FWIW, my Firehawk was rated at 315 while the Corvette that same year was only rated at 300. I know that the Firehawk didn't directly come from the factory but it still was bought off the same showroom floor as the regular 'birds.

 

They may not have opened the other thread, but its still a repost. (There are at least three threads on the discussion.)

 

Glad you asked! I've owned 3 LS1 cars, including an A4 C5. While the F bodys may have indeed put down a bit more power to the wheels, the vette lost more throught the drivetrain, so I wouldn't be suprised if the vettes did indeed make a bit more power, even if they weren't as efficient in getting it to the ground. That is where the similarities end. The Corvette did EVERYTHING better than either my '01 Formula, or my '02 Z28 A4. Acceleration was close, but I think the vette had it, and it would only get worse as you get to triple digits. Handling.....ha. Ride, way better, and mine was even equiped w/ the Z51 suspension. Dodads.....Corvette. Targa top, hud, electronic a/c, memory settings, active handling (THAT was cool!). Those are the things that set the vette apart. Some guys need it for the ego boost or whatever, but I just wanted the whole package. Will be getting a C6 next .

 

Dude, go drive a Corvette. If after that drive, you still have questions about the relative worth of the Corvette over the top end Camaro, well then I don't know what to tell you. Some people may not see the difference, being a car guy, I am betting you won't be one of them.

 

I realize there is a difference - I've drivern, many, many 'Vettes over the years in fact, going out and driving cars of all kinds is a favorite pasttime of mine.

Maybe the question that needs to be asked is why should GM build the Camaro? Some here hold up the ZO6 as the poster child for what a car should be and perhaps rightly so, but I think it is a fair question to ask what the marketing strategy is that supports building both a Camaro and a Corvette (especially from the same nameplate; Chevrolet)? Is having a virtually unusable back seat really that importnat??? If it were produced in greater volumes and in slightly different configurations, couldn't versions of the Corvette be priced at a point that many who could and would afford a Camaro be able to buy a Corvette?

Ford is using the Mustang to compete in a variety of market segments; everything from the little six-banger two door coupe that are a big hit with high school girls all the way to the the monster GT500 that hits right at the Z06/Viper (on paper at least)...we can argue "DNA" and "history" and tradition of course but I think it really bears asking why is the Camaro needed...couldn't Chevrolet actully be more successful overall by using the Corvet platform to compete in multiple segments and at multiple price levels???

Not trying to start WW3 here...just asking.

 

I test drove a Z51 C6 at Autoshow in Motion. Damn was that an awesome car! However, I still would rather have the top dog Camaro, even if its the same price as a Corvette and the Vette is faster and handles better.

But then I'm funny that way.

 

The Camaro is there as an affordable V8 coupe.. i'd hardly call the Vette affordable to the "everyman" out there.. and it's not very practical either being that it only has two seats

the Camaro is a car your average buyer can afford, it's more practical, has a real trunk, and a back seat.. which is plenty big enough to put the kids in and drive the family around.. if not big enough to fit adults for extended trips

 

I think you missed the point of the question...

No question that the Camaro is more "practical" than a Corvette but that's not the same thing as being practical. There are planty of truly practical cars out there that not only are significantly more practical than the Camaro but perform well too.

Current price differential isn't an issue either; as I said above, if Chevrolet wanted to do so, they could easily produce different versions of the 'Vette at many price points, including a price that the "average guy" could afford.

I'm also not talking personal preference here (or tradition or history or DNA of the cars, etc)...I'm asking from a real-life marketing prespective; what is the justification for GM to build a Camaro and a Corvette?

Maybe there really isn't any and if that's the case, so be it...again; I'm just asking.

 

I see where you are going with that. I think the reason is that the two cars really do appeal to two different buyers even after adjusting for the price differential. Now, if GM were to change some things to drop the price point for the Vette it would raise two questions; the first of which being, would the costs associated with making such a move be justified by the potential increase in sales or would GM be better off just taking those costs and dumping it into another platform all together that will possibly yield an even larger customer base than by expanding the vette.

I think it makes sense to produce the two cars for much the same reason as the dabate a few weeks ago about the 350z and the camaro. Although they can be made to sell at around the same car, they are just not in the same category.

Even if I could pick up a Vette at the same price or even slightly lower than a camaro I still wouldn't simply becasue of the utility of the Camaro. The vettes have a much smaller cargo area by comarison and no back seat. A Camaro is simply more of an everyday car and as such will appeal to more people than the vette regardless of price.

 

GM would be fine with keeping HP the same in the Camaro and Vette. People are more aware of weight differences these days. I expect around a 400-500 pound difference once the Camaro comes out. Customers realize that the Vette will still be faster, even if the top Camaro has MORE HP (forget real limited versions).

 

2 reason to build the Camaro & Corvette:

Reason 1- Camaro (V-6) is marketed toward a wide spectrum of car buyers who want a sporty, yet practical car an inexpensive car.
Camaro (V-8) is marketed toward people in their late 20's an older, those who can afford a $30,000 sports car and want a 'practical' or 'somewhat practical' car.
Corvette is marketed for those who can afford a +$40,000 car designed purley for performace. Even though 85% of them will never race it.

I can afford a Vette, but I will tell you as long as a Camaro is on the market I will NEVER buy one, unless I had both. For me the Camaro is practical for daily driving where the Vette is not.

Also, everyones defination of practical is different. What is prctical for you is not practical for me.

Reason 2- look at Mustang sales. (nothing more needs to be said)

I have a hard time seeing why some people have a problem with a version of the Camaro having more horsepower than a Corvette. No matter how much horsepower the Camaro has it wil NEVER perform the same as a Vette. It will ALWAYS be heaver than a Vette. It will ALWAYS have a backseat. It will ALWAYS have a higher center of gravity.....

 

The Camaro won't have more power, but even if they have the same engine the Corvette will be faster because it is lighter.

 

Of course jsut as soon as the aftermarket starts churning out goodies for the new Camaro this whole discussion become rather moot IMO.

 

C'mon Nissan boy, that's kind of like asking what the point is of building a new Skyline...I'm sure they could easily build a Skyline at many different price points including one that the "average guy" could afford....heck it's even based on the G35/350Z platform is it not?

And speaking of the G35, what's the point of building a G35 coupe and a 350Z? They're even closer in price than Camaro/Corvette.

You know the answer. Two different missions. One's a 2-seat sports car, one's a 4 seat pony car. One's mission is to beat up cars costing twice as much, one has a mission of supplying the average person with a sporty ride (V6) all the way up to, again, outperforming cars costing twice as much.

EDIT: Wow this is old!

 

You cant say that because you dont know.

The camaro might have the EXACT same engine as the base vette.

Keep in mind it still wont be as quick, or handle as good, but their are more times than i can count on one hand that the Camaro has "outpowered" the corvette.

Its not all about whats under the hood, the corvette is an iconic pure sports car...the camaro, a pony car to the roots.

2 different markets, 2 different buyers, and 2 different types of automobiles.

IMO, give us the Base vette engine, make it 450 hp and price it under 35,000 and it will be a winner in my book.