Before the Mustang competed against the Camaro, it was killing off the rear-engine Corvair – a car already on life support thanks to Ralph Nader. Chevy saw the writing on the wall and quickly shifted to the front-engine/rear-drive “Panther” project in an effort to match the Mustang’s huge success. Utilizing R&D from the ‘68 Nova, the Camaro was rather hastily (yet efficiently) developed for the market at a reasonable cost. The classic, boxy shape of the first F-body Camaro was an instant hit that’s aged wonderfully, with only minor aesthetic changes separating the uber-popular ’67-’69 years. Powerful engines, RS/SS/Z28 packages, simple yet elegant styling, and a perfect name (a myth started that a ‘Camaro’ was a Mustang-eating animal) catapulted this muscle car icon into the American zeitgeist, where it’s been firmly planted ever since.