Open Letter from Al Oppenhieser to the Camaro Nation and Ford.

[htron50]

Originally Posted by toesuf94

For those of you on this thread who called GM everything but good, and that they wanted the 'ring' because that was the track they developed the ZL1 for - in essence "stacking the deck"...why does Ford proudly display a 'ring decal and discuss a "Nurburgring Edition Mustang? - in fact all of the mules spotted in Germany show this decal on the back...so what is Ford afraid of?

You infer there is a similarity between not ready to market with not willing to market. You will hear about them..paitence!!

Go get more scoop!

[fbodfather]

Originally Posted by Jamie Mac

Yes, however Scott has stated on here multiple times about how GM listens to the enthusiast/consumer. The post right above yours is a fine example. If we get into the practice of only allowing favorable comments about the Camaro then the only thing this site will be good for is preaching to the choir. That's a waste of time but the worst part of it is if there are only positive comments allowed then there is obviously no appearance of anything needing improvement. That would be a great disservice to us all. I agree that people need to be reasonably polite but that does not mean we all should have to agree with Scott and Al at all times.

Jamie - I have to think that you know me better than to think that Al and I expect only favorable comments on this site.

I don't think that's what GTAHVIT talking about.......

[BackinBlackSS/RS]

Ford's new GT500 sounds like hype and no substance. If the ZL1 would indeed outperform a car that has 70 more HP, Ford is WAY behind.

[MG]

2012 Camaro: first car ever to ace all NHTSA tests. I'd say that warrants the extra weight on its own.

Some added normal force on those meats ought to be good for something too, IMO

I say put an LS9 in there and call it a day ;-)

[fbodfather]

Originally Posted by MG

2012 Camaro: first car ever to ace all NHTSA tests. I'd say that warrants the extra weight on its own.

Some added normal force on those meats ought to be good for something too, IMO

I say put an LS9 in there and call it a day ;-)

Good point - as I'd mentioned above (altho I think I was still writing it when you posted this)

Case in point: I remember Cheryl and I driving a very early car at Milford Proving Grounds - at at high speed, the hood would 'flutter' (interestingly, I was driving a luxury car earlier this week in Philadelphia from National Car rental - it was brand "X" -- and the hood at 60 miles an hour fluttered - completely unacceptable in my book!) Anyway - the Camaro team took care of the 'flutter' -- but it added weight!

As to the LS9 - let me ask you this: How much more would you be willing to pay to get that engine in a Camaro? (that's a crucial question, by the way)

[thistle]

Fbodfather,

Thank you for working so hard for us to have our dreams come true. I am a child of the 60's and dreamed of owning a camaro in my youth. I was blessed with a '72 beetle for my first car, through the benevolence and wisdom of my father. Now that I have the means to purchase such a car, I am priveleged to be able to purchase the american car of my dreams that is perhaps not the best in every single performance category, but is the best american car with an attitude that I can share with my wife and children and still make the dreams of a silly red blooded american boy come true. Thank you for the diligence, love and commitment that make all of us proud that America is where we live.

[ssummit camaro]

There will always be people that are never satisfied with a product. If you do not like it, do not buy it. There are many other options out there that can be bought. I had a 1999 z28 that I thought I would never get rid of, and thought that was a nice ride. When the 5th gen came out, I sold my 99 for the 2011. Yes it might seem like a bigger car and heavier car, but it is so much better and nicer than my 99. The 5th gen is such a nice car and I am very proud to own this car. I thank the designers, build team, and everyone that made this wonderful car a reality.

Originally Posted by fbodfather

You are certainly allowed your opinion.

What I would submit to you is that the world has changed. We live in a society that insists on rules and regulations. CAFE and Emissions standards along with safety standards are making it harder to offer inexpensive high performance as we saw in the 60s and very early 70s. You'd better brace yourself - because CAFE combined with the Law of Supply and Demand is surely going to price V8 engines higher and higher.

You don't like that and WE don't like that - but that doesn't matter to our elected officials in Washington.

I would beseech you to hold your judgement about the ZL1 until you have the opportunity to drive one or ride in one or witness firsthand what its capabilities are. It isn't your 'traditional' Camaro. While there are those (very few) that want crank windows and no air conditioning and the lightest possible car - there are many more who want a blindingly fast car - but that also offers a great ride - comfortable seats (for driving cross-country to the next Camaro5Fest ) -- with a level of refinement. Oh yes - and they want a 10,000 watt stereo that makes your ears bleed..........

As a manufacturer, we must look at the larger picture.....

(keep in mind that we're never finished - remember when we thought the LT1 was the cat's jammies???)

