The best catfish I’ve seen in quite some time
On one of my drives through the town where I had found a gray import Land Rover Defender, I noticed another curbside gem. A facelifted fourth-generation Camaro with a special little SLP badge. I decided to take a closer look as it seemed like a well optioned “catfish” Camaro (Catfish being the name often given to this generation). The SLP badge, nor the aftermarket pieces, were familiar to me, but turned out to be a rather exclusive tuner package. The question was, was it the real deal?
Being in my late 20s, I grew up around a lot of these late 90s to early 00s sports cars. Not necessarily as brand new vehicles, but rather as the cars that filled the parking lots of high schools 15 years later. At the time, the new edge Mustangs were absolutely everywhere; for example, I had two friends who owned one, a V6 convertible and a Mach 1. The thing I observed, however, was that GM F-body cars were a rare sight. I knew of a single kid with a Pontiac Firebird convertible; that was about it. Roaming around SoCal I would see a couple of these era of F-body cars, but mainly of the pre-facelift variety. I would always hear about how fast they were and how they were the ultimate gateway into the LS engine.
’99 Cobra Mustang. This would have been the direct competitor of our photo car.
Rather than the preserved C5 Corvettes that can be found in garages across America, the Camaros were hiding behind strip clubs. They were living hard lives, and frankly, generally didn’t make it down to new owners. At least that’s my theory of it. Today’s find is about as good as it gets for a curb parked Camaro of this vintage, limo tint, peeling paint and all.
This specimen is a modified 1999 Camaro Z28 SS. More specifically, an SLP modified SS, which I’m assuming is what attracted me to it. Doing research for this has been more difficult than I imagined; despite what I believed would be easy to find, information on these SLP tuner jobs comes back to dead links, conflicting information, and other odd ends.
SLP badging. The black backing is aftermarket
The background on the fourth-generation Camaro is an easier start, however. Launched in 1993, they really trimmed down on this generation compared to the third gens. Still running on the same F-Body platform, the car was revised into its new aerodynamic form; with lines that echoed the 1986 Corvette Indy concept car. Still a large car, it attempted to cut some weight from the earlier models; so these new cars featured fiberglass and plastic body panels. Configured correctly, they could come in at just under 3,000 lbs. Final assembly of these moved from California’s infamous Van Nuys plant to Sainte-Thérèse in Canada.
Third generation Camaro. If you haven’t seen one in a while, boy are they bigger than I pictured them…
The pre-facelift cars ran from 1993-1997 and originally featured either the (207cid) 3.4 liter V6 or the (350) 5.7 liter LT1 V8. Both were available in either an automatic or manual. In 1995, the venerable 3800 series II was added as an option, and in 1996, the 3800 replaced the 3.4 entirely.
Pre-facelift ’93-’97 fourth generation Camaro Z28.
The post-facelift cars ran for the remainder of the fourth generation run, from 1998-2002. They still used the same 3800, but upgraded the V8 lineup. The new for ’98 V8 was the LS1, part of the famous LS family of engines. The 3800 made 200 horsepower in this application while the LS1 made 305 horsepower in the RS. The SS package, when added to an RS, upped the power to 320 horses.
These engine statistics are important because they don’t quite represent the full picture for the fourth generation Camaro. Remember what I said about SLP upgrades? Chevy had been working with the folks at Street Legal Performance with0 the F-bodies for a while. As such, they developed a few engine packages together and added them as upgrades/trims to some Camaro/Firebird years.
In the mid 90s, GM had worked with this aftermarket company to produce a new Super Sport Camaro, and the first year to see the fruit of this labor was 1996. Instead of the LT1 making its standard 275 horsepower, it was beefed up with freer breathing intakes and exhausts, helping it push out 305 horsepower (more than the base Corvette!). This was in addition to a few other goodies like a Torsen limited slip and a Hurst shifter.
Late model C4 Corvettes shared the engines along with base C5s
1997 would take the stakes even higher with a special SLP edition Camaro added on top of SS Z28 models. Using the LT4 engine out of the upgraded ’96 Corvettes, the SLP Camaro produced 330 horsepower and 340 lb/ft of torque. This pushed the Camaro well into Corvette territory, even with the introduction of the new for ’97 C5. And I mean that in both price and performance. The model’s launch coincided with SLP’s peak production, with 7,900 upgraded F-bodies. Most being Firebirds, for available Camaro numbers indicate only 100 cars were built for the US market, and a total of 6 for the Canadian market.
