WooooHooo!!!! Scott got his Camaro!!!!

http://www.chirpthird.com/vb/showthread.php?t=13187

Posted by our beloved Fbodfather!!!!!:

Bad days - Good days...........

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it's been a really tough couple of months -- I don't need to tell any of you that..........

........but watching what's happening to our country -- and to GM -- is not for the weak...........

It's easy to focus on what's wrong...........and I do that so often........

But I must share a "joy" with you...........

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I begged everyone to 'have faith'.........that the Camaro, indeed would return.


There were days when I said to myself "OMG -- what happens if it DOESN'T come back???" - because, frankly, there were days when I wondered......
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Yesterday I was in Dallas with John Fitzpatrick for the press event at the Dallas Auto Show..........


Lots of good stuff -- I'll post a bunch of links later............

But I said to John: Wouldn't it be great if we FINALLY got our Camaros prior to leaving for the Cleveland show???

About an hour later, he comes over to me -- hands me his cellphone and I hear a Voice Mail from Company Vehicles asking him to call and set up an appointment for him to pick up a new Camaro.

Dang I was envious!

So I immediately checked my voicemail............there were about 8 -- but none of them were from company vehicles..........

I checked about two hours later --

.............nothing...................


We got to DFW airport and went to TGI Fridays for a late lunch prior to the flight back to Detroit.............


..........................and my cellphone rings............



.....................................and it's Mandy from Company vehicles........



.........I may have wet myself........


"Mr. Settlemire -- when would be a good time to come in to pick up your new Camaro?"

(how 'bout in two minutes when I RUN from Texas to Michigan???)



I woke up this morning............to a surprise.



It was 40 degrees when I left DTW Airport last evening......I got home about 9pm--

When I woke up this morning, it was 14 degrees -- my G8 was white with a layer of snow. (it is normally bright red..........)

The streets were a sheet of ice..............


.........but I could hardly wait to set off for the Company vehicles facility in Warren.........


....stopped to get the G8 washed (......rules say we must wash them...even if it's in the middle of a blizzard........) and then made my way to the exchange garage.


The facility isn't far off an expressway -- there are fences and a guard shack......I always say hello to Donna who is always so friendly and glad to see me..........


The garage itself is spotless.........a long garage that you pull into and then park at a 45 degree angle...........

...........a fellow comes over and gives you a folder to take into the office where there is a counter and a few clerks that fill out the paperwork.

The Internal Revenue Service of the U.S. of A. says that we cannot have any influence in what we get as a "Captured Test Fleet vehicle" (cars or trucks that are not in regular production) or a "product Evaluation vehicle" (cars or trucks that ARE in regular production......)

So I filled out all of the paperwork with "Mrs. Teresa Ford" -- a wonderfully elegant mature woman -- who I refer to as "Mother Teresa"...... and of course, she would not tell me ANYTHING about the car other than "you be careful, you hear?"

I went back into the garage to wait for them to bring this wonderous vehicle to me.................

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........and presently the garage door opened...........




................and I could see the halos looking at me.............




...............and I could hear 'his voice' ...the unmistakeable sound of an LS3................




.............and yes, I'm a doddering old fool...................




but guys and gals -



...........this is a day I've waited for ------ for so long...........as have you............





............and the pride...........



.....................of seeing this "work of art" (OK sue me -- I'm being a bit dramatic...........)



................wow................WOW............ ...





(to be continued..........)

......he had a coating of white snow on him...................



.........I was SURE I'd be getting an LS -- or perhaps an LT -- and believe me...I would have been ecstatic to get either..........



..........but an SS/RS...............with every toy possible............


.....................and a 6 speed manual........



I moved all my stuff (luggage/briefcase/coffee mug/CDs/etc) over into him.......


...............and the first thing we did was head to the same carwash to get rid of the coating of snow........

Donna wanted a ride, of course...................I told her I'd be back one day.....




The Car wash attendant was all eyes..................at least 30 questions........


