New federal rules requiring bumpers to protect the car's lighting in 5-mph impacts forced a restyle: a large aluminum “shovel nose” up front, wraparound taillights, and ~7 inches of added length. The bumper mass added 200+ lb right as the fuel crisis made weight and economy matter most.
The powertrain and identification notes below preserve configuration and model-year boundaries rather than treating every 1974 Camaro alike. Ratings use the measurement convention of their period, and visual cues are only a starting point: the VIN, factory labels, drivetrain identifiers, and surviving documentation should agree.