Super Chevy – October 2019

10 SUPER CHEVY OCTOBER^2019

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any of you will recognize this SS as one of the

most historically significant Camaros of all time,

the Hot Rod magazine project car shepherded

through a series of upgrade articles in 1967 by then-Editor

Jim McFarland.

Much has been written about this car’s legacy. McFarland

himself counted off its achievements in a 1998 Hot Rod

retrospective: “First Camaro in California. First Camaro road

tested in the print media. First street-driven Camaro with

a big-block. First Camaro to gain editorial exposure in Hot Rod

magazine. First Camaro to carry an Edelbrock

intake manifold. First Camaro to ever have a

Hurst four-speed shifter. First Camaro in the

11s. First Camaro to take a test lap at Riverside

Raceway. First Camaro to appear at an NHRA

national event. First Camaro to ever ‘beat’

Bill Jenkins.”

Yeah, about that last bit ...

The car first appeared at Petersen

Publishing in June 1966, and McFarland took

it to several aftermarket companies so they

could prototype performance parts prior

to the Camaro’s fall launch. That’s how it

earned its firsts at Edelbrock and Hurst.

These photos are from early 1967, when

its stock 350 V-8 had been pulled out for

modifications. Bill Thomas, Chevy’s West

THE ARCHIVES

By Drew Hardin + Photography by Petersen Publishing Co. Archive

The First Goes Big