But the G37 is 3700 pounds with the V6, and you're complaining about a 3800 pound V8.

I think maybe you're trying to have it both ways....

 

3800? Who says?

 

You've said you didn't want a 3800 pound sport coupe. Or did I misunderstand, and a G37 with a V8 replacing the V6 (I figure add at least 100 pounds for that) is right on target for what you want?

 

Actually, I referring to the G37's external dimensions. BTW, the Infiniti website says 3,616.

 

Yes, but the magazines that have tested them report a little more -- perhaps due to moonroof, nav, etc. This is pretty common. FWIW, I've read that the super-size moonroof on the CTS adds about 100 pounds.

As far as dimensions, if the G37 was engineered to take a V6 at most, you'd likely have to extend the nose to take a V8. By the time you're done, you're pretty close to the size of a Mustang (which is close to the new Camaro, right? -- I've not seen official dimensions yet).

I think I already mentioned that I thought the Lexus IS model was the way to go, and that's not fundamentally different from what you have above.

The Lexus IS was designed for a V6 at most. So to do the 5.0 liter IS-F, they had the extend the nose and redesign the front end. The V6 weighs 3600 pounds, and the V8 weighs 3800. It's about the same size as the G37, but it has four doors. But as far as that goes, the G37 actually weighs more than the G35, because they needed additional structure due to the longer doors.

So the net is that what you're asking for really wouldn't be that much different from the Camaro in terms of size or weight -- maybe a few inches shorter and a hundred pounds lighter.

 

The W-cars were built around accepting the 90º V6 so they had the width covered. New cars are built around 60º V6s. When the V8 was added it was not a drop-in; GM had to make rather significant revisions to the LS4 to shave (IIRC) about 1 inch in length.

 

I was saying that all in the context of Alpha vs the 3 series. The 3, as you know, is package protected for an I4, I6, TTI6, diesel and a DOHC V8. Even at that, I stated that my guess was, that GM wouldn't be able to get Alpha down to 3 series size. So I used the larger G37 as size analogy not a weight target.

Whatever happens with Alpha, you can be sure that they'll pull the stops to keep weight under control on this one, from the start.

 

Getting back to the original topic, the upshot is that Camaro will be the only zeta made in NA as all of the other vehicles that it was supposed to be sharing it's platform with have been cancelled. That means that GM's grand plan of insuring that it would have a long production run by having the cost of producing it's platform spread over 3 or 4 vehicles has gone poof. Now the Camaro is once again being built on it's own unique chassis. Which is 1 of the things that GM cited as being responsible for its cancellation last time. This means that the car will remain in production only so long as its sales alone continue to justify the cost of keeping it in production. So if this new one sells like the last one did, expect it to last only about 5 years as I doubt that GM would invest in an MCE to try to keep it around longer.

 

Honestly, I can't see how it will last that long. Beyond the obvious questions of the costs involved with having the Camaro be the sole survivor, on a line designed to build 500,000 cars - I don't think it's mass will allow it to survive long under CAFE.

 

I see. I guess all I'm saying is to make it as light as possible for the 6 cylinder model. Then re-engineer for the V8, even though it will make that model more expensive.

I guess I don't consider that "package protected", but maybe you could consider it that way. I wonder how many differences are in the M3 to enable it to take the V8? Also, is the M3 V8 smaller than the 4.8l V8 in the 550i?


It'll be good to see what they can do if they spend as much effort as was spent in the Corvette.

 

True that.

No 6th gen Camaro V8 = No 6th gen Camaro for me. If I wanted a sporty car with less, then I'd just buy a Solstice.

I really hope the Yaris isn't the future, and I can't believe someone would get excited over it.

I guess I'll buy classic, or a Corvette. I have a feeling cars are going to become increasingly lame over the next 10 years. Is our car culture really dieing?

Oh well, back to my cave to hate change. (Change is NEVER good - life taught me that a long time ago)

 

Believe it or not, this is actually a legitimate concern of mine. Being 6'9" and 350lbs I don't fit well into a lot of cars. I can't wait to give up my license because, for some reason, the minority thinks the majority must drive crappy little golf cart-esque cars.