In a year or two, once the aftermarket comes around and the TT kits are fully sorted out, the LS will be the bang for the buck winner over the SS in the right power ranges. I paid just over 20K for mine, and have seen them advertised for under 20K as of late. That gives the V6 owner a good $8K to spend just to get to the price of a Base SS. That will cover the Turbo kit and tuning. The SS owner is going to have to add a turbo/ maggie/ KB, etc, for pretty much the same money to stay ahead. For another $8K, the LS owner will be able to reinforce the engine internals, and the drivetrain, and be king in the 600-700 HP bracket (i'm talking reliably, not blowing up drivetrain parts every other launch), while retaining better weight distribution and lighter weight with the mid mounts over the sc'd V8 cars. If you factor in the drivetrain upgrades to the SS, there goes another few grand, depending on power level, that the V6 has saved over the V8. In the bolt-on only categories, yes the SS will have the advantage, but the LLT is going to have it's niche once the aftermarket comes around. If you are talking buying and modding used cars, I'm willing to bet the V6's are going to depreciate faster, making them an even better deal for someone looking to mod. I have seen plenty of SS owners that have spent double what I have on my car on theirs, are you telling me that for 20-30K in upgrades a V6 car couldn't be built to run?
That being said, yes, if you are building and buying for out of the box performance, the SS is going to be king, no one is having any delusions about that, the SS is an outstanding car.
The LSx series of engines has been continuously developed and improved for over a decade. It is a great platform with lots of cost effective mods and great power potential. For people looking to build four digit power, yes, it will remain king. But at that level, most V8 guys aren't using any factory engine or drivetrain parts... and have spent more on mods than I did on my entire car.
But to completely dismiss the LLT simply because it is a V6 is just plain ignorant, once this engine begins to reach its potential there are going to be a lot of surprised, and probably even a few angry, V8 owners out there.
I used to be a die-hard V8 or nothing guy too, but driving the LLT opened my eyes. Unless the CAFE regulations get drastically modified, which is unlikely to happen, the V6 is going to be part of the future of Camaro performance, with the exception of the top dog models like ZL1, assuming they remain profitable enough to remain on the market a decade from now.
