A Laymen’s Definition of Camaro
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A Laymen’s Definition of Camaro
A Laymen’s Definition of Camaro
Any exercise in which a layman treads on the territory of the experts who are truly responsible for the development of an automobile is a touchy proposition. People with far greater, and more specialized, experience are tasked with defining an automobile.
But Camaro isn’t just any automobile.
Everybody is a Camaro expert. Camaro buyers are Camaro experts. Corvette buyers are Camaro experts, as many of them owned a Camaro prior to buying their Corvette. Mustang buyers are Camaro experts, as they generally have a better idea of what the car looks like from behind than Camaro owners do. Civic buyers and “Import Racers” are Camaro experts – Camaro is the car most often cited as the opponent in their often completely fabricated “street stories”, you can tell they're fabricated if they don't end with "after that I drove home in shame and called my Chevrolet dealer the next day". The press thinks that they are Camaro experts – they call the architecture of the motor that made the 4th generation Camaro the undisputed performance/dollar king “archaic” and “dinosaurish”, even though Camaro matched a lighter “technically advanced” Honda “performance car” step-for-step in fuel economy and carried a +100hp power advantage. People in minivans are Camaro experts, they either wish they were in one right now or want their old one back.
None of the groups mentioned is too shy about telling anyone who will listen about what a Camaro is or is not. This complicates the exercise of defining the car, and what equipment it should or should not have. If anyone does read this, I’ll beg your pardon right here and now. I’m probably going to claim or say something you disagree with, and the odds say you’re an expert too.
This is what Camaro IS….
Camaro is an American car. It is uniquely American. If you wanted a German car with as much power and performance, you’d have to pay 3-4 times as much. One simply cannot buy a Japanese car like the Camaro. For years, Camaro has been out-running, out-braking, out-cornering and out-accelerating the cars the Japanese were targeting at the Corvette – leaving it’s “big brother” free to go beat up on Ferraris.
Camaros look good with American flags streaming along in the background. All over the world, to paraphrase Jerry Flint, Camaros say “I’m not from Germany, I’m not from Japan, I’m from Detroit... SO *%&$# YOU!”
Camaro is the embodiment of such similar American classics as P-47 Thunderbolt fighter bomber of WW2 – it’s big, it’s reliable, it’s wickedly fast. In the beginning, Camaro proved the saying that “if you put a big enough engine in it, a brick WILL fly”. Then, as it matured into a fully-fledged performance car, it boasted “anything you can do, I can do better”, and it did it for a fraction of the price of entry of the other cars.
Camaro is a little bit arrogant. Much like a newly-minted Marine, it swaggers a little. It can look you in the eyes and flash the cape to show the steel underneath.
Camaro looks good. It combines muscular lines with purposeful ornamentation. Occasionally, it wears flashy clothes like hood scoops and stripe packages, but underneath it has the body to carry it off.
Camaros aren’t just performance machines though. They have to be more practical than a Corvette. They have to have a trunk or a hatchback. They have to have four seats. They have to deal with snow and bad roads occasionally. They have to be flexible enough to be the only car a customer owns. They have to be reliable. They have to be comfortable. They have to be easily maintained. They have to be safe. They have to exude solidity and quality. They have to make their owners feel good about themselves and the car at the same time. Finally, they have to be affordable.
Camaro is aimed squarely at the competition. It’s faster. It corners better. It brakes better. It accelerates harder. These things make the Camaro what it is – they are imprinted indelibly on the DNA of the car. Nothing less is acceptable in a Camaro. A Camaro MUST do these things, it MUST be these things. Driving a Camaro is, and forever should be, like bringing a howitzer to a knife fight.
How do I know this? Because just like you, I’m a Camaro expert too.
PS – I almost forgot… Camaro is a rear wheel drive, 2+2 seating, V6 or V8 performance benchmark with stylish looks, frameless side glass, big brakes, and big wheels and tires. It is available as a fixed roof coupe, a convertible, or with T-tops in a variety of colors, with a variety of available trim packages from practical to cushy. At every price point it outperforms the competition.
Any exercise in which a layman treads on the territory of the experts who are truly responsible for the development of an automobile is a touchy proposition. People with far greater, and more specialized, experience are tasked with defining an automobile.
But Camaro isn’t just any automobile.
