September 30, 2014
Sean Syzmkowski

Before the Ford Mustang launched in 1964, executives at General Motors knew they were going to need another sports car other than the Corvair. It became clear when in ’64, 100,000 Ford Mustangs were sold in six months, and half a million by the end of the year. The Corvair on the other hand, was only moving 200,000 yearly. Thus, the Chevrolet Camaro was born. And on September 29, 1966, the first Camaros hit the road.

The idea entered reality under the code name XP-836, but internally was known as the Panther. Mock-ups of the car began testing with the Chaparral name, borrowed from the success of Chevrolet’s Trans-Am racers.

Source
GM Authority