• 1968 camaro z28 hood air intake image by Jorge Moro from Fotolia.com
  
  The 1978 Camaro was part of the second generation of Chevy's sports car, which ran from 1970 through 1981. The second generation was strongly influenced by cars made by Jaguar and Ferrari, and had a lower, longer body style than the first generation. The 1978 Camaro was available in four different models: the sport coupe, the Rally Sport (RS), the LT Rally Sport and the mighty Z/28. The models shared most characteristics but had differences in engines and options.
  
  

New Features

• The 1978 Camaro sports a body-colored urethane front end as opposed to its previous aluminum extruded bumpers. The vehicle's nose hides an impact-absorbing structure designed to survive impacts of greater than 5 miles per hour. The license plate for the 1978 is set in a molded part of the rear bumper, and the rear tail lights were redesigned. For the first time, removable T-tops were available as an option, along with a decorative hood scoop for the Z/28. The 1978 Camaro also features a non-corroding nylon brake switch and a brake line charcoal filter as standard equipment as well as a four-speed manual transmission. Rally Sport models had an optional two-tone paint job. The 1978 model-year was the last year the Camaro sported a flat rear window.
  
  

Body

• As a result of the impact-absorbing structure in the nose of the car, the 1978 Camaro is longer than cars from previous years. It has a wheelbase of 108 inches, a height of 49.1 inches and a width of 74.4 inches. The 1978 Camaro weighs in at 3.616 pounds. It also came with one of three gearboxes: the Saginaw, the Borg-Warner T-10 or the TH350. Though the Z/28 was famous for its rear spoiler, the Rally Sport also came with one, as well as dual sport mirrors, headlight bezels and a black-finished grille. The LT is the luxury model of Camaro, and had deep-contoured bucket seats, color-keyed Rally wheels and dual horns.
  
  

Engine

• The 1978 Camaro was offered in three engine options: a 250-cubic inch V-6, a 305-cubic inch V-8 and a 350-cubic inch V-8. The 250-cubic inch engine has a bore and stroke of 3.875 by 3.53 inches and a torque of 195 foot-pounds at 1,600 RPM, with a compression ratio of 8.1:1. The 305 engine has a bore and stroke of 3.736 by 3.48 inches, a torque of 245 foot-pounds at 2,400 RPM and a compression ratio of 8.4:1. The 350 engine has a bore and stroke of 4 by 3.48 inches, a torque of 270 foot-pounds at 2,400 RPM and a compression ratio of 8.2:1 although the Z/28's 350 could produce a torque of 280 foot-pounds at 2,400 RPM with the same compression ratio. The 350 engine in the Z/28 can go from 0 to 60 in 8.4 seconds.
  
  

Options

• There were a number of factory options available for the 1978 Camaro, such as tinted windows, power door locks and power windows. Buyers could also add a rear spoiler, rear window defroster, power brakes, cruise control, radio, clock and tilt steering column. An automatic transmission was available as an option, but only the Z/28 offered a four-speed transmission. Other features exclusive to the Z/28 were a simulated air induction scoop and louvered front fenders. A special instrumentation package was offered for the 1978 Type LT, with a temperature gauge, voltmeter, tachometer and electronic clock.