I have been very interested in creating a concept Camaro myself. I have tried to make one of a 67 but it was complicated to make it look new instead of old. The Camaro designed by 19 yr old Kris Horton is the best I've seen. This design was presented to one of GM's chairmen. If this Camaro doesn't make production it will be a total let down to the whole Chevy community. I have been into Camaro's since I was a kid and this would be one of the best one's yet, and will be compared to the 60's models. Here is some info about the upcoming camaro. See pics here....................

http://www.popularhotrodding.com/fea...09phr_5camaro/

Starting with the basics:

1. The next Camaro will have an LS2, 6.0 liter V8.

GM makes only one line of Cam in block engines for passenger cars. High performance Corvette based. GM Powertrain's mantra on this seems to be if it get's the same or better mileage, let's use it! The 5.3 seems to be destined to replace the supercharged 3800 V6 in midsized sedans as it's fazed out, and seems to be rationed to FWD. The 6.0 LS2 seems to be rationed to RWD only.

2. The next Camaro will be RWD.

The primary reason there is a gap in Camaro production is that there wasn't a chassis to put a new one on. The Holden V-chassis? With Holden redoing the chassis by mid decade, it wasn't worth it. CTS' Sigma? A bit pricey to GM for a car that wasn't a sure thing. GM is in the final stages of creating a RWD structure that will be used worldwide on a vast range of vehicles. Holden is taking the lead because of it's success in creating a wide range of cars in small numbers very profitably on a single vehicle structure.

3. The next Camaro will be out for the 2007 model year.

A date is set for Holden's new cars. 2006. Here in the US that's the 2007 model year. GM's engineering and design is intergrated worldwide, so a vehicle being engineered in one country can be engineered in another country at the same time (technically 24 hours per day!). Vehicle standards of all countries can be incorperated into the engineering as the vehicle's being developed. This means once one country is ready to produce a vehicle, all other markets are ready to produce it.

4. The next Camaro will have IRS.

GM is making "world" chassis. A live axle car is not part of this. Since it isn't part of this, Camaro won't be live axle.

5. The next Camaro will be taller than the 4th gen.

Camaro will not have it's own all-unique chassis the way the 4th gen had. Since any Camaro is part of GM's RWD chassis program, like the original pony cars (and the only currently surviving one), it will use components and much of it's structure from sedans. Also, one of the more notable complaints about the F-body (it's not as comfortable as the Mustang) and the general trend of taller bodies (the new Mustang is 54" tall ) all mean the Camaro will also grow taller. Hopefully not 54", but likely an inch or 2, putting it around 53" tall.

6. The next Camaro will have alot less overhang.

The trend now is bringing the wheels to the end of the car, making overhang as short as possible while keeping the car's proportion "right" and keeping costs of collision repair down (good news to all us who insure our cars). See C6 in relation to C5. Also, that famous front-end scrape of the 4th gen on dips & driveways is also very well known in GM.

7. The next Camaro will be somewhat roomier.

The days of falling into the Camaro (at least at 4th gen levels) is likely to be over. The combination of alot of research, the new modular RWD chassis, and a general desire to be competitive to the Mustang means GM is moving away from a car considered uncomfortable by all but F-body enthusiasts.

8. The next Camaro will not be a hatchback.

Despite the practical uses of the hatchback, the public isn't interested in them anymore, and view them as something found on cheap cars. Trunks are associated with quality. Also, hatches leave massive gaping openings in body structures. This means a less rigid structure and oddly, a heavier one. All contrary to what the public expects in cars today. Besides, when you see an advertisement from Chevy that shows a Camaro, do you ever see a 3rd or 4th gen??

9. The Camaro SS will be the performance model (at least at first).

Unless you have been in intensive care the past couple of years, you know that Chevrolet was moving "Z28" out to pasture in favor of the "SS". Assuming there is another Camaro in 2007, the groundwork would have been laid out a year or 2 ago, just when it seemed SS was being pushed as THE performance Chevy & Z28 was nothing more than an afterthought. That move seems to have lost steam the past 6 months or so, but the rest of the Camaro program (again, speculation ) would be ahead of a newly recognized Z28. Therefore, if Z28 returned, it wouldn't be out initially, as GM likes to test the smallest thing into the ground before releasing it.

10. The next Camaro will have T-tops.

You can't go wrong when over 65% of your buyers choose this option (at over $700 a pop) that's probably worth an additional $17 million plus to GM, if they get $500 per top on just 35,000 Camaros. History and money make this a near certainty.

11. The next Camaro will be heavier then the 4th gen and will cost at least slightly more.

IRS is either expensive if it's light, or heavy if it's not as expensive. More labor goes into assembling a rear end assembly that has dozens and dozens of parts than what goes into a cast solid axle, with barely more than a panhard rod, a couple of arms, and a couple of springs. That's added cost. It's fair to expect that GM will take some of that cost back by using lower cost parts, meaning perhaps stamped steel instead of forged alumunum. Cheaper but heavier.

