CAMAROFACTS Field guide · 1967–2024

Model year · Third Generation

1982 Camaro

All-new — and a study in extremes

First hatchback, first fuel injection, first four-cylinder — Motor Trend Car of the Year and the Iron Duke.

Gray 1982 Camaro Z28
1982 Camaro Z28 Photo: GPS 56, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The all-new, all-hatchback third generation combined a genuine high point (Cross-Fire Injection, Motor Trend Car of the Year, the Indy 500 pace car) with a widely mocked low point: the 90 hp 2.5 L “Iron Duke” four-cylinder base engine, paired only with a 3-speed automatic and existing purely to hit CAFE targets.

The powertrain and identification notes below preserve configuration and model-year boundaries rather than treating every 1982 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.

Why it matters

First hatchback, first fuel injection, first four-cylinder — Motor Trend Car of the Year and the Iron Duke.

Engines

  • 2.5 L Iron Duke inline-4 (90 hp)
  • 2.8 L V6
  • 305 V8 — carbureted or Cross-Fire Injection

Identification

  • First-year third-gen front end
  • Cross-Fire Injection badging on so-equipped cars

Open questions

Still unresolved:
  • Berlinetta 1982-specific production split not documented

Research basis

Sources are linked at the page level so the model-year claims can be checked against their research foundation.