On a "personal" level - May I ask you to please stop with the "Pig" remarks. I promise not to call anyone in your family a "Pig" if you promise to stop calling my 'kids' Pigs...... K?

along those lines... this isn't 1969. We just announced that the Camaro gets a 5-star crash rating in every category. Every category. That isn't easy to engineer. That's also one of the reasons why the car weighs more than we'd like. Further, we - not you - have to hit those CAFE targets - so please understand that we are not being careless with the weight.

It's hard to promise that you'll "listen to the customer" knowing that no matter what you do - there will always be someone complaining about price or weight or *insert panic du jour here*...... The Camaro team does more to talk with its customers than any car or truck team out there....bar none..... That's a promise and a guarantee. And don't take my word for it - ask one of our Camaro Disciples.

If you happened to be around in January thru August of 2006, you may recall that there was great concern that GM would NOT build a Camaro that looked like the Camaro concept that we unveiled on January 9th of 2006. I personally talked to tens of thousands of people during those months - and ONE message came thru loud and clear: "BUILD IT AND IT HAD BETTER LOOK JUST LIKE THIS SILVER CONCEPT THAT I'M LOOKING AT!"

..........and so we did. Now - to "lose weight" - I'd love to hear your thoughts on how we do that. - I'd like indepth engineering analysis on how you would reduce the weight while keeping the larger picture in mind (so that we remain the top seller in the segment)

Should we cut it down to 90 percent of the current size? That doesn't work unless everyone who wants to drive it is 5 feet tall or less.

Make it out of aluminum and exotic materials? -- well -- you already told me that we priced the car too high.

change the style? Well - if we did, then some might accuse us of not listening to the customer.

Look - I don't mean to bash you - but before you bash us - please consider that there are many other opinions about this car that may be 180 degrees from where you view it.......

The team has been working 7 days a week since the early part of the new century........no, I'm not kidding. When we aren't working on the cars, we're out there talking to YOU - the enthusiast.

If I sound a bit 'cranky' -- it's probably because I am - look at some of the posts on here.

Now - tomorrow morning I'm going to walk into a convention center in Illinois with the ZL1 - and I'm going to once again listen to the voice of the customer - and I (and the team) will try to deliver a car that far exceeds the expectations of our enthusiasts - while also 'reaching' for those who many not have considered a Camaro in the past -- and we will have to make some hard, fast decisions.

Lastly - the Corvette may be in a league of its own - but it's still a Chevrolet and we still have Mustang owners who trade their pony in on a Corvette - so yes, we need to consider that -

Sorry if I sound like a crotchety old man - but the reality is that I've been talking to as many Camaro and Firebird and Mustang owners as humanly possible since the early 90s -- and sometimes my skin gets a bit thin when it's implied that we aren't listening.

Forgive me. Everything you see on this site that I post is MY OPINION and not necessarily that of the company for which I work. (and I'm sure there will be a few raised eyebrows after this post.............)

[armysig]

Scott,

I know exactly where you're coming from, I can say that because I help test and evaluate equipment and vehicles for the military. Most people don't understand what it takes to make a vehicle safe or meet regulations that are imposed on auto makers now.
This is not the age of build what ever you want and "Hope" that it's safe. We saw the results of that from the '30's to the '60's, hell seat belts were not even a requirement until the mid 60's
For every person that says the Camaro is a "Pig" needs to step off. If you want something that's light you better start taking out your Saws All and get to cutting. Take out the rear seat, head liner, trunk carpet, door moldings and plastics, passenger seat, dash board, and anything else that's making it heavy.
Honestly how many of you chair born dragsters take your cars out to an offical compatition and race your car. If you're that worried about how much the camaro is for race day, you better start striping it down or by something that is lighter from the factory. Profesional racers, use what is sponsered to them, ranger from Ford, GM, Dodge, Toyota, or what ever else. They MAKE the car lighter.

In all honesty NOBODY but GM knows what the new ZL-1 can do. They have been very generous to us the consumer when it comes to releasing information early on the car. Most auto makers wouldn't give out so much info and then have people spit on it and say do it better. I think GM has done a great job to provide a car that is the Fastest production camaro ever and still meet or exceed safety standards.

So I say GOOD JOB GM!!! I can't wait to get a new ZL-1, have fun in it and still take my kids to Daycare everymorning at 180mph....

[CamaroKid300]

fbodfather has spoken! Thank you Scott!

[Blue Maro Demon]

Originally Posted by fbodfather

You are certainly allowed your opinion.

What I would submit to you is that the world has changed. We live in a society that insists on rules and regulations. CAFE and Emissions standards along with safety standards are making it harder to offer inexpensive high performance as we saw in the 60s and very early 70s. You'd better brace yourself - because CAFE combined with the Law of Supply and Demand is surely going to price V8 engines higher and higher.

