In the realm of muscle cars, the Chevrolet Camaro is one of the biggest names in the American gas-guzzling V8 cars era. The Camaro series is the flagship pony car from the brand that was known for its insane performance and bossy looks that commanded respect. The first Camaro was designed to compete with the epitome of the muscle car industry the Ford Mustang.
There were four generations of Camaro that were developed before the production ended in 2002, and the nameplate got revived by a concept car that took the shape of the fifth-generation Camaro which lead us to the 6th generation of Camaro which will leave the production line in 2004. According to Chevrolet, the badge is far from over, and “This is not the end of Camaro’s story.” Today we are going to talk about the unique split bumper Camaro that was on sale from 1970 to 1973 and belonged to the second generation of this legendary lineup.
What is Split Bumper Camaro?
The Split Bumper Camaro belonged to the second generation of Camaro and made its debut in 1970. It was a significant upgrade from the first generation and in terms of design Chevrolet hit completely stunned everyone. Being one of the most iconic designs, there was a special feature such as the design of the front bumper as they were made in a way to look split from the midsection pointing out, hence the name.
These cars were wider, bigger, and featured a lower ride height if we compare them to the previous generation. It gave the car the true muscular vibe that everyone was looking for, with that the second generation of Camaro was fast and became an icon almost instantly.
The design of the car
The design of the car is what made it truly unique, Chevrolet made subtle changes that allowed the car to stand out. Production line for the second generation was in production from 1970 to 1973, however, Chevrolet made subtle changes in all of them. Starting from the first difference was the trunk emblem, wherein the 1970 model came with a 12-bolt emblem that read “Camaro nu Chevrolet. This was changed in the following models that only read Camaro for the 1971, 1972, and 1973 model years.
The second difference was the marker lights, where the 1970 models come with a side marker that did not flash when you turn the signal lights on. The third difference among the generation was the shift knobs and the seats, where 1970 was the only one that came with bucket seats and there were images on the knobs that specifically told what it does.
The last major difference was in the design of the grille where the 1972 and 1973 model years had larger and fewer rectangles on the grille compared to the 1970 and 1971 models. Also, the 73 Camaro was fitted with larger bumper support that made it a little different than others.
Engine and performance of the Split Bumper Camaro
Like every other muscle car, the Camaro should be able to shred tires easily, therefore Chevrolet did make sure to give the second generation several engine options. The 1970 Camaro came packed with an L22 4.1 liter inline-six engine that produced a peak output of 155 horsepower and for the 1971 the Camaro got equipped with a straight-six engine that pushed 110 horsepower.
But where are the V8s, Don’t worry Chevrolet had got you covered because a muscle car is incomplete without a V8 under the hood and it does not sound American at all. The later models of this generation came equipped with several V8s like the 5.0L, 5.7L, 6.5L, and the biggest 6.6L small-block V8 reserved for the most potent model. Chevrolet had made sure that there is a Camaro for almost everyone.
Why the split bumper Camaro is so special?
The second generation of Camaro is a special car that only incorporated the split bumper Camaro for only 4 years out of its 12-year total manufacturing period. According to some reports it is stated that there were only a12,000 cars were manufactured in 1970, with only a few of them available with a Rally Sport appearance package. The SS model from this year is painted in the iconic orange color with dual stripes running across the car, giving it a sporty muscular appearance. If you like to get your hands on this amazing piece of American motoring history, it can cost around $110,000 for a mint example which is self-explanatory the car has a high demand and since the production has ended there is only a limited number of examples left.
Final thoughts
In conclusion, the split-bumper Camaro is one of the most iconic muscle cars from the 70s era. It belonged to the second generation of Camaro that came with serious design changes, it is when the Camaro started to look like a pure muscle car. It is an integral part of American motoring history due to which it is in high demand if you want to add one to your garage the prices can easily touch six figures for a mint example.
