GM builds 100,000th Chevrolet Camaro

As the pony car wars rage on seemingly unaffected by raising gas prices and the collapsing economy, the big 3 just keep on cranking them out. Chevrolet has now reached a milestone by producing the 100,000th "new" Camaro. The lucky 100,000 was reportedly an inferno orange SS.

Ever since June the Camaro has been outselling it's arch rival Mustang, but the 2011 model is set to debut with it's much improved powertrains. It will be interesting to see if the new developments will alter the pace of muscle car sales.

LeMans Camaro rendering

Ever since the muscle car movement was revitalized with the retro style Mustang making it's debut, only to be joined by the Camaro and Challenger, speculation runs wild concerning what types of racing counterparts we will see in the future.

A man by the name of Bo Zolland at Viztech has rendered what he thinks a LeMans Camaro would look like, and we must say that the car lends itself nicely to this look.

While this is obviously no guarantee that such a car would ever be produced, it's nice to think about what could be.

SEMA 2009: Yenko Camaro makes it's debut

Well that was quick. It was only a couple of weeks ago that we had some nice artist renderings of the new Yenko Camaro, and now we get to see it in the flesh at SEMA.

Behold, the Phase I. It features an LS3, the same 6.2 liter present in the Camaro SS. While that may not match the cubes of the original's 427 big block, it does make a stout 600 horsepower thanks to a supercharger.

The Phase II and Phase III are in the pipeline with what is expected to obviously be more horsepower. Think perhaps an LS7, or LS9?

750hp LS7 Lingenfelter Camaro to debut at SEMA

Lingenfelter is known for tuning cars to ridiculous levels of power, and his latest creation is no exception. This 2010 Chevrolet Camaro will roll out at SEMA in Las Vegas next month sporting an LS7 V8 (428 cubic inches) tuned to 750hp and featuring a lot of exotic and unique engine parts.

Co-engineered with Hotchkis, this Camaro is not just a straight line monster. Underneath you'll find a Hotchkis Total Vehicle System that consists of sport springs, adjustable sway bars and a ChassisMax subframe brace. The dampers come from Lingenfelter/Sachs and are fully adjustable, and of course there's Brembo calipers and rotors. 20-inch wheels sport Pirelli 275/40ZR20 tires up front and Pirelli 305/35ZR20s in the rear.

Check out the press release below for full details and specs (including floor mats).

PRESS RELEASE

Santa Fe Springs, Calif. (October 2009) – Two of the most storied names in domestic performance vehicles will join together to debut a stunning, world-class supercar at the 2009 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Lingenfelter Performance Engineering of Decatur, Indiana, will unveil its latest offering; a 750 horsepower 2010 Camaro SS in the Hotchkis Performance booth at the annual automotive aftermarket trade show. Hotchkis Performance, of Santa Fe Springs, California, developed the suspension system for the Lingenfelter Camaro and has worked with the renowned specialty supercar builder on several projects in the past.

"Over the years we have been involved in dozens of OEM and racing development programs, but this one is special," said Hotchkis Performance founder and president John Hotchkis. "Lingenfelter builds some of the fastest, coolest and most refined domestic supercars in the world, and the fact that they asked us to help develop the suspension for a 200 mph Camaro and then offered to debut the car in our booth is very exciting. Everyone in attendance will certainly be impressed with this stunning piece of high-performance engineering."

The Lingenfelter 750HP Supercharged LS7 2010 Camaro SS is a technological tour de force, featuring a hand-built 427 CID (7.0L) LS7 engine featuring forged pistons, titanium connecting rods and Inconel exhaust valves. A Magnusson/Eaton TVS2300 supercharger breathes into a custom Lingenfelter intake manifold. The result is 750 tractable, usable horsepower. Other highlights include a Hotchkis Total Vehicle System (Sport Springs, Adjustable Sport Sway Bars and ChassisMax Subframe Brace), Brembo brakes, custom LPE 20-inch 10-spoke wheels, an LPE exclusive air management body kit, a custom embroidered interior and a Mito rear view mirror with video display. The Lingenfelter body kit and engine package will also be offered as separate packages.