As I pulled onto Mound road, a guy next to the carwash pulled his cellphone out to take a picture.


I drove less than a half-mile to a gas station -- pulled in -- and within a minute had three guys looking at every inch..................



Merged onto I-696 and I swear to God on my father's grave -- there's a Silver Challenger about 10 vehicles behind me -- traffic is still choked up due to the weather -- and this guy is trying to go UNDER trailer trucks to get up to me --

......he pulls up next to me and gives me a thumbs' up.

(the Challenger was whimpering..........................)

(........OK.........I made the whimpering part up -- fine........)



(...............but I DO think there was a whimper...........)



The sun comes out -- and the yellow paint is glowing............

..........and lots of 'speed up and slow downs' as people look at him.

(this is Detroit -- people are jaded about new cars -- so this is really something......)


At the airport -- the parking lot attendant comes out and has two questions:
1. how fast does it go?
2. When can i buy one?


There's a Lexus in front of me as we follow the shuttle bus to our parking spaces........

The driver of the shuttle yells "SWEET!"

The fellow in the Lexus says "OMG -- I didn't know that the Camaro was on the street yet!"

.........which leads to an entire conversation involving about 8 people on the shuttle the whole way to the Northwest Terminal.

Three people on the shuttle were from Canada and were well aware (and proud) that the Camaro will be built in Oshawa.........


And so as I sit in my hotel room in Cincinnati, I can hardly wait to fast forward -- thru two more cities...........and get back to DTW .......


............and take the shuttle to retrieve him from the parking lot --


............and spend a Sunday afternoon with him on the roads around Metro Detroit.............


It's been a longgggggggggg time since August of 2002.............




Faith Kept!

thoughts about him..................


I've driven IVERs on the proving grounds.

I've driven the IVERs that the Disciples were able to enjoy at Milford.

I've driven the Silver SS on the track at Spring Mountain..........



....but one thing I haven't done is to drive a "Production" SS with a manual transmission on the streets of Detroit -- which are some of the worst in the United States.

Let me say this:

I think you are going to be blown away by the refinement.

I think you're going to be blown away by the ride over the roughest of pavement...........


...........and I think you're going to be blown away by the silkiness of the 6-speed manual transmission.........


I can hardly wait to hear your reactions when you drive these new Camaros.....

...........and we ARE working on Ride and Drives at one or more Camaro events this summer..........


(No pictures yet,,,)

Thats such a great story:)

Awesome! Congrats Scott...now GM please hurry up and build my SS!

he just left it there??:eek:

hmmm...where exactly is it sitting? parking space number? :think:
:p

wow. that was intense just reading it. i think the day i see my camaro im going to cry. what an amazing feeling that must have been. im jelious.

what color was it?

what color was it?

The sun comes out -- and the yellow paint is glowing............

:D :thumb:

he just left it there??:eek:

hmmm...where exactly is it sitting? parking space number? :think:
:p

Its not in a public lot... but I do know where that lot is. :D ...and you might be able to see it from the street.

anyone near DTW???

Oh man I can hardly wait to go to the dealerships and drool all day long! Clickedy Clank the money keeps falling into my Piggy Bank! But not fast enough!

awesome!

Scott, that is a great story. I was hanging on every word. Matter of fact I have to go back and read it again to make sure that I didn't miss anything.
I will be at the Cleveland Show on the 28th at 7:30AM. I'm looking forward meeting you and to shake your hand. Thanks for the story Scott. Just awesome.

Awesome story!

I'll be sitting in a Camaro tomorrow afternoon! It is only a V6 and thousands of others have sat it in already, but I can't wait :D And I'm an Impala guy!

:D :thumb:
guess i missed that.

Christmas in February! I want to hear more about what you think of the color yellow. How does it look in the daylight. Does the car have the stripe package on it? What color is the interior? Is the yellow color carried out into the dash and down the doors? Pics please. Also, how does it sound? Ambient lighting? Did you trash the tires yet?

...............and I could hear 'his voice' ...

