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1983 Camaro

A five-speed, an overdrive automatic and, at midyear, a 190-hp H.O. Z28.

Edited by Bill Pierce. Reviewed October 2026.

White 1983 Camaro Berlinetta with gold-tone wheels and brown lower striping, front three-quarter
1983 Camaro Berlinetta Photo: MercurySable99, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The second year of the third generation brought the drivetrain changes the launch car lacked. A five-speed manual replaced the four-speed on Berlinetta and Z28, a four-speed overdrive automatic joined the options, and at mid-year the Z28 gained the 190 hp 5.0-liter H.O. The fuel-injected four and the Z28's Cross-Fire Injection V8 carried over from 1982.

Sport Coupe, Berlinetta and Z28 continued, with the 2.8 V6 in the middle of the range and the 5.0-liter V8s above it. Production was 154,381.

Brown 1983 Camaro Z28 coupe with lower-body two-tone
Brown 1983 Camaro Z28 coupe with lower-body two-tone, rear three-quarter view, at an outdoor car show on grass Photo: Jeremy, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; licence plates and faces blurred Original photograph License

The quad rectangular headlamps and large glass hatch identify the early third-generation family; the VIN and factory model designation separate Sport Coupe, Berlinetta and Z28.

Did you know

  • The 305 H.O. was not a Camaro exclusive: the Monte Carlo SS got it first, rated 175 hp and 230 lb-ft, sold only with the automatic and a 3.42 axle. For 1984 Chevrolet raised the Monte Carlo's rating to 180 hp while the Z28's stayed at 190.
  • Hot Rod's May 1983 test put the H.O. Z28 a tenth or two behind the much lighter Mustang in acceleration but ahead on styling and road-holding. It said a 350 swap would have brought certification and fuel-economy problems, so Chevrolet hot-rodded the 305 instead.
  • Chevrolet's engineers credited the H.O. 305's gains to details: intake valve lift up a little over 15 percent and duration stretched from 300 to 320 degrees, compression raised from 8.6 to 9.5:1, and an electric fan that saved more than 3 percent of peak power. The new exhaust was said to flow more than 30 percent better.
  • The 1983 Trans-Am season was the Camaro's comeback: Chevrolet won the manufacturers' championship for the first time in 14 years as DeAtley Racing's Camaros won 10 of 12 rounds. David Hobbs took the driver's title over Willy T. Ribbs, 158 points to 148.
  • The four-cylinder's share was already shrinking in 1983: 9,924 Iron Dukes against 21,802 the year before, while V8s took 90,123 of 154,381 cars (58 percent, up from 52) and V6s 54,332.
  • Chevrolet's 1983 brochure claimed more interior roominess than over 80 percent of the cars in its class and more rear-seat leg room than any sporty car near the price, both based on 1982 data.

Production

One production figure is listed for 1983: Total production, 154,381.

Record Count
Total production 154,381

Engines

The 1983 table lists five engines, from the 151 cu in inline-4 (LQ9) to the 305 cu in V8 (L69) 5.0 Liter H.O.. The highest power rating shown is 190 hp, for the 305 cu in V8 (L69) 5.0 Liter H.O..

Code Engine Power Torque Note
2 151 cu in inline-4 (LQ9) 92 hp at 4,000 rpm 134 lb-ft at 2,800 rpm Standard Sport Coupe; code 2 fuel injection. The general GM VIN reference lists carbureted code F separately, without a horsepower rating.
1 173 cu in V6 (LC1) 107 hp at 4,800 rpm 145 lb-ft at 2,100 rpm Standard Berlinetta; optional Sport Coupe
H 305 cu in V8 (LG4) 150 hp at 4,000 rpm 240 lb-ft at 2,400 rpm 4-barrel; standard Z28, optional other models
S 305 cu in V8 (LU5) 175 hp at 4,200 rpm 250 lb-ft at 2,800 rpm Cross-Fire Injection, Z28; automatic only
7 305 cu in V8 (L69) 5.0 Liter H.O. 190 hp at 4,800 rpm 240 lb-ft at 3,200 rpm Z28; 9.5:1, 4-barrel Rochester, 5-speed manual

Options, packages and special editions

The 1983 list has 22 options, packages and special editions. Every entry shows a price.

