Facts About 1996 Chevrolet Camaro
General Motors' 1996 Chevrolet Camaro offered a few surprises for buyers. The RS appearance package, which was absent for four years, was brought back. Also, perhaps more importantly, the highly prized Super Sport performance option (which had disappeared in 1972) returned. Bringing the Super Sport package to the 1996 Camaro was one of several attempts by automakers to develop heritage cars that echoed the performance vehicles of the Baby Boomers' youth.
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Types
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The Camaro was available as the base Sport Coupe, the RS (Rally Sport) appearance package, the Z/28 performance model and the Super Sport. The basic body was a two-door coupe or convertible with 2+2 seating and an optional T-top roof. Plastic body panels were used to reduce weight. The hood was flat and sloped gently downward to the nose, and the rear featured an all-glass hatchback.
The Power Comeback
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Significant news for the 1996 Camaro was the base 200-horsepower 3.8-liter V-6 engine. It generated more horsepower than the most powerful 1984 Camaro, and signaled an end to diluted performance. What made Camaro owners happier, though, was the Z28's engine: a 285-horsepower L1 5.7-liter V-8. The Super Sport was equipped with a 305-hp version of the same engine.
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RS Package
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The Camaro RS had been an appearance package dating to 1967 that included hidden headlights, custom taillamps, "RS" badging and exterior trim on the rocker panels. The RS package could be ordered on all Camaros and was available through 1992. For 1996, the new RS model came with "RS" badging and was equipped with a ground effects and spoiler package.
Super Sport
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The SS option returned after its 24-year hiatus; GM contracted Street Legal Performance Engineering to develop the package by taking the Z/28 model and adding a functional hood scoop and five-spoke 17-inch wheels with P245/40ZR17 BF Goodrich tires. By combining the new wheel and tire size with the 305-hp V-8, the SS performed better on the highway and was more responsive on the curves than the Z/28.
Bottom Line
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The 1996 Camaro was an improvement over previous fourth generation models, but its interior consisted of cheap materials and it was pedestrian in design. The seats were hard on the body while driving over long distances. The additional power under the hood and large cargo capacity earned good reviews from customers, however. The total production of the 1996 Camaro was 66,866, far outstripping its near-identical sibling, the Pontiac Firebird, which had produced 32,622 units that model year. Fourth-generation Camaro sales plummeted to just 35,434 in 2001, and production of the Camaro and Firebird ceased in 2002.
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