Chevrolet Camaro

SPECIAL EDITIONS OF 2010 CAMARO FEATURED AT SEMA SHOW

Chevrolet introduced a quartet of stunning concept vehicles based on the all new 2010 Camaro at the 2008 SEMA Show, one of the auto industry's largest trade shows.

Camaro was the official car of the 2008 SEMA Show. More than 120,000 automotive experts from over 100 countries got an inside look at the new Camaro, as well a dream collection of vintage Camaros, to mark the introduction of Chevy's reborn sports car.

"The new Camaro is a 21st century sports car for the young and young at heart," said Ed Peper, GM North America vice president, Chevrolet. "Wherever your automotive passion lies, the Camaro complements it with world-class design and an exciting driving experience. The concepts unveiled at SEMA accentuate those qualities and trigger the imaginations of countless enthusiasts."

The Camaros that were on display at SEMA showed off a range of appearance, performance and convenience accessories that will be available from GM when the car hits dealerships early 2009. The accessories allow customers to personalize their vehicle with genuine GM components that are designed, tested and warranted to the same standards as the Camaro itself.

This year's SEMA Show attendees got a closer look at these special Camaro editions:

Camaro LS7 Concept: The Camaro LS7 Concept combines the power a GM Performance Parts LS7 crate engine with targeted bolt-on upgrades to deliver the wheels-up spirit of the legendary COPO Camaros. The LS7 crate engine helps it produce approximately 550 horsepower. Other features include:

• Brembo Four-Wheel Disc Brake Package
• Lowered ride height
• Custom 20-inch wheels¹
• GM Performance Parts exhaust system

Camaro Black Concept: It's hard to go unnoticed in a 2010 Camaro, but the Camaro Black Concept suggests a stealthy approach to street style. From its matte black-finished hood and ground effects to its dark wheels and red-glowing high intensity discharge headlamp halo rings, the Camaro Black Concept is a sinister-looking urban tuner vehicle.

The Camaro Black Concept prowls the streets with the following equipment:

• GM Accessories Ground Effects Package and rear diffuser
• High intensity discharge headlamps with unique red "halo ring" color
• Revised, darker grille finish
• RS taillamps with dark-tinted lenses
• Color-matched exterior badging
• SS-model spoiler
• Matte Black hood finish
• Tinted glass
• GM Accessories 21-inch wheels¹ with darkened finish
• Brembo Four-Wheel Disc Brake Package

The interior also carries a slightly sinister ambience, with:

• Black chrome trim accents
• Dark-finished accents, including the shift knob, radio face, steering wheel ring, gauge trim and door handles
• Custom sill plates
• Leather-covered seats with gray accent stitching

The Camaro Black Concept also features a Premium Audio Upgrade Package with Boston Acoustics speakers and amplifiers.

Camaro GS Race Car Concept: One of the most iconic cars of the legendary Trans Am road-racing series was the distinctive blue-and-yellow Camaro of Mark Donohue. He was a dominant racer in the series and drove his No. 6 1969 model to the series championship that year.

The GS Race Car Concept features the race-ready suspension, reinforced chassis and drivetrain conform to the specifications required of race cars certified for the series. Additional features include:

• Seam-welded production Camaro body-in-white
• Carbon fiber hood, trunk lid, doors and fenders
• Production LS3 V8 engine (used with solid engine mounts)
• Tremec 6060 six-speed manual transmission with close-ratio gearing
• Three-inch exhaust system with Coast Fab mufflers
• C&R Racing aluminum radiator
• Upgraded engine oil cooler
• Transmission and differential coolers

Like Donohue's '69 Camaro race car, the GS Race Car Concept wears a Deep Blue paint scheme that is accented with Yellow graphics, a Yellow -painted interior and Yellow racing wheels.

Camaro Dale Earnhardt Jr. Concept: NASCAR² star Dale Jr.'s vision for the Camaro was channeled to GM designers and crafted in a multicolor combination of style, capability and comfort.

They started with a new Camaro SS that uses a standard 6.2L V8 that was modified to use E85 FlexFuel³. Additional performance enhancements include a Brembo Brake Package and a lowered ride height, giving Dale Jr.'s Camaro a sleeker look to match its road-hugging capability.

