Chevrolet Camaro SS 396-1968 images

The 1968 Camaro SS 396 could be ordered with three different versions of its big-block engine, ranging from a mild 325 horsepower to a genuinely quick 375-horsepower L78. Most buyers stuck with the base setup, which is exactly what makes the rarer combinations so collectible today. Here’s a breakdown of the engine options Chevrolet offered and how many of each actually made it out the factory door.

1968 Chevrolet Camaro SS 396 CID V8 4-Speed manual

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Order a Camaro SS in 1968 and Chevrolet handed you a choice that could turn an ordinary weekend cruiser into something far more serious, if you knew which box to check. Under the SS badge sat not one 396 but three distinct versions of it, each built to a different level of aggression, and the wrong guess on the order form meant leaving real horsepower on the table. Most buyers played it safe. A small minority didn’t, and what they got is still argued about at car shows five decades later. Which version ended up in this particular car, and how rare was it really?

Three 396s, One Badge

Chevrolet offered the 1968 Camaro SS 396 with three distinct big-block configurations: the L35, rated at 325 horsepower; the L34, bumped to 350 horsepower; and the solid-lifter L78, an underrated 375 horsepower with 415 lb-ft of torque thanks to an aluminum high-rise intake, a Holley carburetor, and a more aggressive cam. All three shared the same basic 396-cubic-inch big block, but the L78 turned the Camaro into a genuine street brawler rather than just a sharp-looking cruiser.

Just How Rare Was the Top Engine?

Chevrolet built roughly 235,147 Camaros for the 1968 model year, 214,713 sport coupes and 20,434 convertibles, but only a fraction of those left the factory with the 396 big block at all, and fewer still with the range-topping L78. Of the SS 396 Camaros built that year, most carried the milder 325-hp L35, while only about 4,500 came equipped with the 375-hp L78, making it one of the more sought-after combinations from the ’68 model year today.

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