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Chevy Shows Tuned Camaros at SEMA
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For you Bowtie fanatics who weren't able to make it to this year's Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show, TheCarConnection.com was on hand to see how Chevrolet took the opportunity to show its 2010 Camaro in stunning standard form in addition to four great concepts in Las Vegas. All five vehicles show just how strong the performance pulse beats within General Motors, and it's products like the well-executed Camaro that GM is going to have to make more of as it mounts a case for its continued survival.
You probably already know about the standard-issue 2010 Camaro, but if not here's a quick refresher: 3.6-liter DOHC direct-injected variable-valve timing V-6, optional 6.2-liter V-8 in two flavors, GM's corporate Euro-derived Zeta Platform with rear-wheel drive and independent rear suspension, six-speed auto or a six-speed manual.
Chevy's LS7 Concept at SEMA is built around a GM Performance Parts' LS7 crate engine. It belches out 550 hp, breathes unique headers and a special intake, and is bathed in Victory Red to capture the spirit of the storied COPO Camaros that served as weekend drag racers back in the day. Other mechanical bits and pieces on this hi-po concept are a Tremec 6060 six-speed, Brembos at all four corners, a lowered suspension, custom 20-inch wheels, and an exhaust system by GM Performance Parts.
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The 2010 Chevrolet Camaro Black Concept is a very different animal than the LS7 above, using the stock V-6 for motivation. But a weak-kneed 3.1-liter 1991 Camaro RS it is not, as the new direct-injected powerplant has plenty of scoot in addition to respectable highway mpg in the mid-to-high 20s. Around this healthy powerplant, the Camaro Black Concept wraps ground effects, HID headlamps with funky red halo surrounds, a unique grille, RS-specific taillamps, an SS spoiler, a killer matte black hood, tinted glass, 21-inch rims, and Brembo brakes on all four corners.
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From the hallowed land of NASCAR comes the Camaro Dale Earnhardt Jr. Concept, paying homage to Dale Jr.'s love of vintage Camaros like the '72 crate engine-powered beast he drives around when he's not on the track. Interestingly, the folks at GM Performance tweaked the 6.2-liter V-8 in this concept to take full advantage of E85's higher octane rating, giving it higher compression and therefore more horsepower along the way. Custom leather and suede reside inside, and carbon fiber finds its way onto the instrument panel and door panels. Aluminum pedals nestle down in the footwell, and an optional Chevy Accessories audio system rocks Boston Acoustics speakers, amps, and subwoofers.
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The fourth player in this quartet of bad boy Camaros is the Chevrolet Camaro GS Racecar Concept. Far from a car show beauty, this beast was displayed at SEMA with the road grime, brake dust and various dings sustained after a day's worth of race driving. Making this vehicle a worthy successor to Mark Donohue's blue-and-yellow Camaro - which drove to the TransAm road race championship in 1969 - is the fact that it is actually an early prototype for the Grand Am Koni Challenge GS racing class. It was created together with GM and North Carolina-based Riley Technologies, and features a white seam-welded production Camaro, light weight carbon fiber hood, trunk lid, doors and fenders, a stock LS3 V-8, the Tremec 6060 six-speed manual with closely-spaced ratios, a high volume exhaust system, and lots of lubricant coolers (transmission, differential, engine oil).
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