You don't like that and WE don't like that - but that doesn't matter to our elected officials in Washington.

I would beseech you to hold your judgement about the ZL1 until you have the opportunity to drive one or ride in one or witness firsthand what its capabilities are. It isn't your 'traditional' Camaro. While there are those (very few) that want crank windows and no air conditioning and the lightest possible car - there are many more who want a blindingly fast car - but that also offers a great ride - comfortable seats (for driving cross-country to the next Camaro5Fest ) -- with a level of refinement. Oh yes - and they want a 10,000 watt stereo that makes your ears bleed..........

As a manufacturer, we must look at the larger picture.....

(keep in mind that we're never finished - remember when we thought the LT1 was the cat's jammies???)

On a "personal" level - May I ask you to please stop with the "Pig" remarks. I promise not to call anyone in your family a "Pig" if you promise to stop calling my 'kids' Pigs...... K?

along those lines... this isn't 1969. We just announced that the Camaro gets a 5-star crash rating in every category. Every category. That isn't easy to engineer. That's also one of the reasons why the car weighs more than we'd like. Further, we - not you - have to hit those CAFE targets - so please understand that we are not being careless with the weight.

It's hard to promise that you'll "listen to the customer" knowing that no matter what you do - there will always be someone complaining about price or weight or *insert panic du jour here*...... The Camaro team does more to talk with its customers than any car or truck team out there....bar none..... That's a promise and a guarantee. And don't take my word for it - ask one of our Camaro Disciples.

If you happened to be around in January thru August of 2006, you may recall that there was great concern that GM would NOT build a Camaro that looked like the Camaro concept that we unveiled on January 9th of 2006. I personally talked to tens of thousands of people during those months - and ONE message came thru loud and clear: "BUILD IT AND IT HAD BETTER LOOK JUST LIKE THIS SILVER CONCEPT THAT I'M LOOKING AT!"

..........and so we did. Now - to "lose weight" - I'd love to hear your thoughts on how we do that. - I'd like indepth engineering analysis on how you would reduce the weight while keeping the larger picture in mind (so that we remain the top seller in the segment)

Should we cut it down to 90 percent of the current size? That doesn't work unless everyone who wants to drive it is 5 feet tall or less.

Make it out of aluminum and exotic materials? -- well -- you already told me that we priced the car too high.

change the style? Well - if we did, then some might accuse us of not listening to the customer.

Look - I don't mean to bash you - but before you bash us - please consider that there are many other opinions about this car that may be 180 degrees from where you view it.......

The team has been working 7 days a week since the early part of the new century........no, I'm not kidding. When we aren't working on the cars, we're out there talking to YOU - the enthusiast.

If I sound a bit 'cranky' -- it's probably because I am - look at some of the posts on here.

Now - tomorrow morning I'm going to walk into a convention center in Illinois with the ZL1 - and I'm going to once again listen to the voice of the customer - and I (and the team) will try to deliver a car that far exceeds the expectations of our enthusiasts - while also 'reaching' for those who many not have considered a Camaro in the past -- and we will have to make some hard, fast decisions.

Lastly - the Corvette may be in a league of its own - but it's still a Chevrolet and we still have Mustang owners who trade their pony in on a Corvette - so yes, we need to consider that -

Sorry if I sound like a crotchety old man - but the reality is that I've been talking to as many Camaro and Firebird and Mustang owners as humanly possible since the early 90s -- and sometimes my skin gets a bit thin when it's implied that we aren't listening.

Forgive me. Everything you see on this site that I post is MY OPINION and not necessarily that of the company for which I work. (and I'm sure there will be a few raised eyebrows after this post.............)

Scott, Me and all the Camaro enthusiasts appreciate how you and all the other members of the Camaro Team take time to hear from us. This is something unprecedented in the automotive industry. It just goes to show how passionate everyone at Chevrolet are at keeping the Camaro the best in its segment and the best that it can be. After all the 69 Camaro was voted by the people as the best Chevrolet of all time and is an iconic car. Me personally I would say its a tie between the 69' Camaro & the 63' Split window Corvette Stingray for best Chevy. But back on topic just wanted to let you know that I appreciate everything that you do and all the hard work the Camaro Team puts in tirelessly month after month. I am confident that it is because of this dedication that the Camaro will remain the best in its class for years to come!

[OldScoolCamaro]

Originally Posted by fbodfather

You are certainly allowed your opinion.