Code Description Price Note
1FP87 Sport Coupe, 4-cylinder (2.5 L EFI) $8,036.00 Base price
1FS87 Berlinetta Coupe, 6-cylinder (2.8 L V6) $9,881.00 Base price
1FP87 / Z28 Z28 Sport Coupe, 8-cylinder (5.0 L 4-bbl) $10,336.00 Base price
LU5 Engine, 5.0 L Cross-Fire Injection V8 — Z28 $450.00
LC1 Engine, 2.8 L V6 $150.00 Standard on Berlinetta
LG4 Engine, 5.0 L 4-bbl V8 $350.00 $225.00 on Berlinetta; standard on Z28
— LS Conteur custom cloth bucket seats — Z28 $650.00
— Custom interior — vinyl or cloth buckets $299.00 $227.00 on Z28
MM5 5-speed manual $125.00 New for 1983; no charge on Berlinetta and Z28
MX0 Automatic with overdrive $525.00 $295.00 on Berlinetta and Z28
MX1 3-speed automatic $425.00 $195.00 on Berlinetta
CC1 Removable glass roof panels $825.00
C60 Air conditioning $725.00
G80 Limited-slip differential $95.47
J65 Power front and rear disc brakes $179.00
AU3 Power door locks $120.00
A31 Power windows $180.00
AG9 6-way power driver seat $210.00
U21 Special instrumentation $149.00 Standard on Berlinetta and Z28
YE2 AM/FM stereo, seek/scan cassette, electronically tuned $520.00 / $555.00 Z28 or Berlinetta / Sport Coupe
C25 Rear window wiper/washer $120.00
F41 Sport suspension $49.00

Exterior colors

This table has 11 exterior colors for 1983, each with its paint code. They include Beige, Black and Light Blue Metallic.

Code Color Note
59 Beige
19 Black
22 Light Blue Metallic Berlinetta
27 Dark Blue Metallic Z28
62 Light Brown Metallic Berlinetta
67 Dark Brown Metallic Z28
82 Charcoal Metallic
65 Dark Gold Metallic
75 Red
15 Silver Metallic
11 White

Interior trim

This table has 25 interior trims for 1983, each with its trim code.

The twenty-five separate material/color codes follow Chevrolet's dealer order guide revised February 1, 1983: Z28 printed p. 2, Berlinetta p. 4 and Camaro p. 6. Vinyl and cloth rows stay distinct from custom vinyl, custom cloth and the Z28 L/S Conteur groups. Dark Blue custom vinyl and the Dark Blue/Dark Brown Conteur cloth entries are listed explicitly rather than inferred from another year. The general Camaro color matrix distinguishes recommended (R) and acceptable (A) combinations and permits additional combinations with a D60 dealer order; the Z28 and Berlinetta charts state that D60 non-recommended combinations are not permitted. The complete paint/stripe/interior matrix is not reproduced here. These dated ordering codes do not establish a physical-tag crosswalk, original equipment on an individual car, or later guide changes. No 1983 code is assigned backwards to the 1982 material-only table.

Code Trim Note
VDD2 Dark Blue vinyl bucket Listed in the Camaro and Z28 vinyl bucket rows.
VEE2 Dark Brown vinyl bucket Listed in the Camaro and Z28 vinyl bucket rows.
VCC2 Camel vinyl bucket Listed in the Camaro and Z28 vinyl bucket rows.
VBB2 Charcoal vinyl bucket Listed in the Camaro and Z28 vinyl bucket rows.
VQQ2 Sand Gray vinyl bucket Listed in the Camaro and Z28 vinyl bucket rows.
CDD2 Dark Blue cloth bucket Listed in the Camaro and Z28 cloth bucket rows.
CEE2 Dark Brown cloth bucket Listed in the Camaro and Z28 cloth bucket rows.
CCC2 Camel cloth bucket Listed in the Camaro and Z28 cloth bucket rows.
CBB2 Charcoal cloth bucket Listed in the Camaro and Z28 cloth bucket rows.
CQQ2 Sand Gray cloth bucket Listed in the Camaro and Z28 cloth bucket rows.
XDD2 Dark Blue custom vinyl bucket Listed in the Camaro, Z28 and Berlinetta custom vinyl bucket rows.
XEE2 Dark Brown custom vinyl bucket Listed in the Camaro, Z28 and Berlinetta custom vinyl bucket rows.
XBB2 Charcoal custom vinyl bucket Listed in the Camaro, Z28 and Berlinetta custom vinyl bucket rows.
XQQ2 Sand Gray custom vinyl bucket Listed in the Camaro, Z28 and Berlinetta custom vinyl bucket rows.
FDD2 Dark Blue custom cloth bucket Listed in the Camaro, Z28 and Berlinetta custom cloth bucket rows.
FEE2 Dark Brown custom cloth bucket Listed in the Camaro, Z28 and Berlinetta custom cloth bucket rows.
FCC2 Camel custom cloth bucket Listed in the Camaro, Z28 and Berlinetta custom cloth bucket rows.
FBB2 Charcoal custom cloth bucket Listed in the Camaro, Z28 and Berlinetta custom cloth bucket rows.
FQQ2 Sand Gray custom cloth bucket Listed in the Camaro, Z28 and Berlinetta custom cloth bucket rows.
CDD9 Dark Blue cloth L/S Conteur bucket Listed in the Z28 chart; the Camaro and Berlinetta charts do not list L/S Conteur rows.
CEE9 Dark Brown cloth L/S Conteur bucket Listed in the Z28 chart; the Camaro and Berlinetta charts do not list L/S Conteur rows.
CLL9 Charcoal and Burnt Orange cloth L/S Conteur bucket Listed in the Z28 chart; the Camaro and Berlinetta charts do not list L/S Conteur rows.
FDD9 Dark Blue custom cloth L/S Conteur bucket Listed in the Z28 chart; the Camaro and Berlinetta charts do not list L/S Conteur rows.
FEE9 Dark Brown custom cloth L/S Conteur bucket Listed in the Z28 chart; the Camaro and Berlinetta charts do not list L/S Conteur rows.
FLL9 Charcoal and Burnt Orange custom cloth L/S Conteur bucket Listed in the Z28 chart; the Camaro and Berlinetta charts do not list L/S Conteur rows.

