Model year · Second Generation
1979 Camaro
The record year
282,571 built — the best-selling Camaro model year ever — and the Berlinetta debuts.
1979 is the best-selling model year in Camaro history, a record never broken by any later generation. It's also the year the Berlinetta name arrived, replacing the Type LT as the plush trim with aluminum wheels, dual pinstriping and cloth buckets. The Berlinetta actually outsold the (also record-setting) Z28 in its debut year.
Engines
- V6 and small-block V8s
- 350 V8 (Z28)
Identification
- Berlinetta: aluminum wheels, dual pinstriping, cloth bucket interior
Open questions
Still unresolved:
- Resolve 282,571 vs 282,582; find a sourced explanation for the sales spike itself