its not the dimensions but the proportions....

GTO = 3 box, upright

I think the GTO could use an extra 6" or so in its rear trunk area easy. (no jokes either please). I think its alittle off of what it should be proportionally imho.

Camaro = low/raked, long hood / short rear.

 

Hasn't it been said that the Zeta GTO will be bigger than the current one. I thought I read that somewhere here.

If you had done a comparison here, you would have seen that, except for total length, the Curve is very, very close to the size true pony cars have been. This includes 1st gen Camaro, 04 Mustang, 05 Mustang and what insider info has said the wheelbase will be...about 107"-108". I know there has been many comparisons of the overall length, which changes depending on the design of the car and the overhangs, etc, but not much about the wheelbase and track and height. Why are so many people against a Kappa Camaro. The Kappa platform would make a great base for the Camaro. It is inexpensive, very strong, easily modified. I don't get why people are so against this. A Camaro built on Kappa would also help us maybe get another car, a chevelle possibly. We could have two RWD coupes on two different platforms, which would help reduce the chance of badge engineering.

Here is an idea, the Camaro can go on the LWB Kappa, by itself and we can get a chevelle on Zeta that shares platform with the new GTO. Chevy is going to have a Kappa and a Zeta.

 

As promised, a quick, by-the-numbers comparasion.

wheelbase
Nomad and Curve: 107 inches.
first and second gen. Camaro: 108 inches.
Third and fourth gen.: 101 inches.
2005 Mustang: 107.1”
2004 GTO: 109.8”
Velite (which is the Zeta example) is 114.8

Front and rear track
Nomad and Curve: 60.5 front/ 61.2 rear
First gen. Being 59”
fourth gen: 60 inches.
2005 Mustang: 62.3 front/ 62.5 rear
Zeta: 65 front / 66 rear
2004 GTO: 61.8 front/ 66.5 rear

Height
Curve is 49”
past generations Camaro is either 49 or 51 inches.
2005 Mustang: 50.7”
2004 GTO: 55”

As seen here the LWB Kappas are very close to what a Pony car should be. Why would GM spend all the money to shrink the Zeta wheelbase and track, not to mention the high firewall when all the LWB Kappa needs is some front end tweaking to fit a V6 (8). Not to mention Kappa production starts next year so a Kappa Camaro would be out in 2007, for the anniversary.

 

I read that the capacity with kappa at this plant will be 200,000. It used to be 250,000 with saturn only. What is very interesting is that there is total silence from GM as to what the excess 100,000 production capacity will be used for. GM is playing this kappa platform close to the vest so as to not tip off its competitors as to its true capabilities. I believe the General has more than one suprise (Chevy and Pontiac) in store for us all.

 

Anyway you look at it.....Zeta will NOT produce a smaller than GTO Camaro.

Forecasting into the future...I see that formula as a path to another "hiatus".

 

Ok...if the GTO is too big to be a pony car...better check the length of your 4th gen.

Zeta might be a bit wider and longer wheel base then the 4th gen...but its overall length is much shorter. Long wheel base and Short overall length means little overhangs, which means you're butt doesnt tense up when you hit a bump.

IMO, for the 5th gen to be more of a successful car sales wise, it needs to be more daily driver, and by that it needs to be more GTO then 4th gen.

 

4th gen was waaaaaay too big and has been discontinued.

 

Then before we go talking about whats too big to be a Pony car...people need to check the size of there own self-proclaimed pony car.

The GTO and there for SWB Zeta(if there is such a thing) will be the right size.
All cars are gunna have a high belt line now, so firewall hight isnt gunna be that bad.
I think that a GTO-sized Camaro (I said SIZE, not in shape or style) would be the best approach to making a pony car.

 

A larger car means more room in the engine bay which was one of the main complaints of the 4th gen.

 

Wouldn't it be nice if we had a pleasant surprise.

 

Why take into consideration the total length? That will change with the design of the body and has little to do with what type of powertrain will go into the car. The reason the LWB Kapppas overall length is shorter is because they weren't designed with any over hang. Following your logic, the 4th Gen camaro would be a much smalller car since it only had a 101" wheelbase. The 4th gen was nearly half overhang. A new Camaro would have more overhang than the Curve and Nomad, but that doesn't mean the chassis would change. Put a Camaro body on that chassis and the overall length would grow, because the new Camaro will be designed with some overhang.

 

What if the Curve and Nomad were a small Zeta instead of Kappa??? Makes things really interesting. Remeber the Opel Insigna was Sigma but GM told everyone it was Zeta. We know GM likes to hide things in plain sight. Maybe that is what they were doing here.

 

Here is the link, it also contains a bit more info than I posted. No small wheel base zeta

 

I disagree that it was too big. But, ya, it's been discontinued.

 

I dont think the 4th was too big, but I think there was too much overhang (which has been said) and also the firewall was a little too short, and the rake of the windshield hurt visability. After puttering around in a new GTO, it's much more relaxed, more comfortable, and the interior is rather nice. For me, it's more of a cruiser then a sports car. It does what it does, and it does it very well, but for me behind the wheel it just doesnt have the presense, and is a little too tall for what I like in a sports coupe.

If GM knocked off that huge front bumper and were able to make the radiator vertical, and cleaned things up a bit, you might be able to pull 6" from the front end. Then pull the windshield back a few inches and make it more vertical. I know it's not that simple, but there was more engine bay on the 4th gen then there was hood - and the hood was HUGE!

An inch or inch and a half on the firewall height will help, also will strut towers that dont go so far into the engine bay. The width and the windshield killed the space. If you straightened up the windshield to the firewall, you'd gain a lot, and I bet you wouldnt complain so much. But that would also proportion the car's profile closer to a vette...

EDIT: Where's GunionM right now? His input here would be appreciated.