Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Wyndham
Where it makes sense, sure - Corvette is the perfect test-bed, and profit-generator to try new, 'crazy' things.
Camaro pushed many performance "boundaries" over the course of this 5th generation. And it's been stated a couple times that development teams have been told to "just make it fast"...never minding Corvette limits. Camaro was the first car to play with true downforce in the ZL1. First to mess with heat extractors, A/C deletes, awesome racing seats. It was the risk-taker for dramatic styling, black "racing" wheels, etc.
Don't mistake my comments for meaning that the Corvette won't be fast, or special. It is, and will continue to be. I just don't think it's being artificially protected, any more. Think back to the 4th-gen, where the hopped-up LS1 in the Camaro was rated at 325hp...while Vette had 350...they were both the same, at least. That's not going to happen, anymore.
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Sure, they could do all they want with aero, heat extractors, racing seats, A/C delete and all that stuff but the Camaro will never be faster than the Corvette, comparing equal models. All that work to the Camaro has no impact on the Corvette. They don't share bodywork, aero pieces or that kind of stuff. The stuff they do share, like engines and transmissions, the Corvette will always come first, which I think is a mistake. The Mustang has no such limit and the Hellcat Challenger makes more than the Viper. If GM wants the Camaro to compete at all levels, then they need to develop engines to do so. The LT1 and LT4 won't be enough.
Even the ultimate track Camaro didn't get a single extra horsepower when they developed it. The only reason the Camaro got the LS7 was because the Corvette didn't need it anymore. The ironic thing is the Camaro needs more horsepower than the Corvette but doesn't get it.