A fastback roof
A fastback roofline and full-door glass with no vent windows and no rear side windows.2one source
Class of '70 · Chevrolet Camaro · 1970 body · second generation
1970Chevrolet Camaro
The all-new second-generation Camaro: a fastback coupe only, with no convertible, the Z28's 360-hp 350, and a start in February 1970.
The year in brief
The 1970 Camaro was a new car: a fastback coupe with full-door glass and no vent windows. There was no convertible.2one source
It reached the plants in February 1970, halfway through the model year, which is why some call it a «1970½»; all were 1970 models.2one source
The Z28 package now brought a 360-hp 350, and the SS came with a 350 or a «396» that actually displaced 402 cubic inches.4one source
The story of the year
A short year, and a 454 that never came
The 1969 model year was extended to November 1969, and the new car only reached the plants in February 1970. GM's own sheets for the 1970 Camaro are dated February 1970.245
GM's AMA weight page of 26 February 1970 lists two big-block options for the SS: the 396 L78 and a 454 LS6. Wikipedia says the 454s were on early specification sheets and in some brochures but never went into production; the reprinted book chapter counts 600 L78 cars.234
How to spot a 1970
What tells it apart from a 1969.
No convertible
Only a coupe; the 1967–69 convertible is gone.2one source
Four round taillights
Four round taillights at the rear, like the Corvette's.2one source
Split bumper on the Rally Sport
The RS has a grille in a flexible Endura surround, round parking lights beside the headlights and short bumperettes on each side of the grille.2one source
Production1one source
124,889 cars, by body.
Every trim line
| Body | Trim | Built |
|---|---|---|
| Sport coupe | 6-cylinder | 12,566 |
| V8 | 112,323 | |
| All sport coupes | 124,889 | |
| Total | 124,889 | |
The 1967–77 production table reprinted in GM's 1969 kit (its row «1970-1/2»): 12,566 sixes and 112,323 V8s, 124,889 in all. Its domestic and export columns add up to 124,899 instead (our sum), the second figure Over-Drive gives; Over-Drive and the reprinted book chapter repeat the table's figures, so they are one chain. The 1970 model reached the plants in February 1970, so the model year was short.
Engines346
7 engines. The code is Chevrolet's regular production option (RPO) code.
Gross ratings from GM's power-team sheet of February 1970. The «396» displaced 402 cubic inches. The L78 is not on that sheet, but GM's AMA engine page of 26 February 1970 rates the Turbo-Jet 396 at 375 hp (Old Cars gives the same) and the Turbo-Jet 454 at 450 hp, and GM's AMA weight page of the same date lists an SS 396 (L78); the reprinted book chapter counts 600 L78 cars. The same GM page also lists an SS 454 (LS6); Wikipedia says the 454s were listed early but never went into production.
Price when new3one source
Base retail prices in 1970 dollars, before options.
The reprinted book chapter's retail price for the V8 coupe. GM's 1970 kit has no price list, and none of our sources gives the six-cylinder price.
Colors34
15 factory colors. The color names are confirmed by two sources34; the swatches are approximate screen colors, not paint matches.
Classic White10
Cortez Silver14
Shadow Gray17
Astro Blue25
Mulsanne Blue26
Citrus Green43
Green Mist45
Forest Green48
Daytona Yellow51
Camaro Gold53
Autumn Gold58
Desert Sand63
Hugger Orange65
Classic Copper67
Cranberry Red75
The fifteen colors and codes on GM's color chart in the 1970 kit (page 17), the same as in the reprinted book chapter. No source we have gives the number of cars per color, so the counts are left empty.
Reading the VIN4one source
A 1970 VIN has 13 characters. Type one in, and the decoder reads it against the code tables on this page.
124870N5000014one source · GM's own example from the 1970 kit: the first Camaro built at Norwood, here a V8.
The code table
| Position | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Camaro |
| 3 · 4 | Engine: six-cylinder · V8 |
| 87 | Body: sport coupe |
| 0 | Model year (1970) |
| L · N | Plant: Van Nuys · Norwood |
| 500001 → | Unit number at each plant |
Where to find it: Stamped on a plate attached to the top left of the instrument panel.4one source
Questions about the 1970
How many 1970 Chevrolet Camaros were made?
Chevrolet built 124,889 for the 1970 model year: 124,889 sport coupes.1one source
How can you tell a 1970 Camaro from a 1969?
Four signs, each explained under «How to spot» on this page: a fastback roof; no convertible; four round taillights; split bumper on the Rally Sport.2one source
What engines did the 1970 Chevrolet Camaro have?
Seven engines, from the 250 cu in inline-six to the 402 cu in V8 («396»). The engine table on this page gives every code and rating, and the rulings cover the disputed ones.346
How much did a 1970 Chevrolet Camaro cost new?
Base retail prices, before options: Sport coupe, V8 $2,839.3one source
What colors did the 1970 Chevrolet Camaro come in?
General Motors (GM Heritage Archive) lists 15 factory colors.34
Where is the VIN on a 1970 Chevrolet Camaro?
Stamped on a plate attached to the top left of the instrument panel.4one source
Where the sources disagree
Every conflict we found for 1970, and how we settled it. All rulings.
Settled
1970 Camaro production
Our ruling: 124,889. It is the total printed in the 1967–77 production table reprinted in GM's 1969 kit, and the table's six- and eight-cylinder columns add up to it. Its domestic and export columns add up to 124,899 instead (our sum), which is the second figure Over-Drive gives. Over-Drive and the reprinted book chapter repeat the table's figures digit for digit, so they are one chain, not further sources.
What each source says (3)
- 124,889: 12,566 sixes and 112,323 V8s; its domestic (117,604) and export (7,295) columns add up to 124,899 (our sum)1one source
- 124,889 in one sentence and 124,899 in another; the same 12,566 sixes7one source
- 112,323 V8 sport coupes3one source
Sources
- «Camaro 1967-1977 Model-Year Production», a table reprinted in GM's 1969 Camaro kit Unknown (reprinted by GM Heritage) · read 2026-10-12
- Chevrolet Camaro (second generation) Wikipedia · read 2026-10-12
- «Chapter 23 · 1970 Camaro SS», a book chapter reprinted in GM's 1970 Camaro kit Book chapter reprinted by GM Heritage · read 2026-10-12
- 1970 Chevrolet Camaro – Vehicle Information Kit General Motors (GM Heritage Archive) · read 2026-10-12
- Camaro FAQ: General Info Camaro Research Group · read 2026-10-11
- «1970-1971 Chevrolet Camaro SS», Old Cars News & Marketplace, June 6, 1991, reprinted in GM's 1970 kit Old Cars News & Marketplace (reprinted by GM Heritage) · read 2026-10-12
- 1970 Chevrolet Camaro Fact Sheet Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-12
Keep going
Three more years.
1968Chevrolet CamaroThe 1967 shape with refinements: no vent windows, side marker lights, divided tail lamps, and 235,147 built.235,147 built (disputed)1969Chevrolet CamaroNew sheet metal for one year only, a model year that ran to November 1969, and the COPO 427s.243,085 built (disputed)
1971Chevrolet CamaroLower compression for regular fuel, gross and net ratings side by side, high-back seats, and a model year that opened with a 67-day strike.114,643 built (disputed)See the whole second generation.
Dimensions, production year by year and every ruling, 1970–1973.