Chevrolet’s Divine Work?

General Motors has been in a lot of trouble lately. After losing billions of dollars, seeing its market share decline, and receiving junk bond status from investment analysts, it’s hard to believe the General was once the titan of American industry. The 2006 Camaro concept car is one product that could help remind the world of how great GM once was.

The Camaro was originally built as a vehicle to compete with the Ford Mustang. The Camaro nameplate managed to survive for thirty-five years. Production ceased in August 2002 with the closing of the St. Therese, Ontario, assembly plant. Camaro sales had been dropping and Chevrolet was focused on manufacturing pickups and sport-utility vehicles. The move still surprised Chevrolet fans, lower GM staff, and automotive writers, all of whom didn’t expect such a revered vehicle to be dropped.

The Camaro refused to disappear from the auto scene. Kris Horton, a young artist and Camaro lover, began creating detailed designs for a new model, based closely on the 1960s editions. Horton’s illustrations were featured in the pages of Popular Hot Rodding magazine in 2004. The drawings caught wind over the Net and took on a life of their own. Hot rodders kept the flame alive with outstanding customs presented in popular magazines. Collectors had their own part with rising club membership and market values for original cars.

GM did not ignore the interest. While it retired the Camaro, it produced a beautiful sport truck called the SSR. The SSR was inspired by old Chevy custom pickups from the 1940s and �¯�¿�½50s. It had a retractable hardtop roof, rear-wheel-drive, and a V-8. The SSR had a mixed reception by the motoring press. Some criticized it for not being enough like a sports car; others complained about the lack of utility as in other pickups. The $41,400 MSRP, 4,800 lb. curb weight, and underpowered motor dissuaded buyers and Chevrolet dealerships ended up discounting them to as little as $30,000. The only light note was that the SSR had the honor of being the official pace car for the 87th Indianapolis 500.

GM made the decision to move forward with the creation of a concept for the 2006 Detroit and Los Angeles auto shows. The new project was done under intense secrecy. It would have to compete with Ford’s popular 2005 Mustang. Like the Mustang and the SSR, the Camaro would use the past as the inspiration for its looks. But instead of being an updated retro take, it would have a progressive design.

The debut was put in jeopardy when stolen photos were leaked to the press, appearing on the Web just before the launch. Despite the leak, GM moved as planned with the Camaro premiere. The unveiling in January caused an uproar. Writers and enthusiasts went nuts with joy. Reviews unanimously praised the new concept as a sign of a GM revival.

The new Camaro measured 15.5 ft. long (with a 9.2 ft. wheelbase), 6.6 ft. wide, and 4.4 ft. high. The Camaro was equipped with a fully independent suspension, a 6.0 L V-8, 21 (front) and 22 in. (back) wheels, and a six-speed manual transmission. The curb weight for the new Camaro is 3,700 lbs. That is favorable: the 2007 GT500 weighs 4,000 lbs.; the 2006 Dodge Challenger concept is around 4,100. The unanimous praise for the car convinced GM management to move forward with production by the summer.

Bob Lutz, GM’s president, informed the public that the Camaro would have to sell 100,000 units per year. Road & Track speculated that Chevrolet would offer the Camaro in three trim levels: a base model to compete with the basic Mustang (priced around $20,000), a 400 hp Z28 edition (above $30,000), and a “ZL1” level to take on the GT500. Popular Hot Rodding kept its Camaro craze alive with illustrations for different trims and body styles.

The different trim ratings have been pure speculation. An base V-6 coupe would be produced for sure. But some reports said Chevrolet would make a low-output V-8 (around 300 hp or so) and a high-output version (the 400 hp LS2 in the concept). The “ZL1” would use the 7.0 L LS7 found in the Corvette Z06. Other writers have spoken of RS and SS trims coming back. The truth? GM hasn’t decided on what it will do.

When the Camaro was fazed out in 2002, the midsize sport coupe market was all but gone. Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Mitsubishi, and Pontiac had bailed out. But since then, Nissan has offered the 350Z, Mazda the RX-8, and Mitsubishi a new Eclipse. The Camaro is targeted for a 2009 model year release, meaning the production model should be available by the summer of �¯�¿�½08. Pontiac is working on a new GTO at the same time, using the same platform.