12. The next Camaro won't be GM's only RWD coupe on this chassis.

According to Wards, Pontiac and Buick will also have a version. However, that's not the only hint. We already know GTO & Monaro will be structural twins at the very least. A Businessweek article from February mentions a Cadillac coupe, possibly based on this as well. A GM press realease some time ago revolved around a plant that would make transmissions for cars based on their future full sized and "performance" RWD chassis

 

Why would you take guionM's post word for word and call it your own?

 

Just when you thought it was safe from seeing that concept in the 5th gen Forum...................................

 

WHO EVER SAID IT WAS MY OWN???? I WAS JUST PUTTING ALL THE INFO I FOUND TOGETHER IN ONE PLACE. THIS IS SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO LOOK ALL OVER THE FORUM FOR IT. ALL THE INFO IS RIGHT HERE. FOR HIS PART GUIONM GETS ALL CREDIT...GEEZZZ

 

Okey-doke.

 

1) You didn't mention Guion (or anyone else) anywhere in your post, implying that this was your own.

2) If you felt it was that important, or needed brought back up, maybe you should have replied in his real thread instead of copying everything and starting a new one.

 

If that is what makes it into production there's at least ONE member of the Camaro community that will be let down.

I would think the 5th gen will be compared to ALL the previous generations when it comes out. Again, my design mantra for the 5th gen is "tip our hats to the past, but look forward and produce a fresh, innovative design."

FWIW - my concept is done, I'm trying to get it scanned and posted before the end of the day. And this will NOT be a photochop job of different vehicles.

 

Put all the info you found in one place, huh? Sounds exactly like something I would have said.... hummmm?? Well, at least you didn't just copy & paste it verbatum from my post without mentioning where you got it from, right???

Anyway, the Cris Horton Camaro design isn't practical for a number of reasons:

1. It has the aeodynamics of a brick: That blunt front end will act as an air brake.

2. It has terrible space usage: If you look at the size of the body, and look at how the interior relates to the body, it seems that although the car is roughly the size of the 4th gen, the interior room seems closer to a Mini Cooper. How much space does that back seat have??

IMHO it's a good starting point for a 5th gen, but I've always seen each new Camaro generation as progressive car, just as Mustang has always been more traditional in their designs.

Redplanet pointed these out about his Kris' design, and looking at the things he pointed out, it makes complete sense.

FWIW, I most definately won't be let down if Kris' design isn't the next Camaro. He's an extremely talented computer artist, but that's not the Camaro I want.

 

It is a very nice concept. But i wouldn't want the 5th gen to look like that. It is too retro for me. I would be let down also if that is what shows up as a 5th gen.

If you did not try to make it seem like your own then you should quote the person who said it. It also isn't all the info you found from different places that we would have to search different threads to find out. It is from only 1 thread made by GuionM.

 

Obviously, I don't need to restate my anti-retro feelings, but since Kris came up again, I'm really looking forward to his evolutionary design he promised he was working on.

Last we heard from Kris, he was really bogged down, though... Kris, if you are reading this, how's that new piece coming along?

 

i'm anxious too darth
i'm not much for the retro but i know that kris is extremely talented so i can't wait to see something evolutionary from him
i'm sure it will be well done
and kris, when it's coming?

 

Hey guys,

I'm still wicked busy these days. Between doing concepts and various hot rods, I'm trying to get my Chevelle finished up again (just picked up a 468 rat motor for it! ) so I haven't put too much time into trying an evolutionary take on the Camaro yet. I think once I have a chance to sit down and take a stab at it, I will drop in and ask for some opinions and some direction first.

With the retro design, I designed it just to stir up some feedback and interest in GM bringing the Camaro back. I can't honestly say that as I designed it I thought the next Camaro would be retro, I just thought, "hey, why not?"

I think that even my evolutionary one should have some cues, but this time around I will try to do a better job and not make it as blatantly retro as the last one.

If anyone has any request or comments for me though, please post 'em. I check this board a few times each day.

Later,

Kris Horton

 

We've all seen Kris' work before, but it doesn't need to be re-posted. On the papular hot rodding site Kris stated that he would do an evolutionary concept.

Kris brilliant work. Love your dark green concept and can't wait to see an evolutionary concept. Good Luck with the Chevelle.

As far as suggestions go. Take your time.

 

Holy cow!

I'm no fan of retro design but can't wait to see Kris' next work, though...

TS

 

Awesome i cant wait! I know you got the skills to pull it off. Itll look really good.

Also dont forget to get ur Chevelle dyno'd once u get the engine in it and post the numbers.