Latest News
Ford Reveals the Maverick LoboWhat Made the 6th Gen Camaro So Cool
The Chevrolet Camaro is one of the meanest muscle cars of the modern day. We look at what made the sixth generation so cool.
The Last of the Camaro as We Know It
The Chevrolet Camaro burst onto the scene back in 1966 as a direct competitor to the popular Ford Mustang. Since that time, it has remained a prime example of American muscle for nearly six decades. Chevrolet has given us six generations of the Camaro over the years with each making their case as the muscle car to own for their respective eras. However, the best example in performance and looks must be the sixth generation Chevrolet Camaro.
The sixth gen debuted for the 2016 model year and has kept itself relevant alongside the likes of the Ford Mustang and the Dodge Challenger. With General Motors’ shift to electrification, the Camaro as we know it has been placed on the chopping block. That isn’t to say that the nameplate is gone for good, but the 2025 Chevrolet Camaro may be the very last internal combustion version of this iconic muscle car. While we lament another muscle car succumbing to electric motors, let’s remind ourselves why this outgoing version was so cool.
What Made The 6th Gen Camaro So Cool?
The modern Chevrolet Camaro didn’t quite see the sales volume that the Dodge Challenger and Ford Mustang had over the years. While that can be seen as a con for its cool factor, that limited quantity just makes it stand out on the street more. Everyone knows the squared stance of the Challenger and the rounded proportions of the Ford Mustang, but you have to do a double take when you see one drive-by.
The exterior design that Chevrolet crafted for this generation perfectly reflects that original 1967 model’s looks while adding sharp edges throughout the body work. You end up with an aggressive-looking muscle car that can’t be mistaken for the competition. Tacking on the ZL1 with its extra aero pieces further accentuates the cool factor.
Chevrolet also made sure that the Camaro provided plenty of ponies no matter what was under the hood. The smallest engine in the sixth gen Camaro was the 2.0L Ecotec turbocharged inline-4 which produced 275 horsepower. That doesn’t seem like much of a powerplant, but the Ecotec could send it from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.5 seconds. That’s better than the 5.3 seconds you could get out of the 1969 COPO Camaro with its big block V8.
Chevrolet followed the four-cylinder up with a 3.6L V6 that made of 335 horsepower on the LT trimmed models. Then if you went up to the LT1 and SS models you got a 6.2L V8 that produced a hefty 455 horsepower. But the real star powering the sixth gen Camaro could only be found on the ZL1 models. Under the hood of the Z1 was a supercharged 6.2L LT4 V8 – which is the engine from a C7 Corvette. You ended up with 650 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque, a 0-60 time of 3.5 seconds, and a top speed of 198 mph. To keep all that power under control in the ZL1, Chevrolet added extra cooling components, a front splitter, rear spoiler, wider wheels, Magnetic Ride suspension, and front six-piston Brembo brakes.
Speaking of performance, the sixth gen Chevrolet Camaro is well versed in the motorsports world which lends to its desirability. The most popular examples being the NASCAR stock car and NHRA drag racing versions, but the Camaro was also tackling the likes of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and the GT4 European Series. This generation of the Camaro was also famously chosen as the face of the Garage 56 NASCAR that raced during the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The final reason this Chevrolet Camaro is held with such high esteem, it was Bumblebee in the popular Transformers movies. The yellow Camaro has been the main protagonist throughout the series alongside the likes of Optimus Prime as they fight against the Decepticons. Now, we know that multiple generations of the Camaro have hit the big screen, but the sixth gen one from Transformers: The Last Knight looks the coolest in our opinion.
The Next-Gen Chevrolet Camaro
So, what can we expect for the Chevrolet Camaro’s future? While one could assume that Chevy is going to follow Dodge’s lead and introduce a fully electric model, they could ease into things. What’s more likely to happen with current EV adoption ramping up slowly is that the Camaro will return with a turbocharged four-cylinder or a hybrid powertrain alongside the fully electric performance model. The days of the inefficient V6 and V8 engines are looking to come to an end unfortunately.
We can only hope that Chevy doesn’t reintroduce the Camaro as a crossover like the Mustang Mach-E, because we know how muscle car fans have taken to that idea. We also hope that there aren’t fake exhaust noises pumping out old V8 rumbles through some speakers as they don’t feel the same. Chevrolet fans should hear more about the future of the Camaro in the coming months.