* Engine
* 427 CID/7.0L LS7 engine
* 8.8:1 compression ratio with forged JE pistons
* Production GM LS7 crankshaft and titanium connecting rods
* LS7 cylinder heads with titanium intake valves and Inconel exhaust valves
* Magnuson/Eaton TVS2300 supercharger
* Custom fabricated LS7 cylinder head supercharger base manifold
* Lingenfelter 14 rib rear drive system with tensioner pulley
* Lingenfelter/ATI Racing 10 rib front accessory drive
* Lingenfelter heavy duty power steering pump
* Lingenfelter low temperature thermostat
* Custom Lingenfelter coil covers
* Corsa stainless exhaust system
* Lingenfelter Camaro SS twin pump fuel system with LPE fuel pump controller


* Drivetrain
* Six-speed manual transmission
* Lingenfelter 6 bolt LS9 twin disk flywheel and clutch assembly
* Heavy duty Driveshaft Shop halfshafts


* Chassis
* Hotchkis Sport Springs
* Lingenfelter double adjustable Sachs shocks
* Hotchkis Sport Suspension Adjustable Sway Bars
* Hotchkis ChassixMax Subframe Brace
* Brembo brake calipers and Brembo rotors


* Wheels/Tires
* Custom LPE 10 Spoke Design Wheels
* 20 X 9.5 Fronts
* 20 X 11 Rears
* PIRELLI 275/40ZR20 Fronts
* PIRELLI 305/35ZR20 Rears


* Lingenfelter Camaro SS Body Package:
* Front Fascia Splitter
* Rocker Extensions
* Carbon Fiber Grille
* Hood with Air Extractors
* Rear Deck Lip/Spoiler
* Rear Fascia Extension with LPE Exhaust Tips
* Custom LPE 10 Spoke Wheels
* Lingenfelter Embroidered Interior
* Lingenfelter badges


* Interior
* Muth turn signal mirrors
* Mito rear view mirror with video display
* Lingenfelter/Grant custom steering wheel
* Lingenfelter CNC machined pedal covers
* Lingenfelter floor mats

Video: A whole lot of 2010 Camaros in Dallas

Last week, a parade of 2010 Camaros drove from Victory Park in Dallas to Sundance Square in Ft. Worth with a police motorcade. It was Chevrolet's first large-scale Camaro event, and hopefully soon we'll be seeing lots of these on the streets.

On a side note, two weeks ago while driving through Atlanta I saw a yellow SS. Not really sure how someone got their hands on it before the first one was officially sold, unless it was a dealer or pretty important inside guy.

2010 Chevrolet Camaro news galore

With the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro set to hit the streets soon, there have been numerous news items surfacing regarding the new pony car, some good and some not so good. We decided to include all of them in one convenient post for your general consumption.

First up is the reveal of the order guide. GM officially started taking orders for the Camaro on October 13th of last year, but not all of the available options were finalized at the time. Some 40 pages long, the guide reveals every standard feature and available option for the Camaro.

After you're done chewing on the order guide for a while, you can head over to Chevy's website and use the Camaro configurator.

Next in Camaro news is word that the V6 model is rated at a miserly 29mpg highway. The direct injected 3.6L is also rated at an official 304 horsepower and is standard in the LS and LT models. City mileage is 18mpg, and both figures come from a six speed automatic equipped model (17mpg with a stick). V8 models are rated at 16mpg city and 25 highway (24 with the stick). For those interested (i.e. everyone), the SS has run an unofficial 4.7 second 0-60 time.

And finally, the bad news. The crew at the freshly-minted Detroit Bureau is reporting that while the Chevrolet Camaro has started rolling off off production lines, there are some serious hitches with future model plans that could result in a substantial delay – or outright cancellation – of two hotly-anticipated models.

According to Paul Eisenstein (veteran auto journalist and founder of TheCarConnection), the Camaro convertible and Z28 are both in jeopardy. As the story goes, budget crunches for both General Motors and its suppliers could grenade products that were seen as foregone conclusions.

For those waiting on a 'vert or a Z, you might want to plan on ponying up for a RS or SS and taking a look to the aftermarket for some upgrades.

GM releases 2010 Camaro Assembly Line Photos

The long wait for the reborn Chevrolet Camaro is nearly over. And to provide a little visual proof, Chevrolet has released a series of photographs of pre-production
2010 Camaros undergoing assembly in Oshawa, Ontario. The photos display multiple parts of the production process, including the body shop, chassis alignment, component attachment, and the final product. Official production models kick-off in March.

From GM:

“Here we are just a little more than a month away from the official start of production for the all new Chevy Camaro. Naturally, we’re pretty excited about this car, and we know many of you are as well, so we decided to give all of you a little peek into some of what has been happening at the Camaro assembly plant. In these pictures you can see a few pre-production Camaros being assembled, painted and tested in preparation for March 16 when we start building them for consumers. Enjoy the pictures!”

First official look at the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro at the Detroit Auto Show

It certainly seems like a long time ago when Chevrolet first introduced it's reborn Camaro to the world, and just now are we seeing an official production version at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. In reality, it's been only three years since the car was just a concept, a relatively short time for a car to reach production.



Anyone who may have been afraid that Chevrolet would change a lot about the design should rest easy. And despite the big hoopla over green cars at the Detroit Auto Show, the Camaro got it's fair share of attention.



Initial reports are that the car is a beauty to behold in person, but that the interior leaves a little to be desired. It has been said that the feel and quality of materials is poor, coming up short when compared to the 2010 Ford Mustang.



