There is a very special significance in owning the first of something. It can mark the beginning of an era, the start of something great, and in this case, the genesis of one of General Motors most-loved nameplates. Back in the spring of 1966 a company called Fisher Body began working on a car that wore VIN number N100001. The project was top secret, and even Fisher didn’t know that what they were creating was in fact the first Camaro.

Since its debut, N100001 has had a wild existence where it has passed through the hands of nearly a half-dozen owners. After the nearly five decades since it first rolled on its own power, N100001 has been located and fully restored to its original factory condition. In the entire car, the only two parts that are not genuine Chevrolet pieces are one seat cover and the carpets.

The story behind this car is a great one, and you can catch all the details about it in this video from the Pilot Car Registry. The video covers every previous owner, the car’s first construction and unveiling, and finally its restoration. The video is 18 minutes long, but if you are at all interested in the history behind a legendary classic like this, it is worth the watch.

Why It Matters

N100001 is more than just a car. As the first Camaro, this rolling icon represented the start of something special in the automotive world. The Mustang kicked off the idea of the affordable muscle car, but it was the competition that the Camaro provided that helped jump-start the incredible horsepower wars that resulted in the creation of some of America’s automotive icons. Even today, the Camaro is still one of the most popular products in the General Motors family with thousands sold every year. And like the first-generation cars, they are still RWD, and available with V-8 power and a clutch pedal.

Finding and restoring a piece of history like this means that not only can we read about this car’s history, we can see it in person looking just as it did 50 years ago when the world was first wowed by the name Camaro.

Chevrolet Camaro



The Camaro is an affordable muscle car built by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand. It was first introduced in 1966, and aside from a gap from 2002 to 2010, has been in continuous production. GM is currently preparing to launch a sixth-generation car as a 2016 model. The cars have been built on a history of being fun and affordable performance machines with great style and that classic front-engine, RWD layout. While there have been a huge collection of engines offered through the years, today’s Camaro offers one V-6 engine, two naturally aspirated V-8s and one supercharged V-8. Horsepower levels range from 323 ponies in the V-6 up to 580 horsepower in the supercharged V-8.