The name "Camaro" is french for "freind".
I hope this helps,
Nick

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69 Z/28 X77 D80 81000 original miles,DZ 302, M-21, BU 373 Rear End, ZL-2 Ducted Hood, Daytona Yellow, Black Deluxe, Tilt, Factory AM/FM, Console Gauges.

 

I think I read that Chevrolet came up with the name first, then looked for a meaning. They found an obscure reference to it in French like Nick said, and Ford found some less desireable meanings.

Gambitt

 

If you ad "ne" onto the end of Camaro (Camarone) it means "shrimp" in Spanish

!

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See my '68 RS/ZZ4 at http://www.100megsfree.com/choptop/camaro.html

[This message has been edited by choptop (edited 10-27-2001).]

[This message has been edited by choptop (edited 10-27-2001).]

 

According to Hot Rod magazine the original name for the new ponycar was the "PANTHER". However the Chevrolet general manager at that time didn't like the name so he changed it to "CAMARO" which loosely translates from the french word "COMRADE" or in English which is "Friend".

Hope that answers that.
Tony

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obnoxious 67 camaro under construction. TH350/383 stroker w/ aluminum Edlebroc RPM heads,cam, and carb.This is a "Daily Driver" that need A LOT of work. But has new quarters and new floor pans.

 

CAMARO, 1.friend, comrade, pal 2.day-to-day grocery getter, a drag strip bruiser, a canyon carver or a bit of all of the above in one package 3.a device used for taming horses.
Hey choptop, "Camaron" = shrimp without an "e" at the end

.


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Our affair with Camaros is a live sentence without the possibility of parole. www.geocities.com/c68ss http://home.coqui.net/borench

[This message has been edited by ORENCH (edited 10-27-2001).]

 

GM unfortunately didn't do the same intensive and exhausting market research when they named the Nova. After wondering why their new midsize car wasn't selling well in Latin markets they realized Nova means "won't go" in Spanish.
Really.
I'm not making this up.
Orench- es la verdad, no?

 

Thanks for all the replys!! Gulcher

 

Pete, I can see you keep practicing. Won't go = no vá, monosyllables aren't suppose to be accentuated but since this one (vá) ends in a vocal, and has the pronuciation emphasis in "a", we tend to do so.

 

I am a bit weary about "Camaro" being French. Most French words as such don't usually end with an "O", but it sounds more Italian to me. I am French/English bilingual and have never heard the word "Camaro" used in the French language to date. In fact, I have always wondered what the term meant too.

I always thought a Plymouth "Duster" was ill named. Dust and cars do not go together well in my opinion, heh.

 

Well, in spanish there is Camarada = friend, pal or partner. My 2 cents...

 

the name camaro comes from a french word meaning "Compation"

for more info go to http://thegranger.net/z28/history.htm
this site will tell u all about camaro history

 

my bad the site is http://thegrangers.net/z28/history.html

 

Breathweapon

Back in the seventies the term "dusted" meant that you won the race, blew his doors off, left him in the dust, etc. So the "Duster" was meant to sound like a winner. I had a 72.

But you do have a good point about the dust.
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Robert

'69 getting better every day... (every pay day)

[This message has been edited by rojo (edited 10-29-2001).]

[This message has been edited by rojo (edited 10-29-2001).]

 

I remember seeing a interview with a guy from GM, back when they first introducted the Camaro. It was on some television special I was watching once. They did ask him why they chose the name Camaro. All he said was "a Camaro is a small wild animal that likes to eat Mustangs". I'll buy that.

 

I think ORENCH is close with "camarada".

"Camarade" is french for buddy or friend.

"Comrade" isn't a french word, its just an english word used in old James Bond movies.

 

I thought that it was a made-up word that they later found was French. Its not in my French-English dictionary however and I have never found it in an online translator either.
They dropped the name Panther because all Chevys at the time started with a "C".

 

C?? - Impala???

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Justin Traunero
justin.traunero@furman.edu

-1967 Camaro SS350 clone

My 1967 Camaro

 

I thought that I'd heard once that the name "Camaro" loosly translated in GMese means "Mustang Killer!" John Z.

 

Hmmm...

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67 Panther 410sb 11.63 @117.6
67 Camaro 388 12.10 @110.6
website

 

Nova doesn't start with "C" either

Chevrolet does like to use names that start with "C" though.

I read somewhere GM actually had some Panther emblems already made for the F-body.

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Ricky
68/RS on Blocks...

 

Impala was considered a model of a Chevrolet. Nova was a model of the ChevyII just like Malibu was a Chevelle. The ChevyII designation was later dropped, I think around 70. The C's that were in use in 66, when the Camaro name was chosen were:
Chevrolet
Chevelle
ChevyII
Corvair
Corvette

 

french, english, irish, doesnt matter .... camaro = #1, top dog, most desired, favorite muscle car, most talked about, most fussed over, gets the womens attention. NUFF SAID !

 

camarerro, in spanish means waiter, like in the foodservice industry...

 

Camaro is an Indian word for "Fill this MF'r up again!". I heard this from comedian Jay Hickman and thought it was pretty funny. Who knows...

 

I don't know if true or not but I was told that Camaro was almost called a Corvaro as it was a derivative (changed and improvement) of the failing Corvair.

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'68 Camaro, 350 (30 over), Forged TRW 9.8, Scat 4340 Crank, RPM Air Gap, RPM Alum. heads,
Holley 770, Turbo 400, 2.73 going to 4.11, Stock stall going to 2800, Comp Cams 280H-10.
Will be adding 250 HP Giggle Gas.
(Hope to run high 11's without and get into 10's with the HUMOR BUTTON Squeeeeezzed)