......he had a coating of white snow on him........

His? Him?

IMO, cars, like ships, are always female.

Great story though. :)

His? Him?

IMO, cars, like ships, are always female.

Great story though. :)

True, unless the driver is female :D Not that it would change this story any.

Great story Scott and congrats. Now get back to DTW and take some pics.

I remember and know the Mound/696 route you took very well. Breaking out of the Tech Center on a nice day with V8 rumble still sits in the memory banks as a highlight of life.

I posted all this on camaro5 as well and Scott responded there. He said he didn't want to brag, WHAT A GUY!!!! Has a great explanation of why he's a he and not a she!

Here is Scott's reply:

You know -- I really thought about it -- but I didn't want it to sound like I was bragging.

Chirpthird/SSOA is a smaller board where just about everyones' met each other -- that's why we call it 'The back porch' -- and that's kinda why I only posted it there....

...I hope no one will take offense that I didn't post it here or any other site.......


As to Ambient Lighting?

Well -- his 'official name' is ......A9000130 --- he roared to life on February
3rd.....and while he has a black leather interior -- he has cloth inserts on the doors and IP -- but DO NOT jump to conclusions on that one.........

As to the 'he' versus 'she' issue.......

I've always said "anything this muscular, and roars this loud had better be male..." --

I'm now in Louisville -- and can hardly wait to get back to Detroit -- altho it's my understanding that he may be under up to 8 inches of snow when I get back there........

Did not have a chance to take any pictures.........(OK......fine....as if I would know how to yank the darn things outta the camera in the first place....)


...........but I just happen to know that there are one or two people that may be seeing him shortly - and I'm sure they'll take pictures of him along with two of his brothers............

Thank you -- each of you -- for your kind words.

I would just LOVE to see the expressions on your faces the first time you drive one!

Tentative plan: a possible Ride and Drive at "Camaros at Carlisle/GM at Carlisle" the last weekend of June...........

i hope i have my camaro long before the ride and drive in june.

anyone know why they have cloth panels with the leather seats?

a minute Scott! I REMEMBER you indicating that a car with the Camaro's amount of certain male anatomical parts is definitely a male! :D

Wow I want even more now

So what about the ambient lighting...Scott started talking about it but never finished. Would be interested in knowing. Would also like to hear more about the cloth inserts as to why they are on the 2SS. Scott did say not to jump to conclusions so there obviously must be a reason for it.

True, unless the driver is female
Nope, still female IMO. :)

anyone know why they have cloth panels with the leather seats?
Because it's before the production start date?

Nothing to worry about. Yours will have leather. :)

IMO, cars, like ships, are always female.



I totally agree with you. My reasoning is that only women have as many sets of "shoes" as our cars. Then there's the whole "caressing her flanks with Zaino" thing as well.

What it means is if you have a 2LT or 2SS, you will have hard shiny plastic door & dash inserts.
Some of the early ones don't because they are pre-production. All the production cars will have the proper equipment.

Which is too bad because I want a 2SS and would much prefer the fabric inserts, even though that would mean giving up the ambient lighting.

A little to many ..............., but great story :D The camaro will soon be on the roads terrorizing everything else, been a long wait.

Thanks for sharing. Awesome! Its hard to "curb the enthusiam" as I wait for my order to arrive!

Congrats Scott!!

I totally agree with you. My reasoning is that only women have as many sets of "shoes" as our cars. Then there's the whole "caressing her flanks with Zaino" thing as well.
I could never think of my cars as "he's". I like to touch their curves when I wax them. There are far too many yucky and unthinkable implications if I were doing that and calling it a "Him" :eek:

Anyway I digress. Thank you Scott for the cool story... and congrats!