From 1998-2000 there was a bit of a hiatus for the SLP tuned Camaros. The LS1 engine had been released and the SS’s performance saw an increase in its numbers (’98 Z28 and ’96 SS both make 305 hp), now making 320 horsepower if optioned on top of the Z28.
SLP advertisement for 2001
The 2001-2002 saw some changes despite being late in the fourth generation’s life. Power saw another increase with the Z28 producing 310 horsepower and the SS making 325 horsepower. SLP offered their own special edition on top of the SS, making 335 horsepower while offering the other goodies as it did before. With production of the fourth-gen F-bodies coming to an end in 2002, the SLP’s run came to an end. Not that SLP itself lasted much longer, closing doors in 2003.
So what was a 1999 Camaro doing with SLP badges? Wasn’t there a hiatus in the trim packaging with them? The main reason for these badges are likely that the owner purchased the upgrades aftermarket and applied them to his Camaro. So, an SLP reproduction. Given the price hikes that some dealerships seemed to have placed on some of these vehicles, that may have been the way to go.
There may be other options to consider, but I find them to be less likely. The first being that the car was simply up-badged and retrofitted to look like a higher-performance variant. The average person likely wouldn’t know the difference, especially given that a ’99 looks nearly identical to a ’01. They added a GM mark of excellence to the fender. Why stop there?
They also could have taken those parts from a real SLP package Camaro and placed them on theirs. The problem is that with such limited number of original SLPs, I don’t think that would be the case. Especially to grab some of the badging to go with it. Looking at the car, it doesn’t have the later model exhaust ports either.
Finally, it could be a legitimate SLP car from the factory. There seems to be conflicting theories in the forums about whether they ever made any to begin with, and if so, how many were available. The general consensus has been if the car includes the Y2Y RPO Code, it would indicate it has an SLP package. However, the production numbers don’t indicate any being produced that year. At least what I could find on the internet. I’m sure the production numbers are somewhere given it would have to bounce between both GM and SLP. If anyone knows, leave it in the comments section.
As for the Camaro as a whole, it eventually came back for the fifth and sixth generations before being cancelled once more. While I don’t find this generation to be more desirable than the others, it was important to the lineage in that it helped the Camaro see real power numbers after the malaise era, even if it took a couple of decades. It also shared a unique aerodynamic look based on the FWD GM-80 cars that never made it to production. I’m sure some will consider this a future classic. For me, it depends on the future of the Camaro name. I guess only time will tell if or when the next Camaro comes out and how it represents the storied name on the market.
Additional Reading:
COAL: 4th Gen. Camaro – I Wear my Mullet on my Chest
Curbside Classic: 1997 Chevrolet Camaro – Conspicuously Purple
I interviewed with SLP here in Toms River NJ 30 years ago. Small operation that grew and eventually shutdown. I was unimpressed and so were they. Looked like a real low budget operation
I worked at a dealer group in 1999 the group included a chevy point. When I was hired in June of that year I spoke with the HR manager who was based in the Chevy dealer. On a tour around the dealer she pointed out an SLP Camaro parked out front, she said it was the demo car for the sales manager. As long as you maintained a certain level of sales they gave you a new demo car every 6 months. This sales manager had been with the company for years and did millions in sales every year so the owner said he could pick out any car he wanted except a Corvette (I guess he had driven a corvette as a demo earlier but the owner decided that was too much). The Hr manager told me the owner was annoyed when he ended up ordering the camaro because he checked every option he could, including every possible SLP option (graphics, hood scoop, limited slip, exhaust wheel suspension etc.) as you could order them thru the GM system, It ended up pushing the MSRP to around 40K from around 30k and the owner was worried he would never be able to sell it at a profit.
Also not sure I can post a link but I did find a brochure for 1999 SLP Camaro options.
Interesting mystery. I’m not too knowledgeable on these Camaros, but to me it’s interesting to see how tuners like SLP were trying to hang on when the performance of actual factory cars was increasing so substantially. The LS1’s 300 hp would have been a dream just a few years before. And part of this mystery would be just when the SLP enhancements were added to this car. I have a hard time envisioning an owner adding SLP badges, etc. too long after the car was new, since SLP wasn’t in business any longer.
Regardless, this is a great find – definitely not many of these Camaros still in this good condition.
