Story
The 1968 Chevrolet Camaro SS 396 was a factory Super Sport configuration of the first-generation Camaro, not a separate coachbuilt or dealer program. Source records place the big-block Super Sport in V8 coupe and convertible body styles, with the 396-cubic-inch Turbo-Jet family documented as L35 325 hp, L34 350 hp, and L78 375 hp variants. This page anchors the graph to the documented L35 SS 396 path and records L34, L78, and L89 as separate factory option paths; claims about an individual car still require drivetrain stamps, Protect-O-Plate, build sheet, or equivalent paperwork.
The strongest production evidence used here comes from Camaro Research Group engine and option records: 1968 Camaro production included 10,773 L35 engines, 2,579 L34 engines, 4,575 L78 engines, and 272 L89 aluminum-head L78 applications. Transmission coverage is option-list based rather than car-by-car: the SS 396 could be found with standard three-speed manual coverage, Muncie four-speeds where permitted by engine, and Turbo Hydra-Matic 400 for L34/L35, while L78 automatic coverage is treated cautiously because the cited option sheet separates it by later dependency notes. CRG visual-identification material also warns that 1968 cowl tags did not carry drivetrain option data, making trim-tag-only SS authentication unsafe.
Visually, the Super Sport package brought the SS identity and Chevrolet's 1968 Camaro appearance treatment, including the simulated hood air inlets described in period and reference material. Factory literature and paint references document a broad 1968 color chart, including mid-year additions and deletions; therefore this record treats paint as model-year availability rather than proof that every color was available on every SS 396 build date. The public story is intentionally conservative: it names the documented factory package, engines, broad chassis traits, colors, and authentication cautions, while leaving unresolved axle ratios, exact individual-car originality, and image-by-image identity proof to source review.