THE PRIDE OF OWNERSHIP.......

[fbodfather]

The past couple of weeks has seen several unauthorized photos leaked to the public -- they've all caught us by surprise -- and, as you know by now, Mr. Bob Lutz has ordered that we remove all the cammo off of the mules and early builds...and in fact Mr. Ed Peper is encouraging you to actively look for Camaros on the road and to take pics of them.....

The overwhelming response has been positive -- altho. the first couple of days after each picture hits the net -- we have some 'rough spots' -- in terms of comments and behavior.....

That is probably not a bad thing because -- in most cases (not all) people are passionate about this car............


I want everyone to think about something.....

There are a lot of GM's -- in fact the industry's finest -- working on this car.

We want this to be the best Camaro ever -- in terms of straight out performance-- in terms of ride and handling for every-day use -- but also the best in terms of handing on a road course as well. (some of you forget that the late 4th gen cars will STILL shame most of what's on the road today......regardless of price...) -- and we want it to be the best in terms of interior comfort and quietness.........

We want this Camaro to be a car you WANT to drive everyday -- no matter where you're going -- no matter what the traffic conditions are.... We want it to put a smile on your face everytime you open the door and get in and fire up the engine.

BUT -- (pay attention) -- we are concentrating on something else as well....


PRIDE OF OWNERSHIP.......


Yes -- PRIDE OF OWNERSHIP....

We want you to go out and climb into one of these new Camaros -- we want you to fire up the engine -- we want to actually SEE the look on your face as you floor the accelerator for the first time

(PUT THAT SEATBELT ON........) --

.......we want you to be so blown away that you can't write the check or sign the papers fast enough.

......we want to watch as you park it somewhere and turn around - time and time again -- as you walk away from it - with that sense of pride that says "Yup -- THAT'S ALL MINE! -- beware, all of you who drive something so inferior........"

We want you to enjoy the respect this car will bring to those of you who take it to the track...

We want people who may not even KNOW what a Camaro is -- to take one look -- and say "OMG -- what is that and where do I sign?"


We take this very seriously -- very seriously. Most of us were around to watch in mourning as the 4th gen 'rode off into the sunset' -- believe me -- you don't KNOW what pain that was for most of us -- you don't KNOW the sleepless nights -- and painful days. Yes -- it was very much like losing a child to some of us. (no -- I'm NOT kidding....)

So - just understand that we know there's a high expectation -- and we intend to meet those expectations. WE have a lot at stake here -- this is our livelihood -- and it's our PASSION............

Yup -- not everyone will like the console gages -- but for every one who doesn't like 'em, I -think we'll have at least one -- probably a lot more -- that think they're the 'cat's jammies." And another won't like the back-up lamps -- and another may not like the interior fabric....but we think that overall -- this Camaro is gonna BLOW YOU AWAY.................

So - enjoy the pics -- keep the CIVILIZED discussion going -- but PLEASE WAIT to draw final conclusions until after you've touched and felt a new Camaro in person.



'Nuff said for now.........

[Mr. Wyndham]

Thanks, Scott.

I haven't had a car I could do that with, yet. I look forward to turning A LOT of heads in this thing...

[Emher]

Again, thank you so much Scott.

Personally I look forawrd to smoking the little brats who run around in their crappy cars around town thinking they're something, just to show them what working hard can buy you

[TheMadHatter99]

Coming from a current Mustang owner (ducks for cover) I can honestly say it is this very passion that you describe that will have me writing a check and signing the papers as soon as I possibly can. I've never had the opportunity to drive a Camaro, but I can tell from the enthusiasm of owners and the dedication of the automakers that once I have had the opportunity I'll never drive another car again.

From a brand-new enthusiast, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your passion, attention to detail, and dedication.

[TAG UR IT]

Scott,

It's posts like these that mean more to me than anything else. See...you talk about pride of ownership. I know exactly what you mean and I am right there. Ever since I had a say in what type of vehicle I would be driving and paying for, it's been nothing but 4th Gens...3 of'em V6, Z28, and SS.

Ever since I've been driving Camaro's, I've had that same PRIDE OF OWNERSHIP that you speak of. I get out of my 02 SS and it's just automatic - I have to turn around and take a couple glances at it as I walk away. I LOVE the 4th Gens.

I can't wait to get into my 5th Gen. Aside from my family and work for the police department, THE Camaro is MY passion...just like you say it's yours. I can't get enough of it. Again, and in all sincerity, I thank you for all you do. I can not begin to even explain how lucky GM is to have a group of people like yourselves working on this icon. I have faith...I have faith...


.........I read that post like 4 times....hehehe...makes ya feel good.

[Splicerguy]

O great fbodfather,

I first would like to thank you and the whole Camaro team. I can't imagine the amout of work all of you have put in already, and I'm sure this year is going to be crazy for all of you. I have no doubt that all your hard work is going to pay off in a HUGE way!

There's only 1 car I have had that actually could give me chills, that was my first Camaro. I custom ordered a '97 Z-28 in Cayenne red metallic(any chance you could bring that color back?) with tan cloth interior. The sound of the V8 always brought a smile to my face and when we went to a restaurant, I had to be able to see it from my seat. Sometimes we have to give up things we love, and I had to part with my Z-28 after only 18 months. It is one of the few decisions I truly regret.