To choose the fish face over the Firebird … or the Pontiac over the New Edge Mustang required a serious bowtie or GM allegiance. That said my still running 1999 Mustang that outsold the F cars massively gives a wave to this survivor … whatever it’s history.
Most generations of Fire Bird and Camaro I tend to prefer the Camaro; this generation is the exception. I had a neighbor who had some interesting daily drivers (and fun cars) For a while he had a V6 1999 Firebird with a manual in Black and it was an attractive car and he said it got 25 mpg on his commute. At the time of the Firebird his main fun/project car was a Mystichrome 96 Mustang Cobra with the 4.6 stroked to 5 liters, so in comparison the Firebird almost seemed like a practical car.
I don’t think anyone has noted this before.
Similarity of the nose on this generation Camaro. And the second generation Chrysler Concorde. Including the hood contouring.
Nuance and better detailing, makes the Concorde’s nose memorable. Headlight shape is more defined and attractive. Classic Chrysler badge, and more elegant grille design, for the win.
Comparing the finishes, the Camaro’s red paint looks cheap and plasticky. Concorde’s paint looks richer.
Oval shape of the Concorde’s parking lights, appears more custom.
They broadly appear alike. So much more polish, to the Concorde’s face.
One of my biggest beefs with General Motors styling (besides their approach to product development) since the 1970’s, is their too often satisfaction with mediocrity. And blandness.
At this point, the Camaro/Firebird body panels were mostly plastic, no? I think the hood was metal, but the front clip and fender outers were plastic, if I’m recalling correctly. So, the finish probably reflected the more flexible body surface, aside from the usual GM standards.
Excellent point. They have not overcome plastic surfaces (including plastic chrome), from being easily detected. Though I’m guessing, the nose on the Concorde is plastic as well? It looks pretty darn good.
However, the paint and shade of red, still look cheap! Reminds me of a milquetoast Lumina.
By the 1980’s, rather than ‘Body by Fisher’, it was ‘Body by Fisher-Price’.
“By the 1980’s, rather than ‘Body by Fisher’, it was ‘Body by Fisher-Price’.”
Touche! I’ll remember this line.
I was going to say the 1990’s. However, how could I leave out the Fiero!
1980’s it is!
Never heard “catfish’ as a description for these. Of course, I didn’t pay attention to them anyway. Now when I first saw the lead photo and 1999 I immediately thought a little bit of ovoid Taurus in the face. Especially with those headlamps.
Even the “catfish” Camaro looked better than the last two generations. I really hated the ’16 and up cars. I really don’t understand what GM was going for in the ’10-24 cars at all. They as a company seemed to lose their way styling wise in the 90’s and never found their way back. It’s sad that even (IMHO) the awful Colonade cars don’t look that bad compared to some of their newer….stuff.
Ironically I have knowledge of SLP not through GMs but the Fird gearhead community who at a time really favored the sounds of SLP LM1 and LM2 mufflers(a debatable term admittedly) on 4.6 powered Mustangs and Cobras. I do however have vague memories of SLP Camaros from childhood as I read this and it’s jogged a memory.
For this era I’m a Ford guy, we all know GM LS engines are powerhouses compared to smaller modular fords but as cars the Ford to me is just the better built better looking and (to a minor degree) more practical vehicle. With aftermarket tuner companies Ford had Saleen and Roush which seemed to have a little more corporate engineering connection and ultimately built more distinct products bearing their respective names. SLP I remember but my primary memory that only through this article that popped in my head is not from Camaros but the Pontiac Firebird Firehawks.
I previously owned a 2003 Buick regal GS(supercharged) and currently own a 2001 Z28 Catfish. SLP supported both vehicles and had a working relationship with GM. Neither of the vehicles I owned were SLP from the factory but I was very aware of them because they sold parts for both platforms. They produced their hot rodded versions of the Camaro and the Grand Prix GTP(same thing as my regal, just different badging) in hope of gaining name recognition and selling their aftermarket parts. However these SLP cars were nothing more than an intake and exhaust. The advertised power increase more of an optimistic guess more than an outright lie but either way it wasn’t making any performance difference. Both platforms had their HP numbers down rates by GM. For the Camaro it was pretty substantial to not encroach on Corvette advertising. Not sure why they did it with the supercharged Wbodies. A side effect of that happens to be being able to fudge the performance numbers up for special models because it was actually already making that much power anyway. Don’t get me wrong, SLP sold good aftermarket products
but the SLP badged cars just weren’t any better than the standard SS or GTP.