The public caught hold of the Z28, and wouldn't let go. With 15-inch Corvette wheels, heavy-duty suspension, power front disc brakes, and special broad stripes, Z28 was a mover...and Chevrolet couldn't keep up with demand.
Performance was de-emphasized in the late '60s, as government regulations and emissions standards took their toll on big cars and high-performance features. Chevrolet incorporated new exhaust emissions control systems on all '68 engines.
But the model lineup was evolving more as a result of customer wants than from regulations. In 1968, a redesigned Chevy II (long hood and short deck) with a 295 bhp V-8 won Compact Car of the Year honors from Motor Trend magazine. Chevelle body styles evolved into a more compact, sportier theme, and the Chevelle name eventually gave way to the Malibu moniker of the popular car line.
Fullsize Chevy models also went through several changes. Outside, the look went from angular to more rounded. Inside, the biggest Chevy models were in a "quiet" war with their fullsize counterparts from Ford. While Ford attempted to prove the interior silence of their models in quiet tests against luxury sedans around the world, Chevrolet appealed to the family heart by depicting a little girl asleep in the back seat of a Caprice with the caption "The Shhhhevrolet Way."
In 1968, a formal roofline was added to Caprice Coupe and Impala Custom Coupe. The Impala Sport Coupe retained the more "swept-back" look to the rear deck that was characteristic of the car line throughout the decade.
The Corvette '68 restyle, with its more pronounced front and rear fender curves and flowing lines, earned more than 38,700 sales-a record that would hold until 1976. The Sting Ray name left the lineup in 1968, but returned the following year as one word (Stingray).
Boosted by Z28 popularity, Camaro enjoyed its greatest sales year yet in 1969. When Camaro was chosen as the official Indy pace car for the second time in three years, more than 3,500 replicas were sold by Chevy dealers throughout the country.
The 1970 Camaro restyle widened the body look and added a long, squarish grille and dual headlamps, bucking the industry trend toward quad treatments.
No longer based on the Chevy II platform, Camaro became a personality unto its own in 1970. Corporate engineers debated the merits of giving it a high-versus-low cowl look, but opted for the low version to add to its sporty "low rider" personality. Power was now supplied by a standard six-cylinder, with two available V-8s for musclecar buffs.
The first Blazer appeared in 1969, offered as a "sport pickup" and four-wheel-drive, off-road vehicle. Buyers could have their Blazers in soft-top or hardtop versions.
With the move to personal luxury vehicles late in the decade, Chevy had one final model to introduce. The new Monte Carlo Coupe debuted for the 1970 model year as a personal luxury car statement, sporting a formal face, trim body, and a narrow taillamp design.
Based on the Chevelle platform, Monte Carlo brought power to the market as well, with an available 454 V-8 pumping out 365 bhp. Its front hood-six feet from grille to concealed wipers-was the longest on any Chevrolet, and helped the "Monte" stand out from Thunderbird, Grand Prix and other comparable cars. In fact, it stood out so much, it earned Car of the Year honors from Motor Trend magazine.
All the power, all the performance, all the "big car" statements faced a new challenge as the '70s began, however. In fact, power ratings were taking a turn for the worse. For 1971, ratings would be displayed as "net" horsepower, rather than the brawny "bhp" or brake horsepower ratings that had been performance benchmarks. The plummeting numbers began to reflect the awakening of energy conservation-an awareness that would increase dramatically in this new decade.