If you were walking down the street of a densely populated area, and asked any individual if they knew what the Chevrolet Camaro was, they would most likely say yes.
Now if you were to ask what the word ‘Camaro’ meant itself, or where the name came from, you would mostly get an, “I don’t know.” Heck, even some of us here at the office were unfamiliar with the Camaro’s origin. So to celebrate the day that marks its existence, we’ll share with you the story of how the Camaro came to be.
We’ll attempt to truncate the story, though it’s quite an interesting event, as told by Scott “The Fbodfather” Settlemire from Camaro Social. It was June 29th, and a week prior two telegrams were sent out to automotive journalists, inviting them to the first and last SEPAW meeting. Comically, SEPAW was short for, “Society for the Eradication of Panthers from the Automotive World.” The joke being that prior to being known as the Camaro, there was a model known as the Chevrolet Panther. No, not that Panther.
Pete Estes, the Chevrolet General Manager at the time, was at the Statler-Hilton Hotel in Detroit for the announcement. After a speech, he calls five lovely ladies to the stage, each with a letter in their hands. He arranges them in order and puts up the sixth letter himself. And together, for the first time, they show the world “Camaro,” a word that means companion, or friend.
“Thus, it suggests the comradeship of good friends… as a personal car should be to its owner.” – E.M. “Pete” Estes. And with the 2016 model on the way, here’s to many more years of the Camaro!
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I drove a 1967 Rally Sport edition in dark purple and white stripes, hidden headlights, with a 327 CI V8 and auto transmission. I hope GM and Chevy will do a 50th Anniversay Edition next year, and bring back a Rally Sparo Edition also with hidden headlights.