Everybody is a Camaro expert. Camaro buyers are Camaro experts. Corvette buyers are Camaro experts, as many of them owned a Camaro prior to buying their Corvette. Mustang buyers are Camaro experts, as they generally have a better idea of what the car looks like from behind than Camaro owners do. Civic buyers and “Import Racers” are Camaro experts – Camaro is the car most often cited as the opponent in their often completely fabricated “street stories”, you can tell they're fabricated if they don't end with "after that I drove home in shame and called my Chevrolet dealer the next day". The press thinks that they are Camaro experts – they call the architecture of the motor that made the 4th generation Camaro the undisputed performance/dollar king “archaic” and “dinosaurish”, even though Camaro matched a lighter “technically advanced” Honda “performance car” step-for-step in fuel economy and carried a +100hp power advantage. People in minivans are Camaro experts, they either wish they were in one right now or want their old one back.
None of the groups mentioned is too shy about telling anyone who will listen about what a Camaro is or is not. This complicates the exercise of defining the car, and what equipment it should or should not have. If anyone does read this, I’ll beg your pardon right here and now. I’m probably going to claim or say something you disagree with, and the odds say you’re an expert too.
This is what Camaro IS….
Camaro is an American car. It is uniquely American. If you wanted a German car with as much power and performance, you’d have to pay 3-4 times as much. One simply cannot buy a Japanese car like the Camaro. For years, Camaro has been out-running, out-braking, out-cornering and out-accelerating the cars the Japanese were targeting at the Corvette – leaving it’s “big brother” free to go beat up on Ferraris.
Camaros look good with American flags streaming along in the background. All over the world, to paraphrase Jerry Flint, Camaros say “I’m not from Germany, I’m not from Japan, I’m from Detroit... SO *%&$# YOU!”
Camaro is the embodiment of such similar American classics as P-47 Thunderbolt fighter bomber of WW2 – it’s big, it’s reliable, it’s wickedly fast. In the beginning, Camaro proved the saying that “if you put a big enough engine in it, a brick WILL fly”. Then, as it matured into a fully-fledged performance car, it boasted “anything you can do, I can do better”, and it did it for a fraction of the price of entry of the other cars.
Camaro is a little bit arrogant. Much like a newly-minted Marine, it swaggers a little. It can look you in the eyes and flash the cape to show the steel underneath.
Camaro looks good. It combines muscular lines with purposeful ornamentation. Occasionally, it wears flashy clothes like hood scoops and stripe packages, but underneath it has the body to carry it off.
Camaros aren’t just performance machines though. They have to be more practical than a Corvette. They have to have a trunk or a hatchback. They have to have four seats. They have to deal with snow and bad roads occasionally. They have to be flexible enough to be the only car a customer owns. They have to be reliable. They have to be comfortable. They have to be easily maintained. They have to be safe. They have to exude solidity and quality. They have to make their owners feel good about themselves and the car at the same time. Finally, they have to be affordable.
Camaro is aimed squarely at the competition. It’s faster. It corners better. It brakes better. It accelerates harder. These things make the Camaro what it is – they are imprinted indelibly on the DNA of the car. Nothing less is acceptable in a Camaro. A Camaro MUST do these things, it MUST be these things. Driving a Camaro is, and forever should be, like bringing a howitzer to a knife fight.
How do I know this? Because just like you, I’m a Camaro expert too.
PS – I almost forgot… Camaro is a rear wheel drive, 2+2 seating, V6 or V8 performance benchmark with stylish looks, frameless side glass, big brakes, and big wheels and tires. It is available as a fixed roof coupe, a convertible, or with T-tops in a variety of colors, with a variety of available trim packages from practical to cushy. At every price point it outperforms the competition.
Last edited by PacerX; Sep 3, 2003 at 09:14 PM.
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Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 9,705
From: Oakland, California
Re: A Laymen’s Definition of Camaro
Originally posted by PacerX
.... Mustang buyers are Camaro experts, as they generally have a better idea of what the car looks like from behind than Camaro owners do. ...
.... Mustang buyers are Camaro experts, as they generally have a better idea of what the car looks like from behind than Camaro owners do. ...
CAMARO.... that cute little AMERICAN sports coupe with the funny French name.
Maybe we should rename it Freedom Coupe'.
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Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 3,647
From: At car shows and cruise nights!
Originally posted by Z28Wilson
Darn right that was a good post. And therefore admit it IZ28, you have just a little soft spot in you for even the 1993-2002 Camaro.
Darn right that was a good post. And therefore admit it IZ28, you have just a little soft spot in you for even the 1993-2002 Camaro.
