Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Exposed to daylight: An early taste of the car that might become the next Camaro

2006 Camaro Concept - Action

And you thought it looked good spinning on a turntable under the electric lights at your local auto show? Well, the 2006 Chevrolet Camaro Concept looks even hotter rolling on asphalt under a bright, open sky. And it drives pretty darned well, too.

The bow-tie folks at Chevy invited us out to General Motors' Milford Proving Grounds to test-drive the Camaro concept. Next to the expansive Black Lake skid pad, we had the smooth North Loop all to ourselves. Its gentle curves and moderately long straights gave us ample room to sample the Camaro concept at speed. Not high speed, but moving at least.

Naturally, GM provided a vehicular chaperone to babysit our enthusiasm. Our "overseer" was none other than Tom Peters, director of GM's rear-wheel-drive production studio. For those needing a translation of Peters' title, he's the design boss who directed the Camaro concept's birthing.

On the pavement
We walk around the car before getting in. The shoulders on the top edge of the rear fenders are huge…perfectly huge. The gas cap is beautiful. Peters is particularly fond of the areas featuring the most complex compound curves; where the front fender and hood flow together over the headlights, and where the rear fenders flow into the trunk lid. "It takes a really special person to get surfaces like these just right," Peters announces, obviously grateful and proud of his team's work. He's right. When you look at those two areas up close and personal, there's a lot going on, with multiple lines and panels coming together.

On the inside
Wanting to get in, we look quizzically at the flush-mounted, thin door handle. How do it work? Peters presses the trailing edge of the chrome bar in and the leading edge pops out. The long door opens wide to a beautifully detailed interior. We duck under the low roof line. First impression: The driver seat is way too high off the floor. A show-car compromise, Peters tells us. The only adjustment is fore/aft.

Regardless, we settle in. The beefy steering wheel frames circular gauges recessed within chromed rectangles. The wheel feels good, the pedals are well placed and the huge ball atop the Tremec T56 six-speed manual falls to our grip. So far, so good.

Peters directs us to clutch in and press the red button to the right of the steering column. Brrraaaammmm! The Hounds of Hell sound pretty good. (If only Chevrolet could bottle the sound from those quad pipes….) "We worked a long time getting it to sound like that. Do you think it's too loud?" Peters asks. We shake our heads "no" and just smile.

As we look out over the long hood to see if we're cleared for takeoff by Milford's flight personnel, we notice its careful detailing. The fender lines and cowl-induction rise look even better from the driver seat than they do from the outside. The dash is higher than you'll find in garden-variety cars, and the roof line is low. Peters watches us getting the feel of his creation and asks another question. "Do you think the roof is too low? We're getting some internal people saying they want a higher roof."

2006 Camaro Concept - Action

Before we answer, we wonder how Harley Earl or Bill Mitchell might respond. Those guys knew design, and they wouldn't let comments from hand-wringing, prune-faced marketing wonks screw up their designs. Thinking that discretion is the better part of diplomacy, we tell him to leave the roof line alone. So you'll have to stop a few feet farther back from a traffic light. That's not a good enough reason to alter a shape that is so obviously spot-on.

On the throttle
Granted clearance by the track monitors, we move out. The clutch's take-up is smooth. The cabin fills with the sound of the tuned exhaust and the familiar Tremec gear noise. Short shifting into 2nd gear, the all-aluminum 400-horsepower LS-2 V8 (lifted from a Corvette) pulls strongly. We had expected the concept to be a veritable rattletrap, being hand-assembled and all. And we love being wrong about things like this. A heavily modified Cadillac STS underpins the Camaro, and bits from many rear-wheel-drive General Motors vehicles were used to make the concept drivable. The result is surprisingly good and delivers a taut, virtually rattle-free ride.

While Chevrolet PR categorically forbade slaloming or full-throttle bursts of acceleration, Peters did let us push the car a bit. Steering response was crisp and cornering was pancake flat. The front struts were firmly calibrated, and the independent rear suspension tracked along as if it were painstakingly developed solely for this application. The huge 21- and 22-inch Goodyears did their jobs without protest. Performing as it always has, the 6.0-liter V8 provided far more power than we ventured to tap, fearing instant ejection from the grounds and permanent blacklisting by GM. Monster 14-inch front rotors easily burned off the modest speeds we achieved.

To that point, none of the gauges in the Camaro concept worked, so we don't know how fast we were driving. The climate control didn't work either. And the exterior and interior mirrors were fixed in spots that look great from the outside, but proved utterly useless for the driver. This is what driving a "concept" is like. The car's purpose is to point to what could be, not to be what could be.

After a good hour behind the wheel, we gave up the reins. Pressing the red button again killed the V8. We climbed out, seeing the threatening storm clouds gathering in the rural Michigan skies. Wanting to take in the shape one more time before it disappeared into its garage out of the rain, we turned its way a final time. With natural light spilling off its surfaces, the look was unmistakably Detroit. No other city could turn out a shape like this and call it their own.

2006 Camaro Concept - Rear

Walking out with Peters, we ask the question he's fielded a thousand times since the Camaro concept's January introduction in Detroit: "So, are you going to build it?" Peters answers in kind, "If you were Bob Lutz or Rick Wagoner, what would you do? I mean, come on. After the reception this car has gotten…you answer that question for yourself."

We answer, "Yes." But that's always been our answer. It's time for the General to step up and make it official.


