1998 Camaro

After a relatively high sales year in 1997, Chevrolet decided to try its luck at slightly updating the exterior of the car while keeping prices nearly constant from the previous year. Gone were the inset square headlights that had their stylistic origins from the beginning of the second-generation Camaros back in 1982, and they were replaced by flush mounted lights. Though total production did fall, there were still 77,198 Camaros produced during the 1998 model year. This number would seem great compared to the following year’s production number.

The other big news was that new powerful engine under the hood. The V8 came standard with both the Z28 and SS Camaro models. It was a 5.7 litre motor with an aluminum cylinder block. The new engine shaved nearly 100 pounds of weight off the previous V8, which also was a 5.7 litre engine but had an iron block. The base motor was the same that was used in the previous year, and was a 3.8 litre V6 featuring a respectable 200 horsepower. A handling package could be added to the V6 models to give them a better driving feel without having to pay the extra for a Z28 or SS.

Though the RS package was discontinued, the sports appearance package available for the Z28 was essentially the same thing. This year, all Z28 coupes had black roofs, while base models had body-colored roofs. Since the interior had been updated for the 1997 year models, the look stayed the same for 1998. Other changes this year included standard second-generation airbags.

Coupe

More than doubling the production numbers of the second best-selling Camaro, 54,020 base model Camaros were produced. For those keeping count, that’s right at 70 percent of total Camaro production for the year. As mentioned earlier, prices stayed relatively the same after a hike in 1997, and at $16,625, a base Camaro was only $410 more than it had been the previous year.

Z28

Available in both coupe and convertible models, there were 20,052 Z28s produced in 1998. The base price was $20,470, and the convertible model started at $27,450.

Super Sport

Rounding out the bottom of the Camaro production was the SS model, with 3,025 units made. The performance and appearance package was available for the Z28, and included a hood with a functional air scoop and a modified induction system that increased horsepower to 320. The SS came standard with a 17-inch wheels and a distinctive spoiler that was new for the model year.

Pony Car Competition

Camaro originally was introduced in 1967 to compete with the Mustang, and more than 30 years later, the two cars were still going head-to-head. In fact, other than Camaros GM cousin Firebird, the two cars were the only pony cars still on the road. New sporty imports, however, were continuing to take up more market share every year. While Camaro sales had been comparable to Mustang sales the previous year, 1998 was a much-improved year for Mustang as Camaro sales declined. Almost 100,000 more Mustangs were made in 1998 than Camaros. By 2000, that gap would be even bigger.

In 1998, Camaro only had four more year models left before it would be discontinued for the first time since its introduction. Sales would decline after 1998 and then hold relatively steady around the 40,000 to 45,000 mark for most of the rest of its career, barring an even more dismal year in 2001.