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While the first generation gets all the glory in car magazines and eBay auctions, it was the second-generation of Camaro that General Motors truly put their heart & soul into.  Although it was still a unibody with sub-frames, the new pony car was built longer, lower and fatter than the previous generation, with aerodynamic styling inspired by much more expensive European sportscars.  Of course, being a good ol’ American-built machine, they had to add a slightly more aggressive touch to the elegant styling-namely, a front grill that’s going to eat you.

The new hardtop-only machine screamed across dealer lots in February of 1970, with engine options ranging from an economical 250-cubic inch 6-cylinder producing a respectable 155 horsepower, to the all-powerful 396 big-block with 375 horsepower.  Chevy kept many of the packages and options from the previous generation, including the RS, SS, and Z/28 packages, the latter of which came with an early version of the LT-1 350 ci small-block engine.  It was indeed a powerful beginning to what should have been a powerful series of cars.

However, external forces started getting in the way of the General’s new toy only a year after the car was introduced.  Starting in 1971, word came down from GM brass that all engines had to be capable of running on lead-free, regular pump gas.  The 6-cylinder and 2-barrel 350 small block weren’t affected, as they already met the requirements.  However, the go-fast LT-1 V8 would take a dive from 360 horsepower to 330, and the 396 would lose an entire 50 horsepower from having its compression cut from 10.25:1 down to 8.5:1, all in the name of cleaner air.  This was considered a valid thing to do at the time, because breathing was still considered an important activity (people who drive Hummers outside of military actions take note).

1972 turned out to be a bad model year for sales as well;  all of The General’s soldiers walked out on a company-wide strike in September of 1970, pushing back the availability of new pony cars.  And just as that dispute was worked out, the only factory producing Camaro and Pontiac Firebird cars was shut down again for another, much longer strike.  This labour action threatened to become like the Mentos candy in the Diet Coke of a rumor the Camaro was about to be cancelled.

It didn’t help the Camaro’s cause when the first 1,100 off the line were scrapped after the government mandated very strict front-bumper laws that the Camaro didn’t conform to-specifically, all vehicles actually needed front bumpers.

However, the customers won out.  Demand for the awesome-mobiles forced the executives who wanted to can the car into submission and the Camaro lived to see another day.  However, safety and emissions regulators still took their kick at the cat, forcing the go-fast goodies off the options list.  1973 saw the “SS” option disappear, as well as the 396 big-block engine.  The Z28 high-performance option was still available, but now with 245 horsepower-over 100-hp less than the 1970 edition of the same car.  To make up for the loss, options like air conditioning, power windows, and variable-rate steering were all introduced.

Although emissions standards and customer-driven fuel economy demands meant smaller and smaller engines, the designers behind the Camaro were working harder to make it a great all-around car.  1975 would see a re-designed nose, and 1978 would mark the introduction of T-top roofs, the greatest thing to happen to the 80′s since the mullet.  And although the horsepower was constantly decreasing, engineers still found a way to ditch the 6-cylinder in favour of a 305 cubic inch V8 as the base model engine.

By 1981, it was time to pull the plug.  Although the 2nd generation of “King Camaro” had taken the engineering rush job of the ’67 to ’69 cars and turned it into a driving machine, there was a new breed of street beasts waiting to take over.  The third generation would usher in a new era of technology and style, and once again bring the Camaro to the racetrack with the IROC Z28 model.

Like what you see?  Why not take a step back to the beginning, with the history of the first generation Camaro?  Or maybe check out Chevy’s king of fast cars with the History of the Corvette?  And when you’re done reading, come meet other SundayCruiseFever.com readers on our Facebook page.  It’s a great way to meet other gearheads, share your own photos, and find out about cool offers before everyone else!