On January 9, 2006 Chevrolet
unveiled it's New-Age Camaro in front of
thousands of journalists at the North American International Auto Show
in Detroit, Michigan.
But GM officials declined to confirm that any final decision on a new
Camaro has been made. They said the concept will help them gauge public
reaction about a Camaro revival.
While the concept retains the Camaro’s long hood with hood bulge, short
rear deck and narrow, snarling grille, the styling has a contemporary,
somewhat chiseled look. Inside, the deeply recessed instrument gauges and three-spoke steering
wheel invoke the styling of the original Camaros. So does the lengthy
center console.
The concept has large, 21- and 22-inch wheels and tires that fill the
wheel wells to the brim, and the underlying platform is rear-wheel drive
with fully independent suspension with McPherson struts up front and a
rear multi-link configuration.
Power comes from a 400-horsepower, 6.0-liter, LS2, small-block V8 that’s
borrowed from the 2006 Chevrolet Corvette Z06. It’s mated to a 6-speed
manual transmission in the Camaro concept. Because the engine has a
system that automatically disables half the cylinders when they’re not
needed, the Camaro concept could get as much as 30 mpg on the highway.
The first Camaros were designed in the mid 1960s, and the 1969 model,
which was the inspiration for the new concept, was considered the best
of the first-generation cars. In the first three years, some 699,000
Camaros were sold.
Many were used for racing, and a few were at the NAIAS to herald the
Camaro’s iconic past. |