What I would submit to you is that the world has changed. We live in a society that insists on rules and regulations. CAFE and Emissions standards along with safety standards are making it harder to offer inexpensive high performance as we saw in the 60s and very early 70s. You'd better brace yourself - because CAFE combined with the Law of Supply and Demand is surely going to price V8 engines higher and higher.

You don't like that and WE don't like that - but that doesn't matter to our elected officials in Washington.

I would beseech you to hold your judgement about the ZL1 until you have the opportunity to drive one or ride in one or witness firsthand what its capabilities are. It isn't your 'traditional' Camaro. While there are those (very few) that want crank windows and no air conditioning and the lightest possible car - there are many more who want a blindingly fast car - but that also offers a great ride - comfortable seats (for driving cross-country to the next Camaro5Fest ) -- with a level of refinement. Oh yes - and they want a 10,000 watt stereo that makes your ears bleed..........

As a manufacturer, we must look at the larger picture.....

(keep in mind that we're never finished - remember when we thought the LT1 was the cat's jammies???)

On a "personal" level - May I ask you to please stop with the "Pig" remarks. I promise not to call anyone in your family a "Pig" if you promise to stop calling my 'kids' Pigs...... K?

along those lines... this isn't 1969. We just announced that the Camaro gets a 5-star crash rating in every category. Every category. That isn't easy to engineer. That's also one of the reasons why the car weighs more than we'd like. Further, we - not you - have to hit those CAFE targets - so please understand that we are not being careless with the weight.

It's hard to promise that you'll "listen to the customer" knowing that no matter what you do - there will always be someone complaining about price or weight or *insert panic du jour here*...... The Camaro team does more to talk with its customers than any car or truck team out there....bar none..... That's a promise and a guarantee. And don't take my word for it - ask one of our Camaro Disciples.

If you happened to be around in January thru August of 2006, you may recall that there was great concern that GM would NOT build a Camaro that looked like the Camaro concept that we unveiled on January 9th of 2006. I personally talked to tens of thousands of people during those months - and ONE message came thru loud and clear: "BUILD IT AND IT HAD BETTER LOOK JUST LIKE THIS SILVER CONCEPT THAT I'M LOOKING AT!"

..........and so we did. Now - to "lose weight" - I'd love to hear your thoughts on how we do that. - I'd like indepth engineering analysis on how you would reduce the weight while keeping the larger picture in mind (so that we remain the top seller in the segment)

Should we cut it down to 90 percent of the current size? That doesn't work unless everyone who wants to drive it is 5 feet tall or less.

Make it out of aluminum and exotic materials? -- well -- you already told me that we priced the car too high.

change the style? Well - if we did, then some might accuse us of not listening to the customer.

Look - I don't mean to bash you - but before you bash us - please consider that there are many other opinions about this car that may be 180 degrees from where you view it.......

The team has been working 7 days a week since the early part of the new century........no, I'm not kidding. When we aren't working on the cars, we're out there talking to YOU - the enthusiast.

If I sound a bit 'cranky' -- it's probably because I am - look at some of the posts on here.

Now - tomorrow morning I'm going to walk into a convention center in Illinois with the ZL1 - and I'm going to once again listen to the voice of the customer - and I (and the team) will try to deliver a car that far exceeds the expectations of our enthusiasts - while also 'reaching' for those who many not have considered a Camaro in the past -- and we will have to make some hard, fast decisions.

Lastly - the Corvette may be in a league of its own - but it's still a Chevrolet and we still have Mustang owners who trade their pony in on a Corvette - so yes, we need to consider that -

Sorry if I sound like a crotchety old man - but the reality is that I've been talking to as many Camaro and Firebird and Mustang owners as humanly possible since the early 90s -- and sometimes my skin gets a bit thin when it's implied that we aren't listening.

Forgive me. Everything you see on this site that I post is MY OPINION and not necessarily that of the company for which I work. (and I'm sure there will be a few raised eyebrows after this post.............)

A passionate man speaks from his heart. And Scott did just that.

[Z4me]

Thank you Scott you have a way with words, and many
of us really do appreciate your opinions and information.
Your passion may it never be swayed by the opinions
of the less informed and of bias intent.

[fbodfather]

Originally Posted by OldScoolCamaro

A passionate man speaks from his heart. And Scott did just that.

yeah -- it's definitely passion and I thank you for your kind words.....but i hate it that my patience has become thin due to a few people who have come to this site to do nothing more than cause trouble.

It's disrespectful to the owner and to the moderators of this site - and to the enthusiast community at large.

And Camaro guys and gals: I hope you have the good taste to not go to other brand sites and bash their products......

[VR Baron]

A mustang friend at work also said the new GT500 was going to be in the $70,000 range. Another thing to consider.