Specifications

This table gives seven specifications for 1983, among them wheelbase (101.0 in) and overall length (189.4 in).

Item Value Note
Wheelbase 101.0 in
Overall length 189.4 in Z28
Curb weight 3,150 lb Z28 5.0 H.O., 56.3 / 43.7 % front / rear
Standard tire, Z28 P215/65R15 Goodyear on 15 x 7 cast aluminum
Z28 5.0 H.O. axle ratio 3.73:1 With 5-speed manual
Z28 5.0 H.O. fuel economy 17 mpg city / 27 mpg highway EPA estimates
Overall width 72.8 in

Identification

What to check on a 1983 Camaro: VIN and year cues.

Item What to look for Note
VIN 1G1 … position 8 engine code, position 10 = D, position 11 plant Plants: N Norwood (to 1987), L Van Nuys
Year cues Quad rectangular headlamps and large glass hatch Shared by 1982–85; VIN identifies the year

Decode a specific car with the VIN decoder, the cowl tag decoder and the engine and drivetrain stamp decoder.

Why it matters

A five-speed manual, an overdrive automatic and a mid-year H.O. Z28 arrive: the year the third generation's drivetrains caught up with its body.

What it cost

The new five-speed was standard on the Berlinetta and Z28 and available on the Sport Coupe, and electronically tuned radios replaced the older stereo units.

Black 1983 Camaro Z28 coupe with gold hood stripes
Black 1983 Camaro Z28 coupe with gold hood stripes, lower body and wheels, front three-quarter view, at an outdoor car show on grass Photo: Sicnag, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; licence plates and faces blurred Original photograph License

At launch the four-cylinder Sport Coupe listed at $8,027, the V6 Berlinetta at $9,871 and the Z28 at $10,325. The 2.8-liter V6 cost $150 on a Sport Coupe, and the four-barrel 305 cost $350 there or $225 on a Berlinetta. The Z28 could be ordered with Cross-Fire Injection for $450. The Conteur seat, with adjustable lumbar, side and thigh support, was the most expensive seat Chevrolet had yet put in a Camaro: $375 in cloth, or $650 as part of the custom interior.

The 5.0-liter H.O. arrives

In February 1983 Chevrolet announced a mid-year Z28 engine, the L69 5.0-liter H.O. (High Output). It was rated at 190 hp at 4,800 rpm and 240 lb-ft at 3,200 rpm, which made it the strongest carbureted V8 then offered in a Chevrolet passenger car. Along with a hotter camshaft and higher compression, it had an ignition calibration with almost twice the spark advance of the standard V8, a specially calibrated Quadrajet, dual-snorkel cold-air induction, a Corvette-type wide-mouth catalytic converter and dual tailpipes. The package brought the five-speed, a 3.73 axle, aluminum rear brake drums, an aluminum front bumper bar, extra cooling and a lighter flywheel.

Brown 1983 Camaro Z28 coupe with lower-body two-tone
Brown 1983 Camaro Z28 coupe with lower-body two-tone, front three-quarter view, at an outdoor car show on grass Photo: Jeremy, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; licence plates and faces blurred Original photograph License

Chevrolet said an H.O. Z28 was about two seconds quicker to 60 mph and through the quarter mile than either of the other two Z28 V8s. Hot Rod's test in May 1983 put the five-speed car in the low 15-second range for the quarter mile, with 0–60 mph in the low 7s. EPA estimates were 16 mpg city and 26 highway. The cars were built at Norwood and Van Nuys and wore a "5.0-liter H.O." badge on the left rear bumper.

Proved at Nelson Ledges

Before the H.O. reached showrooms, Chevrolet had tested its parts in the "Longest Day" 24-hour race at Nelson Ledges in northeastern Ohio in June 1982. A Z28 fitted with several H.O. components took the pole in record time. It lost more than 15 minutes in off-course trips into a mud bog and still finished less than three minutes behind the winning Porsche. The car was driven to and from the track. In the race it covered 1,908 miles, needed no brake pad changes and used less than a third of a quart of oil.

Three Z28s, three engines

A 1983 Z28 buyer could choose between three 5.0-liter V8s: the standard four-barrel LG4, the Cross-Fire Injection LU5 with its outside-air hood doors, and the H.O. Every Z28 had a front air dam, ground-effects rocker moldings, a dual-scoop hood, a rear spoiler, 15 x 7 five-spoke aluminum wheels, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and a sport suspension. The Berlinetta went the other way, with a smooth-ride suspension, gold-accented aluminum wheels and extra sound insulation.

Sources