Just remember what Scott said: within $xxx (either 500 or 1000) of a similar Mustang...

 

I remember reading THAT quote a LONG time ago....

 

Why not just put 2 rear ratios in? If designed right it might last warranty length and give performance when needed and economy when warranted.

 

Right, back before CAFE, back when Camaro still had line mates, back when Mustang was getting a reworking right before Camaro came out, back when Dodge thought Challenger could exist on only V8 sales...

I think the last part might be the worst omen, the Challenger required less work than the Camaro, already had 2 1/2 succesful line mates, and was and will still command a premium over Camaro, but they're already gunning for the V6 market...

 

This is true. Not to mention, the plant will be a flex plant, so other cars and trucks will be built there as well.

My 2002 Camaro SS (loaded with t-tops, leather, 6-speed, etc.) was over $32k. Hardly seems like it was going on 6 years ago.

 

I was expecting to pay about $32K for a nicely equipped/almost loaded V8. And it better have at least 400 HP, not this L76 BS. If the price of a loaded "base" V8 comes out to be around $38-40K, I hope the car tanks and once again becomes history. That would be nothing short of offensive and a complete punch in the face to what the Camaro stands for.

 

I didn't really speak to city mileage because the highway mileage should be occuring mainly in 4th-6th which you wouldn't even get to in the 1/4mi let alone at 60mph.

As close as possible. I realize the Camaro is going to be a good bit heavier, but I don't think that is quite as large a factor for highway mileage as aero and gearing. The final through 6th is pretty tall on the Vette, but I couldn't say if you could go taller...

 

Seriously, we know that GM has planned this entire camaro business case on selling a sizeable number of the vehicles! I don't see how they could even operate the plant if the Camaro is limited like the Challenger.
Yes, based on the latest media reports some of the RWD vehicles are now being put on hold or postponed including the impala which everyone anticipated coming off the same flex line. It does seem that GM could build the small Caddy off of the same line. Also, a report I read last weekend says that GM could build FWD vehicles off of the same assembly line??

We know the v8 will be a premium over the six, but WE ALL KNOW the Camaro would cease to be a CAMARO if there was no mainstream v8!

I'm going to have to "KEEP THE FAITH" on this one.

 

So whats the matter with the L76 for the run of the mill Camaro and an LS3 as an optional powerplant (if that were the case)? Nothing wrong with a mid to low 13 second car.

 

With an IRS and a curb weight around 3700-3800lbs I don't see it hitting low 13's with an L76. That's what the later 4th gens ran with close to the same power (mine made 308rwhp stock in 01) and 3-400lbs less weight with no torque management bs.

 

I've heard 3700 lbs, but I guess I've figured it'd be closer to 3600 lbs. Well high to mid 13's for a base V8 still isn't bad if GM were to offer a two tier V8 program along with some sort of super SE along the way.

That'd actually make for a cool Mustang/Camaro heads up low buck racing class in both drag and road.

I could see it, limit the mods to factory wheel sizes and basic chassis bolt-ons, put a roll-bar in, strap on a brain bucket and go racing in cars that had about the same hp/TQ to weight ratio.

 

Now that would be cool.

 

The huge strategic mistake here is that GM went with a large car platform instead of a smaller one. The writing was on the wall for large cars and SUVs three years ago. I can't understand why GM didn't heed the warning. Now they're stuck with a large platform that is basically a white elephant. To make it feasable they will have to build high-end large cars like Cadillac and Buick because they sure won't sell many large Impalas to anyone but police and taxi companies.

It is not the just the gas price this time, it's these damn lefties trumpeting the hysterical global warming agenda. Unless we speak up, I see three years of V8 Camaros before they end production. What a stinking mess.

 

It puts Camaro in abit of a predicament.

For one reason or another, after much deliberation, Camaro ended up on Zeta. In the end, the selling point was, that it was an already developed architecture, and Camaro could spread it's costs with several other lines, in a modern assembly plant. Makes sense. Of course, it's possible that now, Camaro will be the only Zeta going down that modern, refurbished, flex line. So, there's that.

The other thing, is Zeta itself. Every Zeta program has struggled with weight. Generally, Zeta is not very CAFE friendly because of that. As long as the status quo remained with CAFE, the wizards at GM Powertrain would have had no trouble keeping hundreds of thousands of Zetas within compliance. But it's a whole new world now. A world where mass is the enemy, like never before. And there's a pretty good chance that Camaro will exceed it's weight target - maybe by alot. And that puts a big fat target on it's back.

My hope is that Camaro makes a HUGE splash when it's released. Every bit as big as Mustang's. GM management needs to see and believe that Camaro is an important integral of the global Chevrolet line up. They NEED to believe this, because I think that this Camaro's days are numbered. And if they don't believe it, really believe it, we won't get the next Camaro.

 

Can someone shed some light as to the actual difference in cost between the L76 and LS3 ??