Chevrolet was showing market versatility in many ways during this time. Most models offered more conventional six-cylinder engines for the conservative family driver-but the same body style need only "step into a phone booth" and emerge as "Super Sport."
This ability to meet a wide range of America's driving tastes helped entrench Chevy as the number one nameplate during the '60s. In keeping with the power craze, Chevy introduced yet another high-performance engine in 1965-the Turbo-Jet 396 with the famous "porcupine" heads, so called because each valve was angled toward its port to give optimum gas flow.
For the family buyer, the Caprice nameplate bowed in 1965 as a model option for the fullsize Chevrolet. It would later become a model all its own, a model that is the symbol of Chevy luxury.
The Corvette represented a unique performance statement early in the '60s. GM Styling Chief Bill Mitchell revamped the 'Vette's styling by adding a tapered "ducktail" rear end. Stiff springs were replaced by dual sway bars-the rear bar marked its first application in an American car.
But the biggest impact made in 1963 was the introduction of the Corvette Sting Ray-powered by a 327ci V-8 offering up to 360 hp, this performance machine was created under the watchful eye of engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov.
The new 'Vette sported power-operated hidden headlamps that rotated from beneath a long, sleek hood. Its split rear backlight and an integral door-to-roof arrangement added to the slick styling and provided easy access to and from the cockpit.
The Sting Ray was "trunkless"-passengers reached in behind the seats to get to the luggage area. Underneath, rear coil springs were eliminated, and a new single transverse leaf, mounted to the rear frame, took their place. Combined with four-wheel independent suspension, it made for the best riding and handling Corvette yet.
A 425-bhp Mark IV V-8 was added in '65, making this the strongest 'Vette yet.
At one time, engineers had considered remodeling the 'Vette into a four-passenger body. Not out to chase the Ford Thunderbird (which had been converted to a four-passenger style a few years earlier), the idea was quickly dropped, keeping the two-seat Corvette a domestic exclusive.
The Sting Ray style continued until 1968, and would prove to be one of the most popular 'Vette body styles ever.
Chevy had more surprises in store as the decade wore on. "Pony cars" were ready to take on the world, and Chevy revealed its contender in September 1966.
The public's appetite had been whetted weeks before by teaser print advertisements that depicted the Camaro headlamps and honeycomb grille coming from a black background, with a single word-Camaro.
As the first new GM design born out of wind tunnel testing, Camaro offered a sleeker, more aerodynamic shape than its boxier rival, Mustang. Its long hood and abbreviated deckline gave it a unique look, and with Sport Coupe, Convertible, Rally Sport, and SS packages featuring scores of options to choose from, buyers could literally personalize Camaro to their own tastes.
Camaro (derived from a French word meaning "companion") was an instant hit. In a 2.2-million-car year, 10 percent of the Chevy 1967 model sales were Camaros. It symbolized youth to America...and young America showed its approval.
The famed Z28 badge (a name taken from its original option code that still thrives today) arrived in January 1967, a spin-off created by Chevy performance engineer Vince Piggins. He believed Camaro could assert itself in the SCCA's Trans Am Sedan class, and constructed a 302ci V-8 that qualified the car for competition (305 ci was the limit). The "Z" responded by winning the Trans Am championship for 2.0 liters and above in 1968 and 1969.