Complete article

(As mentioned before...)
Photo Gallery

Videos

Sorry it took a bit more time than we would like, but the past few weeks have been a bit complex with many things going on. Check it out!

When we announced that we would be driving the car in the other thread, we invited you folks to ask some questions in advance so we can keep them in mind. I pulled some of the main questions and tried to answer them below.


In case we didn't convey it well enough, the Camaro Concept is basically a movie prop, very little is real or functional...but LOOKS like it is. If you think about it, a movie prop is EXACTLY what it is. It was built to be seen, and appear to be a real and fully functional production car. However, the radio, climate control, gauges, wipers, or ANYTHING like that is non-functional. The only real main functional portions of the car was the drivetrain, steering, brakes and shifter. A concept car's main goal is to display the design, and not the functionality and the Camaro Concept is no exception. This is the norm for a concept car.


You read the above, right? Okay then...keep that in mind...

Some of the answers to the questions are a bit redundant pointing to the article or the gallery, but we still wanted to address them so some of you wouldn't think we missed the question.

Here we go...

 

Read the article.

The gauges were non-functional...see the "movie prop" bit above.

Check the photo gallery and look close and you will see that they are also fake, always in the same position. We didn't even think of looking at them when we were driving, but I personally think they would be nice to have for non-crucial information, a quick glance down would work, but not exactly in the interest of safety.

Tight for taller people, but that would certainly change.

Not too wide, not too narrow. Just right, actually. It would be very manageable in an every day situation.

We never sat in the passenger seat.

Check the photo gallery.

Pretty decent. See the last pic in the gallery.

For the CONCEPT...in the trunk so they can leave the cockpit uncluttered. Of course, this would change to a more normal location. I am a bit concerned about even posting this because I don't want someone to say "what kind of car has a emergency brake lever in the trunk" because the answer to that question is..."a CONCEPT SHOW CAR."

Hard to compare, really. I would say it is a bit more upright, but not like a family car. Read the article if you haven't already.

Didn't feel as low, because the dash is not so long like a 4th gen. It still felt like a performance car, though.

Read the article.

Easier. I measured the total door length at about the same length at it's widest point (note the shape of the trailing edge of the door), but the car was indeed easier to get in and out of for me.

Not very. This WILL be different in a production version, no question about it.

I think it is best to say a bit of both. It felt right in the middle, there was no real noticeable seating feel that was extreme.

Pretty comfortable. This car was not just slapped together as far as ergonomics go. They did try to make things "normal" feeling, even though the nature of the car didn't exactly call for it.

Heh...okay, but this will be pretty barren...

No antenna at all. No working radio, either.

I think it stays up by itself. I didn't see any springs or anything. Note how current cars seem to have a sort of counterweight mechanism to them in the deck lid area.

Not power, not adjustable much. Slide is forward and backward, that is about it. Remember, the concept wasn't meant to be driven much.

I belive the controls were in the trunk, where most of the controls for things like that were. We never saw the windows go up for down.

Yeah, right.

You couldn't see the trunk floor. Inside the trunk is where all the "behind the scenes" stuff was that is normally in the cockpit or engine compartment. Most concept cars are like this. You would be stunned at how they have to put things together on a concept car. "Behind the scenes" is the best way to put it. No spare tire.

Nope, see the movie prop mentioned above. Sure would be nice on a production car, though...

The display panel on the dash between the two main gauge pod areas is fake. It lights up to look real, but it is not...just like everything else on the car.

Read the article.

See the photo gallery.

Not only are they too small to be functional, but they weren't adjustable to our knowledge and were angled in a way that made them even more unusable.

No, and I wouldn't expect one in a production version either

Didn't tilt the wheel down, it was already set to where it was okay. The gauges were VERY visible where it was, though.

Ever driven an M6 LSx car? Same clutch feel and all. Nice and smooth all around, except for the stick action, which was a bit odd due to the creative design.

A bit lighter than a 4th gen from what I remember.

Pretty solid, not very plastic-y.

The fit and finish was VERY nice. The dash rattled a bit somewhere, you can hear it in the video I took from the backseat as Frezza drove it. Check the videos section for it.

See the photo gallery, but don't expect it to be that clean or easy to work on in a production version.

It feels like it was all one piece of plastic...because nothing actually worked. You had to TRY to make it work before you realized that it didn't. It looks so real that you cannot tell by just looking at it that it is just a "prop".

About the same, but it depends on where the front seat is positioned, of course. I would like to think a production version will have more than the 4th gen, but we will have to see.

None. I don't think they would let you take a Dixie cup of water into the concept.

 

You are the MAN.

This site is great. and you are thanked very much

 

Good article guys! Thanks for takeing the time to answer the questions too. Very cool.

 

Haha... yeah, I didn't know how movie-prop-ish the Concept was when I asked all of those questions.

Looking forward to finding out what they're like in production, though.

 

I just want to say thank you for one of the best articles for hardcore car geeks that I've ever seen.

The photos were exceptional....they have shots and angles of even the smallest details.

Even the photos of the drivers smiling and clowning in the seats were good - they gave a great idea of how the cockpit is.

By the way, how tall are the two people in the pictures? Are you both over 6 feet tall? Both people looked a bit like their heads were touching the roofline. Is that the case?

Also, the filming was done from the back seat. What was the back seat ride like? 4th Gen backseats were one step away from being non functional. How is the back seat of the concept?

One more question: Did you find out if this was a modified GTO chassis, or was the chassis a full fledged Zeta donor?

Thanks again for the great work.

 

one more question/comment. The photos of the rear tires seem to be worn. Since this car clearly doesn't have mileage on it, it would seem to be that the wheels have been spun quite a few times.

Were they really worn, or was that just the angle/lighting of the photo?

 

I thought it was a Zeta chasis or what they have to date...

 

I am 5'-7 or so, and Chris is 6'-4". The roofline is lower than a normal production car.

The ride was okay, a bit tough to get into it and since the roof tucks down like it does, I had to slant my head to one side or it would have been hitting the roof.

Glad you like it!

Must have been the angle, I seriously doubt anyone has driven the car in any way other than very delicately.

 

Helluva good article guys!

And I'm a helluva jealous reader!

 

I just wanted to take a second to tell you guys thanks for taking the time to write the article and answer all the questions that you have. I know alot of the things will change before it DOES go to production, but the questions you have answered have certainly helped me out.

Thanks again and keep up the good work!!