A custom Gray-over-White paint scheme blends the high-performance drivetrain with serious style. It is accented with an Orange stripe separating the Gray and White sections. Also generating attention on the exterior is a set of 21-inch¹, five-spoke wheels inspired by the Camaro Convertible Concept. Additional exterior details include:

• GM Accessories grille
• GM Accessories ground effects and rear diffuser
• GM Accessories exhaust system
• Early Camaro-style "dovetail" rear spoiler
• Production high intensity discharge headlamps
• Production RS taillamps

Similarly, the interior is outfitted for performance and style, and includes:

• Custom-trimmed leather-and-suede-covered seats with accent stitching
• Leather-trimmed steering wheel, shift knob, door armrests and center console lid, with accent stitching
• Orange- painted instrument panel and door panel inserts
• Racing-style aluminum pedals
• Production-optional four-pack auxiliary gauge cluster
• Revised gauge cluster with unique graphics and colors
• Custom sill plates

Dale Jr. also specified GM Accessories' upgraded audio system for the Camaro, which is matched with a Boston Acoustics speaker system, including amps and subwoofers.

Chevy's display at SEMA shows the 2010 Camaro will be ready to match your personal style with a wide array of accessories and options to complement this sleek, stylish performance vehicle.

Click here to learn more about the accessories and GM Performance Parts used to customize the 2010 Camaro for this year's SEMA show.

Cold Testing in Northern Sweden

This is an ongoing log from the engineering staff on the development of the new Camaro. Entries will be added as new events take place.

Ice, Snow, and Lakes

In January, the Chassis Control Systems Engineers left for their first stint in northern Sweden at our winter testing facility near Arjeplög. This is where we do a lot of our ABS, stability control, and winter tire testing in Europe. I have fond memories of this place, because I have spent time there myself calibrating stability control systems with some of our expert suppliers.

Arjeplög is a sleepy little town approximately one hour south of the Arctic Circle, which has its population double during testing every year, and ends up completely taken over by many of the car companies of the world during the Northern Hemisphere winter. Apart from being a pretty place, it is completely surrounded by lakes, which freeze over to provide icy conditions along with ample snow for consistent testing conditions.

The Test Tracks

The available facilities at Arjeplög are very impressive indeed. Not only do most of the major vehicle manufacturers have offices and facilities on and around the various frozen lakes, there are also independent facilities for smaller manufacturers and even driver-training schools. The garages are all heated, of course, and many of the test tracks are lit. This allows the extension of the testing period well into the evening — which begins at around 2:00 p.m. in December and January.

It's a very impressive sight to watch a vehicle spinning into a snowbank at night with headlights ablaze because of a prototype ABS system malfunction. It's not so much fun when you are the driver, since it's generally a long, cold process to retrieve the vehicle from the bank, and especially brutal if you require a tow recovery from the Swedish recovery vehicle drivers.

The Brutal Trip from Australia

The travel from Australia to northern Sweden requires four separate flight sectors, 33 hours, and a one-hour bus trip. Needless to say, this is not our favorite part of the trip.

The Testing

There are certain tricks to the testing taking place in Sweden. The good engineers go to the snow-handling course early in the morning and wait for the grooming of the tracks to be completed. This allows about an hour of consistent packed-snow driving before the sun affects the surface and makes it icy. In the evenings, after 4:00 p.m., we do all of our testing on the split coefficient surfaces, hills, etc., which are lit and allow us to extend the testing time.

The Road to Lövlund

I wanted to finish this installment with my thoughts on the snow-covered roads in Sweden, in particular the road to Lövlund. It's a 10-km stretch of brilliant, snow-packed, winding road through the Swedish countryside, with a wide range of corners and almost no traffic; we can really test our vehicles in real- world conditions without significant risk. I remember spending a particularly memorable day following a moose along this road for a kilometer or so. The moose refused to leave the road and, instead, followed the road at its maximum pace. If you've ever seen a moose run, it was a really funny sight and something I'll remember always.

