I had just turned 31, but I would imagine that economically and given my mentality about cars (either it's a race car or I'd prefer Roadmaster... maybe a really big, floaty, cushy Cadillac ) I fit the SS target market pretty closely at the time.... unfortunately, that market is a moving target. We get our Camaro SS, enjoy it greatly, are completely happy with it...

Then we buy a Corvette.



It's no fluke either that that car was an abject failure. Corvette is a seriously formidible competitor, and GM puts lots of effort into keeping it that way.




Then I suggest that Ford shuts their radar off posthaste... before they get a HARM missile enema with crossed flags painted on it.



I tend to disagree with this. There is equity in the idea that a Corvette is the top gun. The unfortunate fact of the ZR-1 program was that it was FAR too expensive. A reasonably priced turbocharged small block may have been all that was needed (think regular production Callaway here...).

The trick? Don't invest gargantuan amounts of money in an ultra-special engine. Build from what you have.

 

 

I can think of several reasons -

1) GM failed to market Camaro. Only the hard core enthusiasts ("SS" buyers) even knew it still existed. If I had a dollar for every time someone said "they still make those cars?" back when I had a Camaro I'd move up a social class.

2) The V6 and Z28 cars were dull, plain - devoid of any scoops or anything suggesting performance (beyond the basic lowness of the car). A perfectly flat hood - not even a power bulge. Same old flat spoiler. It had a chrysler front end. I don't care who had it first. If it looked like a chrysler sedan - it wasn't the right look! They had dinky 16" wheels (no 17"s were even offered!) and huge empty wheel wells. Flat black exhaust tips.

3) Only hard core enthusiasts would put up with the design deficiencies - windshield over engine, entry/exit effort, size of doors, size of car, etc. V6 buyers had no reason to put up with any of that - what were they gaining compared to competitive V6 or H.O. 4 cylinder sport coupes?

4) the car had recieved few significant styling updates - and when it did, they didn't help the looks. Obviously this is purely opinion - but the sales did drop!

5) Dealers tended to have very few camaros on hand, and most of them tended to be fully optioned SS models (thanks to no limits on production) for $30-34K and maybe a couple V6 cars. Probably a lot of people who might have been casually interested in a Camaro walking around a lot saw only loaded SS cars and just figured that that's how much a V8 camaro went for - never even knowing about the $24K Z28. The fact that salesmen never seemed to know anything about the car or push them didn't help.

 

That is correct. The SS sold because the V6 and Z/28 were completely and utterly devoid of any desirablity whatsoever.

Let's hope that's the last time that'll happen.

PS

As I type this, I am wearing one of Doug's Z28.....REVIVE THE LEGEND t-shirts.

 

What many of you in here are forgetting is the Cobra is not the super beast out of the box. I've got a few friends with them, and I lay the smack down pretty good on the stock ones... they're running low 13's and high 12's, to my mid 12's (I have a lid and muffler). Now the modded ones are real mean, but guess what... so are our modded LS1's. You guys need not fear the Cobra, stock for stock. Sure they are dynoing at 370rwhp out of the box, but I dyno'd at 335rwhp with a lid, and they are heavy.

 

The Cobra effort is primarily about horsepower numbers and not handling performance. The present Cobra is a brick on a roadcourse. Insurance prices will be the enemy of SVT, it has been for the SVT Focus and thus it goes bye-bye.

It remains to be seen what Ford will do when it has to finalize and validate their Mustangs.

 

It's hard to argue with what you say.

The current Cobra is no match for a C5 (let alone a Z06), around a road course.

All I know is that SVT is on record saying that Cobra is going after Vette....

We're pretty sure substantially more power is on tap for the Cobra in '06.
Mustang's new chassis...with more rigidity and Aus. BA derived IRS will certainly improve dynamics.

Will it match a C6? Who knows. But it'll be fun to watch.

 

"Going after the 'vette" is good marketing speak aimed at brand loyalists for Ford product. They will have a hard time catching a Corvette that is so well balanced and does so many things well.
In the minds of street and drag racers handling means close to zero when comparing cars as in magazine or internet racing.

The Camaro has always seemed to have more of a rounded audience than the Mustang, as far as hi-performance goes. Camaro never tossed good handling out the window as the fans of the car wanted it to scoot straight but also turn.

There's a mis-conception that all 'vette owners are waxers or refuse to drive aggressively. Now some are, and there's packages meant to meet that desire. There's a hardcore segment of Corvette owners or "aspirers" as well and they are being addressed too with Z06 and beyond packages.

It's my hope that when and if an attainable personal coupe returns it will be focused to the market and remember it's road racing heritage. If the weight is kept down it won't need 500 HP to be a thrilling piece nor will it risk the wrath of the insurance underwriters pricing it out of ownership.

I'd like to see something that carries the spirit embodied by the 1st gen Z28's brought back. The Z06 has it, but the pricing is $20k too high for the market I see for such a car.

Affordable Sports coupe that delivers more than you paid. I think that is a wide open market right now.

 

Wow, it's like you took the words right out of my mouth!

 

I agree, Paul... very well said!!!