal speech (slang) for "friend", "chum", or "companion". In some automotive periodicals before official release, it was code-named "Panther", however, the project designation for the Camaro was XP-836 and some early GM photos show the final Camaro body labeled "Chaparral". Automotive press asked Chevrolet product managers "What is a Camaro?", and they were told it was "a small, vicious animal that eats Mustangs". The name conveniently fit Chevrolet's "C" naming structure that included Corvair, Chevelle, Chevy II, and Corvette.

The Camaro was initially advertised on contemporary hit radio (Top 40) AM stations of the day in an attempt to woo the young adult market. Technically a compact (by the standards of the time) pony car, but depending on the selected optional equipment, the Camaro could also be classified as a sporty muscle car or an economical grand tourer.

The Camaro is referred to in songs such as Camaro Man by Blue Meanies, Bitchin' Camaro by Dead Milkmen, Go Lil' Camaro Go by The Ramones, Camaro by Kings of Leon, The List by Metric, Wishlist by Pearl Jam, Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus, and Aldemaro en su Camaro by Los Amigos Invisibles. Bruce Springsteen, a lifelong fan of Chevrolets, refers to the Camaro in Racing In The Streets.

In addition, the Camaro continues to find its way into modern day fiction. The vehicle mode of the character Bumblebee in the 2007 film, Transformers, is first a 1976 model Camaro and later a fifth-generation concept variant.

Top Gear's American fly-drive special featured a third-generation Camaro, bought by presenter Jeremy Clarkson for US$800 in Miami. During the filming, Clarkson became rather attached to the car, at one point stating that "I'd rather be in this now than an Enzo".

Various models of the Camaro have been featured in game series such as Forza Motorsport, Gran Turismo, L.A Rush, Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix, Need for Speed series, and Sega GT 2002.

View also:
Chevrolet Corvette - Chevrolet Equinox - Chevrolet Orlando - Chevrolet Volt - Chevrolet Cruze - Chevrolet Traverse - Chevrolet Beat - Chevrolet Classic - Chevrolet Cobalt - Chevrolet Colorado - Chevrolet Coupé - Chevrolet Groove - Chevrolet HHR - Chevrolet S3X - Chevrolet Silverado - Chevrolet SSR - Chevrolet Trax - Chevrolet Ultra

Check out the Chevrolet Camaro wallpapers and Chevrolet Camaro Pictures (pics) collection below: