Best Chevy of All Time, Part I: ’12 Classic Six vs. ’69 Camaro

September 2, 2011 11:05 am ET

All year long, Chevrolet has been counting down the days to its 100^th year anniversary. Now, with about two months to go before the big celebration on November 3, Chevy has matched 16 of its favorite classics against each other, and they’ve asked the fans to choose the Best Chevy of All-Time. The showdown is closed now, but we’ll give you the play-by-play so you can join us on our walk down memory lane.

In upcoming posts, we’ll bring you each of the 8 head-to-head match-ups, with some historical tidbits of note around Chevy’s most iconic vehicles through the years.

In the battle for “Best Chevy of All-Time”, the first match up featured two pure-bred classics, the 1912 Classic Six and the 1969 Camaro. Both vehicles had a tremendous impact on Chevrolet’s success… but which iconic car do you think deserves the title?

1912 Chevrolet Classic Six

Inspired by Louis Chevrolet’s passion for racing, Chevrolet’s debut automobile, the 1912 Classic Six, was designed to be the fast moving, upscale vehicle he’d always dreamed of. Maxing out at 65 miles per hour, the Classic Six held its own against the highest performance cars of its era, setting the standard for performance that lives on in the Chevrolet brand to this day.

1969 Chevy Camaro

There’s no question that the Camaro is one of Chevy’s most memorable cars of all time, but the 1969 Camaro was especially popular. Any guesses why? Well, we’ll tell you. It was the final year the Camaro was produced in its original design. But let’s think bigger… In 1969 the Camaro paced the Indianapolis 500, the now legendary ZL1 aluminum engine was offered, and the Z28 SS/RS performance package got the Camaro qualified to compete in the Trans-Am racing series. The ’69 Camaro goes down in the books as one of the best-looking, most-sought-after rides of the classic muscle car era.

The Voting:

Round one received 759 votes… but which Chevy classic took the title? Drum roll please…

The 1969 Camaro!

Are you surprised? Do muscle and power really outweigh the car that started it all for Chevrolet? Comment below and tell us what you think, or share your own Chevrolet story and let us know what you think the “Best Chevy of All-Time” is!

Round 1 Standings:   1912 Classic Six vs. 1969 Camaro

Waiting in the Wings: 1932 Deluxe Sport Roadster vs. 1963 Corvette Sting Ray

1962 Impala vs. 1957 Bel Air
1964 Malibu vs. 2009 Corvette ZR1
1969 K Blazer vs. 1953 Corvette
1989 Pickup vs. 1948 Pickup
2010 Camaro vs. 1970 Chevelle SS
2011 Volt vs. 1936 Suburban

Learn more about Chevy’s 100^th Anniversary 100 Day Countdown.

Photo Credits (Flickr): nypl, Jack_Snell