I'm currently Camaro-less, but that will change when the convertible comes out. Keep up the great work, I love what I've seen so far!

[AirGoya]

I thought i would post some other things fbodfather has said recently about the prototype just in case anyone hasnt read it already. Source

1. None of these mules are anywhere near complete. Most parts are pre-production parts. If I had to assign a 'percentage' -- I'd say the cars are at 65% of production intent........

2. Some of the parts you see aren't even close to what you'll see on the production Camaro. For instance -- if you were to suddenly see a Camaro without the front bra in place -- you'd see some 'horrible' headlamps. There's a good reason for that...the production lamps are not ready - -and as a result - many of the mules have what I call....
" ..hey Joe - go run down to the local autoparts store and grab us a buncha headlamps and then go hot-glue 'em in place on those Camaro mules over there!!!!".........headlamps.............

..........see what I mean? So -- see something that doesn't look right? Hang in there -- it's likely to change!!!

3. Mules are usually painted white for a good reason -- I'll get into that one of these days -- but yes -- we know some of you don't want white -- but we aren't about to paint 'em every shade of the rainbow for testing.....patience, my friend -- patience!

4. Interior pictures are very misleading. As I said above, many of the parts are either pre-production -- 'off the shelf' parts to serve as placeholders -- or hard plastic and used only as a 'stand in.'
(Remember when I said a few weeks ago that the hips didn't disappear? Remember that a few of you didn't believe me? )

So dont judge too soon

And by the way Fbodfather, thank you -- it is always reassuring to hear from you

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by AirGoya

I thought i would post some other things fbodfather has said recently about the prototype just in case anyone hasnt read it already. Source



So dont judge too soon

And by the way Fbodfather, thank you -- it is always reassuring to hear from you

Thanks for that! These are really great things to be reminded of
btw: he posted that here, too

[chevys]

Well, this is coming from another mustang owner. (taking cover too! ) Scott, I sincerely appreciate your participation on these boards. I dont get to bent out of shape about anything that happens early on. You remind me in a way of a old timer from Ford Motor Company named John Coletti. You may have heard of him eh? He had the same fire that you seem to have but worked for a different company.

I have been able to drive many different camaros and mustangs. My first love was a 78 z28 a friend of mine had in high school. I fell in love with it and thought it was the baddest thing on the street. At the time it was pretty quick. My very first car was a 67 mustang coupe with a 289. Yeah, Im an old dude but still have the passion.

Each car has had their ups and downs over the years but the passion for each is probably underestimated by many. My mustang is a long way from perfect and I knew that when I bought it. Yet, it has provided me with exactly what you describe in your post. Im confident that the new Camaro will be a big hit.

I dearly love GM powertrains if they can just fix the little stuff. Hint, hint. While Ford is busy creating special edition mustangs that are out of reach for most of us I hope you can provide a nice base platform that will be affordable.
You may be surprised how many mustang people are keeping an eye on this.
We are not the enemy and never have been although its always been fun for bragging rights and poking fun of one another. The enemy, at least in my mind, is tuner crowd with the obnoxious fart cans ect...............

Thank you for keeping us updated as its very much appreciated and I wish you the best.

[69copo]

I have been a GM fan as long as I can remember. One of my first memories is doing a brake job on my fathers '77 6.6L T/A. Which I have kept since his passing. I can fully appreciate what FBODFATHER is saying about pride of ownership. There are certain "firsts" that a guy remembers and one of them is his first car. I was lucky enough that my grandfather bought me a 92 Z/28 on April 8, 1992. See I told you guys remember, and I still have the paper work. However, I lost that in an accident at Norwalk Raceway. I still have a 92 Z but it is not my first. When I go into the garage just seeing a camaro there brings a smile to my face. I doubt that people with Honda Accords (no offense) feel the same way. The pre-production photos are very interesting. I like the fact that FBODFATHER reminded us all that these are pre-production pics and not the finished product. Who care that the info screen on the dash is a taped on panel from the CTS or the shifter boot is now over the console and not cut in like the prototype. GM has put the best mind they have into this and are going to give us a beautifull beast. I have never been so excited to have a car in all my life. I have owned and currently own many wolrd class vehicles. The camaro is my first and one true automotive love. An exotic will turn heads and a classic will get respect...a camaro gets both. I think it will look and perform astounding. We will get our hands on it soon enough. Ford has the Mustang and Dodge will get the Challenger. The Mustang is allready starting to show its age and the Challenger is being rushed. Trust me we don't wan't to be in hurry. Although we are all very excited for our beloved to be comming back. We want one we can be proud of, not a "rush job" that will tarnish our beloved icon. Be calm brothers (and sisters), it is comming back and we will have a 5th reason to be proud.

[stovt001]

Scott, that is exactly why I want this car. Sure, there are plenty of cars that will be competitive on performance, or wouldn't be hard to modify to get there. There are plenty of cars just as beautiful. There are plenty of cars just as nice inside. But I don't think anything will give me quite the same excitement to own as a brand new Camaro. It is just such an icon that anything else just seems too ho-hum and generic, even though they really aren't.

[2010_5thgen]

that was a pretty emotional speach.

[mega_man_01103]

I CANT WAIT!!!!!! Reading things like this give me the goosebumps.

[KILLER74Z28]

PRIDE a high or inordinate opinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc.

Seem to be all I’m full of when my discussions involve GM…