It's not just inflation. That's a piece of it.
The new Camaro has 100 more hp than the last one, and 2 more forward gears in the automatic, plus features and options that weren't even available in the year 2000. The 5th gen is a LOT more car.
Also, wages have been stale in comparison to inflation and other price increases in the past 10 years (gas, food, housing). So, the general buying power of the average household is probabably less than it was in the year 2000. Not only does $37k represent an increase in price, but it feels numerically higher in terms of impact to the average person's budget which is being constrained by other factors.
People were saying the same thing about the 2000 SS in the year 2000 when they were comparing it to a loaded Z28 that they picked up in 1992 for just under $20k.
The big problem is wages though. We're entering an era of class warfare and it's about to get really ugly.