Pity the Camaro loyalist. They stuck with the classic muscle car through four redesigns over 35 years before it became clear in the early 2000s that the car’s days might be numbered. GM had by then let marketing for “Redneck Corvette” lag, and sales began to stagnate.
» Engine: 325 hp V-6; 400 hp V-8
» Transmission: choice of manual or TAPshift automatic
» Mileage: expected 17 mpg city, 27 mpg highway
» MSRP: from $22,995
Local Camaro fan Alex Hughes had owned three of them in succession — from three different generations of overhauls — by the time the writing was on the wall.
“Ford Mustangs were in movies, in ads, they were everywhere,” Hughes said. “For the Camaro — nothing.”
When GM sent him a car preference survey, his response was blunt; he simply wrote over the whole sheet: “If you kill the Camaro, I’m never buying a car from you again.”
The car was discontinued after 2002, but after a concept redesign drew raves in 2006 and some major product placement in last summer’s Transformers movie, the 2010 model is scheduled for release next spring.
“That name tells people they’re getting a monster car,” said Gary Harris, Koons Chevrolet of White Marsh, which has placed over half its allotted pre-orders.
“Camaro buyers know exactly what they want: an affordable car with power,” said Glenn Andreasik, sales manager, Bob Bell Chevrolet/Nissan, Baltimore. Seven of Bell’s allotted nine Camaros are already spoken for, sight unseen.
The 2010 model is slated to pack 325 hp into a V-6 that can hit 60 mph in just over six seconds and over 400 hp from the high-end V-8. The total redesign features a rock solid unibody chassis, 18-inch tires, and 4.5 link independent rear suspension. The affordable part: The Camaro starts at $22,995 MSRP — less than half the cost of a Corvette.
In a nod to the Camaro’s heritage, the 2010 appropriates the menacing look of the 1969 edition, with a low-slung front end featuring a scowling grill. But the real question is: Can Chevy recreate the same aura of middle class cool with the new model?
Cynics might note that the Camaro was originally designed in the mid-’60s to compete with the hugely successful Ford Mustang, and is now being brought back in response to the Mustang’s popular recent redesign. Just another case of history repeating.
Forty years later, and GM is still chasing after its competitor, notes Hughes, though he hasn’t given up entirely on the auto giant. He’s currently in the market for a new car, but this time he’s considering a Malibu.
