When Chevrolet introduced the Camaro as a response to Ford's super successful Mustang, they knew that they would have to focus on engines that provided power,torque and performance. Early Camaro engines were powerhouses of horsepower and speed, but as time passed and fuel economy and environmental concerns took over, the once powerful engines were stripped of their power until the 1990s.
The 1967 Chevy Camaro was introduced with a choice of a 6 cylinder engine or a V8 engine that was offered in 327, 350, 396 or a huge 427 cid configuration. A big block 396 was offered for the Camaro SS model. The Z28 was offered with a small block V8 302 engine. The engine was offered to directly compete with the Pontiac Trans Am. In 1968, Chevy added an optional 6.5 liter 396 cid for the Camaro SS. As the first Camaro generation drew to a close, a special COPO 9560 was introduced exclusively for racing on the NHRA circuit. The 9560 was rated at 430 hp but probably generate 550 hp, making the 9560 Camaro the fastest factory produced Camaro.
The second generation saw engine size and horsepower drop dramatically as new government emission requirements made it difficult for Chevy to continue to produce high horsepower power plants. In 1970, the highest performing engine was the 375 hp, 6 liter 396 cid V8. By 1980, the V8 option for the base Camaro was an anemic 4.4 liter engine that produced on 120 hp. The Z28 was offered with a more powerful 350 V8 that produced 190 hp, but it was still a pale imitation of the power producing engines of the first generation of Camaros.
The small engines continued into the first years of the third generation of Camaros with the acclaimed 1982 Camaro Z28 only producing 145 hp an the optional 305 generating 165 hp. The 1983 Z28 was offered a new high output V8 that boosted power to 190 hp. Other smaller engines included base V6 models that ranged from 112 hp to 135 hp. For a short time, Camaro offered 4cylinder engines in response to consumers concerned about gas mileage, but these were short lived. The final year the 4 cylinder was offered was 1985.
By 1991, the energy crisis was over and people were in the mood to spend big on cars that would provide power and performance. Chevy was happy to step in and fill the gap by offering a 350 that generated 250 hp and a 305 that produced 235 for the Z28.
When the Camaro got a make over in 1993, Chevy again upped the power of their engines. The LT1 V8 generated 275 hp, the most of any engine since the beginning of the second generation. When the Camaro stopped production in 2002 the hp ratings had been increased to 325 for the SS package.
While no specific numbers have been officially released for the new fifth generation Camaros, the concept cars that were introduced in 2006 sported a massive 6.0 liter V8 that generates 400 hp, hearkening back to the heyday of the muscle car.
