Camaro: From sketchpad to street

The rebirth of a muscle car from the first idea to final testing.

The years-long process of taking a car from a designer's idea to final production is expensive, time-consuming and loaded with potholes.

The story of General Motors' Chevrolet Camaro from a pen-and-ink drawing to a concept car to near-production shows how this process shapes every car we drive.

The sketch at the right, made in the Summer of 2005, shows early thoughts on how the car was to look.

Some elements, like the shape of the taillamps, made it into the concept vehicle, which was unveiled only months after this sketch was made, and continued on into the production car. Other elements, like the stretched-out rear window pillars and the front fender vents, didn't make it onto the finished car.

Once the sketch was approved by GM executives, 3/8 scale models were made, followed by full-sized clay versions.

NEXT: Life-sized