Once again, I'm telling you folks point-blank that Solstice is the best hope for Camaro.

Solstice is a go. Work is underway, and I have seen early chassis development information.

Oh, and it has nothing whatsoever to do with f*****g DELTA. ***Nyah, nyah, I told you so....***

Now, once again, mark my words...

The Bengal variant is the one to watch, although it is behind Solstice, 2+2, at least a V6, IRS, weight in the neighborhood of 3200-3300 lbs.

Slap a 350-375hp LSx V8 in front, a bowtie on the back, change the syling, decontent it somewhat and we're there.

A Nissan Z-car azz-kicker, equally at home beating the snot out of Mustangs, or Acuras, or DSM's, or whatever turns you on.

 

Well,.......c'mon.....what's it like?

 

Well, the chassis is IRS, rear disc brakes.

Bro, I only get to see the bits underneath. I have seen ZERO body information beyond preliminary floorpan information.

 

The old car still beats all those.

 

"The old car still beats all those."

Yeah, but the minor issue with the old car is that THEY DON'T BUILD THEM ANYMORE.

The Solstice is your last, best hope for Camaro. Suck up and deal with it kiddies, or save your cash for a Corvette - because you're not getting a 2+2 or 2 seater from Chevrolet any other way in the near future... except for the +$40,000 SSwhY?!? - and don't even get me started on that thing.

One more thing... a 3300 lbs., ~375hp (GM math... 325hp = ~350hp actual, 375hp = ~400hp actual if the pattern holds true), Solstice-based, IRS 5th gen would eat a stock 4th gen for lunch any way you want to line them up.

 

The more I hear about a Solstice/Bengal based Camaro, the more I get excited. Come on guys, this is what we want. We all talked about how the Camaro would have to share its platform in the future, so what better platform to share with then the Bengal? It has 4 seats, IRS, disc brakes all the way around, about right on the weight, room for a V8, of course RWD and a platform to share production cost with other cars! I’m really starting to see eye to eye with PacerX and GuionM. If we want a Camaro in the next few years, this is it. I mean what other choices do we have? How else could you make a good business case for our car?

I have two questions right now, my first being the most important.

#1) Red Planet can you share your own opinion or any reason(s) why you stated a few weeks ago that the Solstice platform was not even being considered as a future Camaro? I know I understand very little about the workings of GM, but this plan seems like it would work. Can you share any light on this? I understnad if you can't.

#2) PacerX you mentioned the Solstice/Bengal would have IRS. Do you have any details on this IRS? Like did it come from the vette? Is it a totally new IRS design for GM? We had a lot to say about IRS on the 5th Gen here and I think if it’s done right it defiantly should be on it.

 

As I see it, it doesn't look a ton like Corvette.

The rest of the suspension wasn't present in what I was looking at (trailing arms, shocks, etc...).

Corvette has that single rear composite leaf spring, this one doesn't look like it does.

But, that is just cursory. I have no way to lay the Corvette and Solstice rear ends over the top of each other, and the rear mounted transmission clutters things up anyway.

 

While I certainly can see the Solstice / Bengal platform as possible... why has everyone seemingly discounted a Sigma-based Camaro?

I would think this is still at least something at could happen...

 

I guess the biggest reason I have discounted one is the fact that a Bengal could be more less be re-skinned with a new motor dropped in to have a new Camaro. It seems to me that a CTS sigma based Camaro would have to be reworked more. The way I see it, the more money need to build a Camaro the less likely it will be that we will actually get one. I think its all about the business case right now. As long as its done right I really don’t care. In my opinion a Bengal or CTS Sigma could both make a good Camaro, However the Bengal looks like it could be done cheaper.

 

Do we have a target price range for Bengal yet?

I know Soltice is supposed to start around $20,000 , but what about Bengal?

 

From how it has been explained, the Sigma's fire wall (or thermal event separator or whatever you technically want to call it) is too tall to make a decent looking sports coupe out of, at least without serious redesigning which ain't gonna happen.

By the way, I don't think Red Planet ever poo-pooed the idea of a Solstice-based Camaro, he simply said that whatever a 5th Gen Camaro rides on has to perform "like a Camaro" in all aspects or it won't be considered, period. So take that for whatever it is worth.

 

Considering the fact that they can't even confirm if there will even be another Camaro, it shouldn't suprise you that any options brought up are met with an unenthusiastic response. Even if we nailed the plans he couldn't tell us.

 

If it's true, it's a valid point... we've just been hearing for so long how all these new platforms are so flexible... you'd think there'd be some way to pull it off...

If they can be increase or decrease length and width... why not height? (This could be a dumb question as I am no engineer. ) But if the length and width dimensions are 'dynamic', you'd think that height would have to be inherantly dynamic as well...

 

Remember, all of my "Solstice = Camaro" thinking is just applying enginnering reason to a given issue.

It simply makes more sense to me to use the stretched Solstice (i.e. the Bengal) to accomplish a Camaro than it does shortening up a Sigma.

Hey, I'll take a Sigma, but running the numbers in my head for a single assembly plant to build Solstice and its derivatives gives me somewhere between 250,000 and 300,000 units to fully utilize the plant. I'll bet you my firstborn that Bengal, Sky and Solstice will never get over 150,000 units.

So, that being said, if I want to fill up a single plant with the Solstice platform, I better come up with another 100,000-150,000 units.

And just what nameplate could THAT leave you with? Hmmm... Chevrolet will need an entry level performance car... Going to be RWD... Will have space for at least 4 and 6 cylinders, and if I can fit a DOHC I4 and a OHVor DOHC V6, I can fit an OHV V8... There's a 2+2 variant in the works (Bengal)...

So, that all makes sense... The wrench in the works is if (God forbid...) some bean-counter-marketing-type decides that Solstice would make a really nifty small SUV platform... then we're screwed.

But, then again, methinks Delta is a better choice for a small SUV platform than Solstice....

 

Hmmm... an interesting perspective, but I thought GM was trying to get away from using those mega-factories with the 300,000+ capacities....

Obviously, they arent going to shut them all down, but I know this was a concern for Lordstown before the new Cavalier was commited.