Camaro Design Through The Years: Fifth Generation

After an eight-year hiatus, Chevrolet decided to bring the Camaro back to market for the 2010 model year. Now, after six short and frankly very successful model years, the fifth-gen car is set to be replaced with an all-new sixth-gen model. We have no doubt the 2016 Camaro will be better than the current car in almost every way, but as Camaro exterior design director Tom Peters explains, it will always be in debt to it for reigniting the Camaro passion.

“They say absence makes the heart grow fonder and that couldn’t have been truer than as demonstrated with the enthusiasm that followed the introduction of the fifth-generation Camaro,” said Peters. “After an eight-year absence, the return of Camaro was a thunderbolt that reignited the passion of Camaro enthusiasts around the world. It’s a car design for those who like to drive, and its elegant design makes you smile every time.”

Peters designed the fifth-generation Camaro alongside Sangyup Lee, who also applied his pencil to the 2004 Buick Velite Concept and the 50th anniversary Stingray Concept. The pair pulled inspiration from 1969 Camaro when designing the fifth-gen car, but Peters said “distilling the timeless essence of the (1969 Camaro’s) design and translating into a fresh, contemporary Camaro was a challenge.”

The most obvious throwbacks to the first-gen Camaro in the car’s design were the wide cross-bar dual plane grille, sharp body crease (which was absent in the fourth-generation car), dual-element taillamps and the minor “cowl bulge” in the hood. The rear fender ‘kick up’ was another retro design cue which added more muscular character to the Camaro’s overall design.

“The final design perfectly straddled that razor-sharp line between heritage and retro – and with five straight years at the top of the segment, clearly the fifth-generation Camaro connected with a whole new group of enthusiasts,” said Peters.