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By
EWAN KENNEDY
28 July 2008
The all-new Chevrolet Camaro has finally been confirmed. News that
will be greeted with great enthusiasm by car guys in many
countries, not least Australia where a hard core of muscle car
lovers have been keeping an eye on the project since a concept was
unveiled last year.
That’s
the good news, the bad news is that the new Camaro may not be
coming to Australia. Which is all the more frustrating because a
lot of the car came from here in the first place…
Australian
engineers are at the centre of the rear-wheel-drive brains-trust
in the global GM empire. So much of the design and engineering
work for this iconic machine was done in Melbourne, working as
part of a team based in the USA.
On
the subject of the exceptional appearance, Australian
Peter Hughes, Camaro Exterior Design Manager, said his team made
sure there were many elements and cues that remained distinctly
Camaro, “We’re incredibly proud of how faithful the production
version is to the original concept. This is a 21st century sports
car that acknowledges its iconic heritage, while at the same time
is smoothly integrated into a very contemporary exterior.”
The
new Camaro’s interior has a pair of deeply recessed instrument
binnacles that feature round gauges in square housings in the
manner of classic Camaros. There are large, chrome-trimmed
controls, low-gloss surfaces and premium fabrics.
Advanced
powertrain technologies, including engines with direct injection
and Active Fuel Management, give the vehicle a balance of
exhilarating performance and good fuel economy.
The
high-performance Camaro SS is equipped with a powerful 6.2L V8,
with a choice of a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic
transmission. Manual transmission models receive the LS3 engine,
which uses high-flow cylinder heads based on the Corvette Z06’s
LS7 engine, delivering low-end torque and high-rpm power.
A
new, L99 V8 engine is used on automatic transmission-equipped SS
models. This is based on the LS3 and carries all of its
high-performance design features, but also has GM’s fuel-saving
Active Fuel Management feature. This enables the engine to run on
only four cylinders during light-load driving conditions, such as
during highway cruising, to trim petrol usage.
There
are also six-cylinder engine options for those who like there
muscle cars that way…
Frustratingly,
while the new Chev Camaro has been engineered so that it can be
built with the steering wheel on either side, the car may not come
to Australia. GM-H is still working on a business case to see if
it can justify local imports. No announcement will be made on when
a decision will be reached.
Holden's
Product Communications Manager, Kate Lonsdale, did tell us the
company would love to see the car here. But would not be drawn to
speculate on a price should it be imported.
Let's
hope it can be made to work because there's a pent up demand in
Australia for a car exactly like this iconic machine.
Sales
of the resurrected Chevrolet Camaro begin in North America in the
first quarter of 2009. In the meantime those who are really keen
may care to hassle their local Holden dealership.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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