As much as I can't stand GM right now, the Camaro is one car that I've followed since before I could drive. I've owned 5 of them. My last drive in one was when a buddy brought by an old '89 Iroc. 245,000 miles, beat to holy hell, crashed, frame bent, whole car is "off" and was put back together with bondo and chicken wire. And driving it that day still brought a big smile to my face. :D

And now, reading this story of Scott getting the car we've ALL been waiting for since that dreadful day in August 2002 when the last red Z left the plant, I got all teary eyed and excited--and I haven't even seen pics, dangit! sniff...I don't know why I love these cars so much. If man can love a machine, well, consider me smitten.

..I don't know why I love these cars so much. If man can love a machine, well, consider me smitten.and you love a "him":p













:leaving:

Nope, still female IMO. :)


Because it's before the production start date?

Nothing to worry about. Yours will have leather. :)

leather? i thought it was going to be the silver plastic?

leather? i thought it was going to be the silver plastic?

Oh, right, sorry. :o

you scared me there for a second. i thought maybe you knew something that hasnt been out yet about the interior plastic.

Scott and Cheryl got their Camaros...

...and we drove them! (http://www.camaroz28.com/forums/showthread.php?t=670246)

sounds like a great story
:bow::bow::bow:

sounds like a great story
:bow::bow::bow:

Look at the gallery for lots of pics!

http://www.camaroz28.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=1896

how did the halos come on? just when the car turns on or is there a button by the lights like the fog lights? and what is the other switch by the traction control in front of the guages?

what is the other switch by the traction control in front of the guages?

It's the awesome switch. Its default position is "on." Don't touch it.

It's the awesome switch. Its default position is "on." Don't touch it.:lol:

It's the awesome switch. Its default position is "on." Don't touch it.i thought the awesome switch was where the key went?

It's the awesome switch. Its default position is "on." Don't touch it.

If you turn off the awesome switch, your Camaro will turn into a Mustang. :p

If you turn off the awesome switch, your Camaro will turn into a Mustang. :pNOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:cry:

If you turn off the awesome switch, your Camaro will turn into a Mustang. :p

Oh SNAP!:D

so no one knows what the button is next to the traction control??????

so no one knows what the button is next to the traction control??????

It's not a button, you lift up and under it is a cigarette lighter outlet. There is also one in the center console as well.

a cigarette lighter outlet.

They don't call them that anymore. :)

They don't call them that anymore. :)

Aren't they called power outlet or something now? I guess you have to purchase the aftermarket smokers package to get a cigarette lighter :lol:

It's not a button, you lift up and under it is a cigarette lighter outlet. There is also one in the center console as well.thank you for clearing that up.

:mad: DON'T SMOKE in your Camaro Please, Thanks :)

shouldn't be smoking regardless.:)

I agree with you guys about smoking, but this is a free country.

I agree with you guys about smoking, but this is a free country.thats where it gets touchy as you are correct but at the same time it does effect others negatively. i just think its gross.:)

:mad: DON'T SMOKE in your Camaro Please, Thanks :)

Smoke tires -- YES PLEASE!

Camel ass -- no please.

I encourage lots of smoking with the camaro

Tire smoking is addictive and can be hazardous to your health. Oh, well. Somebody's gotta do it. It just as well be me.

woah woah there! i never said i was smoking in it. i just asked what the button was next to the traction control. it ended up being a cigarette lighter. i never said i was smoking in it. i used to smoke and i quit 2 years ago, knowing that i didnt want to smoke in my camaro.

But it is no longer a cigarette lighter, it is an "auxiliary output"...or something like that.

Doesn't appear it comes with the actual lighter part, just the place to plug in a cell phone charger, radar detector, GPS, etc.

But it is no longer a cigarette lighter, it is an "auxiliary output"...or something like that.

Doesn't appear it comes with the actual lighter part, just the place to plug in a cell phone charger, radar detector, GPS, etc.

They stopped putting the lighter part in most if not all cars quite a few years ago. On some GM models they offered a "smokers package" for awhile, but even that has disappeared.

I realize my truck is several years old, but it has an auxiliary power outlet and a cigarette lighter in the dash real close to each other. I don't smoke, but I do like having the ability to plug in my cell phone charger and a radar detector in at the same time.

i got 3 in my silverado:D