Classic American Muscle Cars 2006 Chevrolet Comaro Concept Car

GM to announce Camaro production ahead of SEMA?

July12 2006

jul12-muscle.jpg

There's speculation in the Motor City that GM will announce plans to produce the Camaro ahead of the October 31 SEMA show, according to the Detroit News.

Pete

In early April, organizers of the 2006 Specialty Equipment Market Association show announced the event would have an increased focus on muscle cars, with Ford, General Motors and DaimlerChrysler teaming up to jointly display their latest offerings as they share the title of "Vehicle Manufacturers of the Show."

The Ford Mustang GT500, Chevrolet Camaro, and Dodge Challenger will share the limelight at the event, organizers said. While there's no concrete evidence that GM is getting ready to make an announcement, it's unlikely the automaker would go into the show as the only automaker without production plans.

On July 1st, Chrysler announced it would produce the Challenger as a 2008 model. "The Mustang, Camaro and Challenger helped bring many of our industry's earliest businesses into being," said SEMA President and CEO Christopher J. Kersting. "The current production and concept versions of those fabled cars are now kindling similar passion in a new generation of auto enthusiasts and are once again providing opportunities for our member companies."

"The idea of collaboration is particularly appropriate this year, the 40th anniversary of the SEMA Show," noted Kersting. "Our roots and our heritage have evolved with the musclecars of today, so it is fitting that we're celebrating our past while working with OEMs that are looking to the future. They share the passion that our member companies have built their businesses on, so it's a very good fit."

GM to announce Camaro production ahead of SEMA? | Leftlane News - Car News For Enthusiasts

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*VIDEO* Muscle Cars: Camaro vs. Mustang

Computer Program Races Future Versions of the Camaro and Mustang

The things they can do with new technology! Testing the performance of classic American muscle cars before they've even been built!

Pete

April 2006 (Medialink) - In the muscle car world, there may not be two bigger names than Mustang and Camaro. With the Camaro re-introduced as a concept car at this year's Detroit Auto Show, comparisons to its old rival were inevitable. But there was no way to truly test the concept Camaro versus the Mustang... until now.

Motor Trend magazine used a car simulation program that can predict and analyze vehicles in real time, real world conditions. Using data about future versions of the Mustang and Camaro, the magazine pitted the cars against each other side-by-side on a slalom course, a figure eight and in a standing quarter mile drag race.

The virtual race is the cover story for Motor Trend's May issue and readers can also download the 3D simulations on Motor Trend's website.

Dodge rises to a new Challenger

Dodge rises to a new Challenger
July 12 2006

Australia and New Zealand drivers love their muscle cars with a passion and are chomping at the bit to get their hands on the new Dodge Challenger when it rolls off the assembly lines. Let's hope they produce a right hand model real soon for you guys.

Pete


The Dodge Challenger will roll off American production lines in 2008.

The Dodge Challenger will return to production after a nearly 35-year hiatus, sparking hopes that the muscle car may come to New Zealand and Australia. The all-new Dodge Challenger will go into production in the United States in 2008 in left-hand-drive guise. Right-hand-drive production has not been confirmed, but given Chrysler Group's plans for more global models it's more than likely.

Reaction to the new Challenger has been passionate. "We haven't seen this kind of spontaneous response to a car since we unveiled the Dodge Viper concept in 1989," said Chrysler Group chairman Tom LaSorda.

But it's easy to see what people like about the Dodge Challenger. It's bold, powerful and capable. It's a modern take on one of the most iconic muscle cars, and sets a new standard for pure pony car performance.

Brad Fitzsimmons, sales general manager for Chrysler Group Australia/New Zealand, said: "We're excited that the Dodge Challenger is a go. "The Chrysler Group is famous for two-door muscle cars in Australia, with the success of the Charger in the 1970s, and we would love to add the Challenger to the Dodge line-up that is coming. "We will be putting our hand up for the Challenger. Whether or not it will be produced in right-hand-drive remains to be seen, it really depends on demand in other right-hand-drive countries for a solid business case."

The Dodge Challenger will feature the long hood, short deck, wide stance and two-door coupe body style that distinguished the iconic Challengers of the 70s. The Dodge Challenger is another chapter in the Chrysler Group's long history of bringing concepts quickly to production, including the Dodge Viper, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Jeep Compass and Plymouth Prowler.

The Dodge Challenger made its debut in the US as a 1970 model. While it shared the E-body platform with the Plymouth Barracuda, the Challenger's wheelbase was 5cm longer, creating more interior space. The Challenger was originally offered as either a two-door hardtop or convertible. And, befitting the brand's performance heritage, the Dodge Challenger went racing in its first year, competing most notably in the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Trans-Am series and National Hot Rod Associations Pro Stock class.

Although it was produced only from 1970 to 1974, the Challenger earned a reputation as one of the most desirable of the original pony cars, with meticulously restored and rare examples today selling for six-figure sums. In its first year, the Challenger was offered in a limited-edition T/A model to meet homologation requirements for SCCA Trans-Am racing.

In 1971, a Challenger raced in the Indianapolis 500. New front-end styling in 1972 featured a larger, egg-crate grille. In April 1974, Challenger production ceased. Over a five-year span, about 188,600 Dodge Challengers were sold.

New Zealand Herald

Dodge rises to a new Challenger - 12 Jul 2006 - Motoring

Classic American Muscle Car


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