— Andrew D. Holmes

Models: Chevrolet Camaro LS, LT and SS
Body style/driveline: four-passenger, front-engine, rear-drive coupe
Construction: unitized bodyframe, one- and two-sided galvanized steel
EPA vehicle class: Coupe
Manufacturing location: Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
Key competitors: Dodge Challenger, Ford Mustang, Nissan 350Z

ENGINE :-

3.6L V6 DI VVT (LLT)		6.2L V8 (LS3, L99)
Application:	LS, LT		SS
Type:	3.6L V6		6.2L V8
Displacement (cu in/cc):	217/3564		376/6162
Bore & stroke (in/mm):	3.70 x 3.37/94 x 85.6		4.06 x 3.62/103.25 x 92
Block material:	cast aluminum w/cast-in-place iron bore liners		cast aluminum w/cast-in-place iron bore liners
Cylinder head material:	aluminum		aluminum
Valvetrain:	dual overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder, continuously Variable Valve Timing		valve-in-head, two valves per cylinder, roller lifters, Active Fuel Management (L99)
Ignition system:	electronic individual coil-on-plug; individual cylinder knock control and extended-life platinum-tipped spark plugs		high-energy distributorless igni­tion, solid state direct-fire ignition w/coil-near-plug and integrated ignition
Fuel delivery:	direct high-pressure fuel injection		returnless, multiport fuel injection
Compression ratio:	11.3:1		10.7:1
Horsepower (hp/kW @ rpm):	304/227 @ 6400 rpm		426/318 @ 5900 (LS3) 400/298 @ 5900 (L99)
Torque (lb.-ft./Nm @ rpm):	273/370 @ 5200 rpm		420/569 @ 4600 (LS3) 410/556 @ 4300 (L99)
Recommended fuel:	regular unleaded		premium unleaded
Maximum engine rpm:	7000		6000 (L99) 6600 (LS3)
Emissions controls:	evaporative system, close-coupled catalytic converters, dual under­floor converters, equal length exhaust, positive crankcase ventilation, intake and exhaust cam phasers, Electronic Throttle Con­trol and dual bright outlet pipes		evaporative system, close- coupled catalytic converters, positive crankcase ventilation, Electronic Throttle Control and dual bright outlet pipes
Fuel economy (auto trans): Based on GM testing. EPA esti­mates not yet avail	27 hwy. (est.)		23 hwy. (est.)

Transmissions

Hydra-Matic 6L50 six-speed automatic (LS, LT) w/TAPshift controls		Hydra-Matic 6L80 six-speed automatic (SS) w/TAPshift controls		AISIN AY6 six-speed manual (LS, LT)		Tremec six-speed manual (SS)
Gear ratios (:1):
First: Second: Third: Fourth: Fifth: Sixth: Reverse: Final drive ratio:	4.07 2.37 1.55 1.16 0.85 0.67 3.06 3.27		4.03 2.36 1.53 1.15 0.85 0.67 3.06 3.27		4.48 2.58 1.63 1.19 1.00 0.75 3.67 3.27		3.01 2.07 1.43 1.00 0.84 0.57 3.28 3.45

Chassis/suspension

Front:	double-ball-joint, multi-link strut; direct-acting stabilizer bar; progressive-rate coil springs with fully adjustable camber, caster and toe
Rear:	4.5-link independent; progressive-rate coil springs over shocks; stabilizer bar; fully adjustable camber and toe
Steering type:	variable-rate rack-and-pinion
Steering ratio:	16.1:1
Steering wheel turns, lock-to-lock:	2.5
Turning circle, curb-to-curb (ft/m):	37.7/11.5

Brakes

Type:	four-wheel disc w/ABS; ventilated front and rear rotors; single-piston front calipers and single-piston alloy rear cali­pers (LS, LT); four-piston fixed Brembo aluminum front and rear calipers (SS)
Rotor diameter, front (in/mm):	LS, LT: 12.64/321 SS: 14/355
Rotor diameter, rear (in/mm):	LS, LT: 12.4/315 SS: 14.4/365
Rotor thickness, front (in/mm):	LS, LT: 1.18/30 SS: 1.26/32
Rotor thickness, rear (in/mm):	LS, LT: 0.9/23 SS: 1.1/28