Do you still need a mullet to drive one?
Posted on 08/10/2006 12:12:09 PM PDT by pissant
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- The sights and sounds of thousands of swooning gearheads were just too much for General Motors Corp. to deny.
The concept Camaro, unveiled earlier this year without the slightest touch of subtlety, proved to be one of the highlights of the Detroit auto show back in January, and immediately prompted speculation that the real deal would make it into showrooms.
Chairman and Chief Executive Rick Wagoner responded to what he called an "overwhelmingly enthusiastic response" by announcing the automaker will begin production of the revived Camaro at the end of 2008, slated to hit dealer lots in the first quarter of 2009. The heavy demand for the car, according to Wagoner, spurred consumers to start petitions and send in certified checks in hopes of placing early deposits. "The new Camaro will be almost identical to the concept, a thoroughly modern interpretation of the 1969 model, considered by many to be the best design of the car's first generation," said Ed Welburn, GM's global vice president of design.
The concept, first driven across the Cobo Center floor by GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz, pierced ears with a 6.0-liter V8 engine cranking out 400 horsepower, tied to a six-speed manual gearbox.
"This may be reminiscent of the 1960s Camaros," Lutz told the throng of giddy fans at the time, "but it'll run with the best sports cars of today." GM stopped selling the iconic muscle car in 2002, having built almost 4.8 million in the 35 years leading up to the production halt.
Mark McCready, analyst at CarsDirect.com, lauded the move as adding to GM's recent momentum, but with a caveat.
"It was very clear to GM executives that the public wanted this car built," he said. "Their challenge now is to figure out how to make it true to it's heritage, and still be a viable product in today's world of high gas prices."
The announcement comes as GM and its domestic rivals have been criticized for pushing fuel-quaffing trucks and high-performance cars, while consumers are clamoring for more efficient, smaller cars to cope with hefty prices at the pump.
General Motors is rolling out its GMT900 lineup of SUVs and pickups, while Ford Motor Co. and Chryler have pledged to join the muscle-car caravan with a 325-horsepower version of the Shelby GT and the Dodge Challenger, respectively.
Despite claims that GM is missing the mark with some of its new products, Joe Wiesenfelder, senior editor at Cars.com, said that the company almost has to go this route with the Camaro.
"As is always the case -- especially with GM -- this rests on execution," he said. "On paper, the outgoing Pontiac GTO sounded great, but it was a relative flop. Chevy will have to deliver compelling styling, no-compromise performance and a quality interior."
Do you still need a mullet to drive one?
oh babe..... ;D
Wish I had bought the '69 327 4-speed ragtop that my beloved older brother wanted to sell me when I was 16....
Doesn't work for me either.
Uh...bleargh. That is UGLY.
I saw a picture of a concept Camaro a couple of years back, and it looked almost exactly like a '67 SS. Sort of like what Dodge did with the Challenger. THAT would work. Not this bad Mustang ripoff.
}:-)4
I had a '70 Z-28, silver with black stripes, and with the spoilers on it it looked like a land shark. LOL
Some high school kid came up with a much better design.
I drove my Mom's red 1968 Camaro 327 with the two speed slush box when I was in High School circa 1977. Even with all the rust it was still cool!
This one takes the flavor of the original 67-69 Camaro body style, which was still my favorite. But I think the Dodge Challenger Concept lools more like a '68 Camaro than the GM version.
LOL
Right on
Somebody needs to wipe that s#!+ eatin' grin off it's face.
Buying one!!!!!!!
YOMANK
You're on a roll today.
Yea, I like that design way better than the Cadalac XLR clone they came up with.
Cadalac = Cadillac
Have spelling troubles today.
If we're voting, I'll take butt ugly! It looks like a "chick" version of the Crysler 300. No offense to "chicks".......
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