Those with a passing familiarity with my time as editor of sister magazine GM High-Tech Performance can attest to the !:act that I've given GM its justly deserved lumps for killing off the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird. Even in my short one-year tenure as editor of PHR, I've made the revival of the F-body somewhat of a battle cry. Apparently, you agree with me because in all my tirades I've yet to receive one letter or e-mail condemning my position while hundreds of you have telegraphed your support.

Together, we have sent the message over the past three years that we want our F-car back. And today, I'm pleased to announce with absolute certainty that it will be back for the 2007 model year. I'd like to thank all of you for supporting what, perhaps selfishly, I consider to be a personal crusade. When you think about it, this is a personal thing for all of us—even Mustang guys. (Hey, you're nothing without competition, right?) Just think: New V-8 Camaros and Mustangs lining up side-by-side, more powerful, safer and fuel-efficient than ever. But I'm getting ahead of myself.



The details of the upcoming car are a little murky, but we can tell you for sure that the new Camaro will be rear-wheel drive and V-8-powered. (Phew!) As the months pass, we know more and more about the Zeta platform on which the Camaro will be based. The architecture will first become the home for a new Buick mid-lux car for the 2006 model year. They're calling it Velite—for now.
The idea behind the Velite is simple. Turn Buick into an aspi-rational brand for young people with money, a la Lexus IS300. Buick will have to do this with rear-wheel drive to "sell" it to those crossing over from established rear-wheel drive brands such as Lexus, Infinity or BMW, and they'll have to do it with equal or better quality at a lower sticker price (at least initially). How committed is GM? Buick is killing the Park Avenue and revamping its entire product line in a bid for greater market share. The figures don't lie: The average age of the Buick customer is 60, and if something isn't done to bring in younger buyers, the Buick customer base will just die out, and take the brand with it.

As luck would have, the mechanical architecture and cost of the Zeta platform are right in the cross hairs of Camaro. Ironically, the success of Buick depends on the Velite being a profitable cost-effective car, meaning that Buick will have to share Zeta with other brands such as Chevrolet, Pontiac and Holden.

But Camaro will not be a rebadged Buick. With today's flexible design capability and streamlined design cycles, expect the Camaro to share only gray metal. Virtually all the important parts of Camaro will be different from the Velite in terms of appearance, ride, performance, and interior styling. Stuff you don't see that doesn't affect these critical areas will be either shared or derived from similar parts from the same supplier, thus saving cost. GM is pushing its suppliers hard to cut costs without cutting quality, and sharing sub-systems or components within a subsystem helps that happen.

Rumors of a new Camaro have been floating around since before production even stopped on the previous generation, but until now, there hasn't been solid proof. Perhaps in another era, we wouldn't be able to confirm this, but with GM cutting so many mid-level white-collar jobs, it was inevitable that more of the mundane design and styling tasks go to tier-one suppliers such as Delphi, who are currently bidding on the steering column and airbag safety system for the 2007 Camaro.

We're excited that Delphi—the world's largest automotive supplier—will be involved with Camaro. When it comes to vehicle safety, Delphi is a leader in the field. (In 1956, Delphi designed the first integrated padded instrument panel; in 1966, they developed the first 2- and 3-point safety harnesses; in 1973, the first production airbag restraint system; in 1996, the first airbag integrated into a steering wheel; and in 2001, the first passive occupant detection system.) As racers and gearheads, we don't give enough thought to how safe our cars are (or aren't!), but trust me, it's important, and we think Delphi is a great choice for the Camaro.

To every silver lining, however, there is a cloud. There will be no Pontiac Firebird. In a conversation reported by Ward's Auto World, GM product boss Bob Lutz acknowledged the end of the Firebird by stating, "Firebird's day is gone." We doubt anybody but hard-core Firebird enthusiasts will care though. One of the ideas behind Zeta is that it will underpin the new GTO once the current Holden-built run is over. Those wanting a smaller, less-expensive performance car from Pontiac need look no further than the rear-wheel drive Solstice, which is a no-brainer for a pumped-up version from Mark Reuss's crew at GM Performance Division.
There will be plenty for everybody to cheer about without the Firebird. With the Mustang coming on line later this year and an SVT Cobra a year or two later there ought to be lots of choices for performance nuts on a budget. Add to the fray the new Corvette, The GTO and Solstice, the CTS-V from Cadillac, the Dodge Magnum Hemi RT and the new Charger, and you've got an embarrassment of riches for rear-wheel drive performance fans of all persuasions.

If your budget isn't in the new-car V-8 range, don't fret, the news is even better. All these new models will push used car prices down into the cellar. Used V-8 Camaros, Firebirds, Corvettes and Mustangs will be cheaper—and faster—than the stratospherically-priced musclecars from the '60s. Right now, used LT1 Camaros and Firebirds can be had for $4,000. Fox Mustangs with V-8s go for half that.
Now that's what I call progress!