Stay tuned for what is sure to be an interesting three way pony car battle, not to mention numerous comparison tests between the Camaro, Mustang, and Challenger.

Hennessey HPE700 Camaro

Hennessey Performance Engineering has unveiled the HPE700, which features a 2010 Camaro SS with a supercharged LS9 V8 from the Corvette ZR1. And as if that wasn't enough, HPE has tuned the bad boy to produce 705 hp and 717 lbft or torque.



Other performance goodies include 15-inch carbon ceramic brakes cribbed from the ZR1, upgraded suspension bits and HRE alloy rims shod with Michelin PS2 rubber. HPE chose not to leave well enough alone in the looks department, either. The HPE700 has inherited the controversial see-through hood from the ZR1, along with a body package that includes a full carbon fiber ground effects kit and a unique front fascia with faux-hideaway headlights and a billet aluminum grille.



The HPE700 is understandably a lot of car to handle, so Henessey is providing a 1 day performance driving course with the purchase price of $109,500. The first orders will be accepted next week to registered bidders at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, AZ with regular orders being taken the following week.



PRESS RELEASE:



HENNESSEY PERFORMANCE ENGINEERING ANNOUNCES LIMITED EDITION 705 HP LS9 POWERPLANT FOR THE 2010 CAMARO



Extreme Performance Makeover Transforms the 2010 Camaro from Muscle Car to Super Car!



SEALY, TX – Hennessey Performance Engineering (HPE), well known for their extreme performance sports cars and muscle cars, announces their Limited Edition 2010 HPE700 Camaro.



At the heart of the beast is GM's new LS9 supercharged V8 tweaked as only HPE could to 705 horsepower and 717 lb-ft torque. To qualify as a supercar under the HPE banner it can't just go, it has to whoa. With optional 15 inch carbon brakes from the stunning new Corvette ZR1, light weight HRE wheels with Michelin PS2 tires and full suspension upgrades the HPE700 Camaro will be able to make full use of its new found power.



In addition to the power and handling upgrades., Hennessey will also be offering an exterior aerodynamics package to improve downforce at high speed. Penned by British designer, Steve Everitt, Hennessey's Cam-Aero ™ body upgrades include: Carbon fiber rear lip spoiler, carbon fiber side rocker panels, carbon fiber front splitter, front fascia with hideaway-look headlights and front billet grille. Completing the look of the HPE700 is a ZR1 inspired hood design with window showing off the Hennessey's tweaked LS9 powerplant.



"The HPE700 Camaro allows our customers to combine supercar power and performance with classic American muscle car looks in a modern, daily-drive usable sportscar with a backseat and a trunk!," said John Hennessey, President and CEO of Hennessey Performance Engineering. "We will be announcing other Hennessey turnkey vehicle packages for the 2010 Camaro in the near future along with an extensive list of aftermarket performance parts and accessories. But for now, the LS9-powered HPE700 Camaro, replete with ZR1 inspired looks and performance promises to be at the top of the American muscle car food chain later in 2009.



HPE700 buyers will also receive a 1-day performance driving course at Lonestar Motorsports Park – a ¼ mile dragstrip facility located adjacent to Hennessey's 24,000 square foot production facility and showroom.



Hennessey is offering the first HPE700 Camaros exclusively to registered bidders at the 2009 Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, AZ. Orders can be placed at the Hennessey display at the show or by phone or email beginning Tuesday, January 13 through Sunday, January 18, 2009. On Monday, January 19, 2009 the HPE700 Camaro will be available to the general public and can be ordered from select Chevrolet dealers as well as directly from Hennessey Performance Engineering.



Base price for the 2010 HPE700 Camaro is $109,500.



Located just west of Houston Texas at the Lonestar Motorsports Park complex, HPE has been building American supercars for nearly two decades with its Veyron-beating Venom Vipers, Ford GT's and recently released Dodge Challengers.

2010 Camaro accessories revealed

More news now on the 2010 Camaro after the SS has been revealed, courtesy of the folks at Camaro5.com forums. According to the site, dealers will begin taking orders for the new musclecar on October 13th, although pricing may not be available at that time.



Also revealed are a list of performance and appearance accessories that includes a rear spoiler, rear diffuser, ground effects package, many different kinds of stripes, different engines covers for both the V6 and V8 models and performance parts like a cold air intake, catback exhaust, shorty headers and Hurst short throw shifter.



Interior accessories include the obligatory carbon trim kit, a body-colored lighted trim kit, floormats and a nostalgic looking subwoofer, while a selection of chrome and painted wheels will also be offered.



Quite an impressive list of modifications, which will definitely help the Camaro live a long healthy life with enthusiasts. View the thread here to see more pictures of the plethora of accessories that will be available.