This is a tough one. It's even made tougher by the fact that we have no idea of what the Solstice/Bengal chassis will consist of. I'm guessing components will be of the "low rent" variety.
That would be a shame....especially since cars like the Mazda 6 can be had with very modern and great performing multi-link suspensions for about $20k.

The VE...I believe will be too sedan like for a new Camaro. That's not to say that certain components couldn't be shared.....but slapping "Camaro" emblems on a 2 door sedan, and calling it a day, would be a mistake.

As far as Camaro needing to have it's own specific chassis....let me just point out that the F-car has always liberally borrowed from the GM parts bin. The 1st a 2nd gen were X-car cousins, ( maybe even brothers), under the skin. The 3rd and 4th gen borrowed unashamedly from the H-car, (Vega, Monza, etc) and S-10.

If Solstice/Bengal have a chassis to be proud of.....it gets my vote....but only then.

 

The engineering heritage of the Camaro pretty much indicates that a future F-body doesn't need to be a simple rebody job.

1. The 1970 Camaro bore no resemblance to a Nova of any description. It was a distinctive product despite its humble roots. The F2 also outlived the X-car. Obviously, the Camaro was viable without the economies of scale generated by shared components, if there were many left by 1981.

2. The 1982 F3 Camaro debuted two years after the last Monza based car was produced. It's also clear that a vehicle can share design elements with a car that is no longer in production.

With today's design and production techniques, GM should be able to generate a F5. A dedicated Camaro platform remains an affordable proposition, assuming that GM has the will to carry through with a proper Camaro successor.

Considering the "slap-a-badge-on-it" GTO and trio of cutsey roadsters, I don't have much hope for a real-deal F-body.

 

Good point! What's wrong (and so expensive), with a future Camaro using the front suspension module from Sigma (already been engineered and in production), the IRS mentioned previously by PacerX, C6 brakes and other "paid for" bits to create a dedicated Camaro successor?

 

I just don’t understand how some of you think the Bengal platform will be a slouch and not worthy of the Camaro. Who says GM cant use this platform as a starting point (all preliminary cost already covered) then raid the parts bin (like you guys keep talking about) to make this a hell of a new Car. It just seems to me that our best bet to get our car back is too keep cost down. I don’t want to see the Camaro come back for $30,000 plus. I know none of you do either. As much as I'd like super car Camaro, we need to be realistic. Not settle for some crap thrown at us, but realistic. Sharing with the Bengal is still our best bet IMO.

 

Perhaps not retro, but assuming it was a reskinned GTO, it would have a "3 box" design, and would resemble the 1st gen in proportions.

 

It's not the engine or existing suspension parts and such that's the problem. It's the money to do the body/chassis structure (the shell that supports all this).

It's been mentioned many time that a Camaro if approved could be done in 2 years, and that's because it's about how long it would take to do the structure. If you also had to do the components, we'd probally be talking more along the lines of 5 years.

 

Being that the original F-bodies were based off the Chevy-II chassis, I see no problem with keeping costs down by basing it off an existing chassis with minor performance tweaks.

This way they can concentrate on the body styling and engine performance.

 

That is precisely my point. For example, if Solstice/ Bengal employ the bean counters fave front suspension.....McPherson struts...why couldn't this same architecture be upgraded for Camaro by engineering it to accept Sigma's SLA front suspension module. BTW..Sigma's suspensions come pre manufactured in "easy to use" modules from the supplier. My point is that if the Solstice architecture is the right size, cost and rigidity for Camaro.....but some of it's parts are below par for what we hope the next Camaro AND IT'S COMPETITORS might be.....why can't it be upgraded for Camaro?. Using off the shelf components from Sigma, C6, etc., to improve this Solstice/Bengal platform for Camaro could be both economical and give us the car we deserve.

After our meeting with our influencial friend in Chicago.....I am concerned that too much emphasis is being given to draconian cost cutting for a future "2+2 pony car".

Bring it in at a Chevy price....YES. But give us something better than KIA level mechanicals.

 

If Ford can base Mustang on a Jaguar platform GM can base a Camaro on a VE platform. The Soltice is a Miata on steriods, not a pony car. All the current cars that fit in the pony/muscle car catagory are based on sedans, the 350Z, Mustang, and GTO. I think id they use the Soltice they will be back at square one with ergonomics also. I know if they do it, it will be against some peoples wishes

 

How bout 2 front ends? One retro one sleek?

 

I hope not.

Talk about an identity crisis.

 

I voted for the Solstice platform. I agree that the next gen F-Body would be a better car if it was smaller and more efficiently packaged than the current car's proportions. As long as GM can still fit a V-8 in there, then the Solstice/bengal platform based F-body is the way to go, in my opinion.

...I not picky though - if the next F-Body was based off the GTO underpinnings, then that would not make me upset either - as long as the list price wasn't too unreasonably high.

-Bradster

 

Wonder what the results would be if the poll was worded like this:

Stick to unique chassis at risk of expense & time.

Reskinned VE car (2006 GTO), using an already proven high-performance 400+ hp chassis, high quality materials & sigma components.

Reskinned Solstice /Bengal performance chassis, cheaper, but likely use of "low-rent" materials & possible suffering ergonomics.

 

I think you would have to add "more expensive" to the VE car as well then.

 

Sooner. Lighter. LESS EXPENSIVE.