I was there @ Chicago Auto Show Camaro GTG. More ZL1 info.

[Justification]

Originally Posted by Mark Myles

Do we still order the electric passenger seat bolt on directly from GM, even if the dealership will not install for the customer..? Sounds strange to me...

M

and will it just be the mounting system or will we need to get a full seat?

[REAPER SS]

My favorite part was when he said that "I go to work every day wanting to do something to beat the mustang and challenger"'. He said Genesis 2 but my main concern is the mustang & challenger

[Bond]

Originally Posted by Justification

and will it just be the mounting system or will we need to get a full seat?

I'm willing to bet it will just be the mounting sys... and they'll hopefully even come up with a harness that we can plug into the drivers' seat.

Worthy investment indeed!

[Mark Myles]

Originally Posted by Bond

I'm willing to bet it will just be the mounting sys... and they'll hopefully even come up with a harness that we can plug into the drivers' seat.

Worthy investment indeed!

This is what I was thinking the kit would be. I just thought it was strange that the dealer would not install this......it was mentioned in a previous post.

M

[Camaro Lover]

Originally Posted by The_Blur

I was at the breakfast. Some of you guys were also there. It was great to meet those of you who were there. Most of you were C5G members also, so I'm sure that I'll be seeing more of you when I start going to some more meets in the area.

For everyone not there, the Chicago Auto Show is a huge event, and GM took out an enormous amount of space for the Volt driving range and the rest of the Chevrolet booth. I would describe the Chevrolet section as 40% Volt, 40% Camaro, and 20% everything else.

Before going up to the display, some of us got to ask some important questions about the Camaro to some of the greats at Chevrolet, including John Fitzpatrick (marketing), Al Oppenheiser (engineering), Scott Settlemire (fbodfather and self-described "VP of Very Cool Things"). I took pages of notes on questions and answers. I'll give you some of the most important information.

GM put 2.2 million miles under the Camaro coupe before we ever saw them. It was frustrating to watch GM drive these cars while we all drooled, but it was worth it. All of that work led to the finely tuned machines we drive today. GM did it right.

There were 15 million 4th generation order combinations. At one point in the discussion this came up because Settlemire was having a talk with someone else at GM. He was told that you can't have fog lights without power windows. It seemed strange but the reason was sound. Without the wiring harness, GM couldn't install the fog lamps, so GM had to hike up the price of that harness and features associated with it because the car had too many different packages. With the 5th generation Camaro, we all might wish it had just 1 more thing that no one else wants or even 1 less thing because we don't need it. GM made it this way because it just makes the most sense and makes everyone happy. If you want something different, GM wants to encourage you to make it yours.

"It is a track car. It is a drag car." Al Oppenheiser described the ZL1 as a machine intended to race. Those of you who get one will not be disappointed. When asked about what benchmarks GM had in mind, all three of them simply said that they want to be the best.

The steering wheel is functional. Besides turning the car, it is also smaller to give you a better grip on the car. You'll need it when you're tearing through a track at 150 mph.

The ZL1 will have all colors available. While they have not decided whether any additional colors or future colors will be offered on the ZL1, they said that the logical choice would be to share all Camaro colors on all Camaros because they are all built together.

Keep your garbage to yourself. Can we come up with a new term for the big mufflers? They didn't seem to like the term "garbage can" when it came up.

GM is "always looking for opportunities." When there is an opportunity for GM to enter a market, it will do all the proper research and decide what to do. This came up a lot.

There is no confirmation of the Z28. I'm sorry guys. They said that they are "looking for opportunities." They also said that fist fights break out over things like the Z28 because there is so much passion about what it means. If it makes sense, it sounds like GM would do it.

"The saga continues." Scott Settlemire said only that the saga continues when asked if Shunt is in the trunk.

The last thing that happens is pricing. GM has not even come close to deciding the price of the car because GM does not know for sure how much it will cost to build.

May the best car win. Compare the Camaro to well-known luxury brands. Notice how the patterns all match across the Camaro's interior even though each of those panels may be made by a different manufacturer. All of the blacks are the same black. Now go find a major luxury car manufacturer. Do the blacks match? Does the texture feel consistent across panels? Is it the same stitching all over the interior? GM wins.

This is the ZL1 interior. It is based on the current interior. The obvious changes include suede, which they suggest might be an option. I'm guessing the suede might be replaced with another option in other ZL1s.

The ducts are functional. If there is a duct on the car, it works. The brakes have ducts, like the Z06. The hood has heat extractors and even carbon fiber. They all work.

Bob Lutz had a direction. Lutz told them to hit the concept with the 2010 Camaro. They hit it within "a gnat's ass." The new direction is to be the best and stay there.

They are listening. The Camaro team is quietly online looking for feedback. They said some of the people you already know online are members of the Camaro team, and we have no idea who they are. When we post how we feel about something, GM pays very close attention.

Convertibles will have black or beige canvas tops. They had really bad experiences with vinyl in testing, and the white looked awful once it got dirty.

Testing involves the competition. The convertible top is way better than the Mustang. The Camaro is designed to beat the competition. When GM builds a car, they want it to win all the time, so they figure out what the competition is doing and beat it.

Short passengers, rejoice. There is a 6-way driver and passenger seat. They wanted to do this in 2010, but safety regulations got in the way. Apparently, the new passenger seat will be able to bolt into all current 5th generation Camaros. If you have a really short passenger, you can install an adjustable seat. Your dealer won't do it, but it would make a good DIY project. In fact, do it, and then post a Camaro5 DIY discussion.

I took some footage of Al Oppenheiser publicly introducing the ZL1. Please enjoy.

PART 1



PART 2

Blur... thank for putting this together. Looking forward to seeing you at meets in Chicagoland.

[SSmoked]

Originally Posted by Orange5thGen

It looks awesome!!! Not cheep at all.....

I figured as much. Thanks for comfirming.

[94turbolsx]

Originally Posted by Mark Myles

Do we still order the electric passenger seat bolt on directly from GM, even if the dealership will not install for the customer..? Sounds strange to me...

M

It is against the law for a business to modify any part of an airbag system, replacement procedures are very regulated and same model year parts have to be used. The weight sensor in the seat and the seat mounted bags are why no dealer will touch this swap . I think Al just told everyone without directly saying it, the sensor and bags in the new power seat is ok plugged into the older cars, so you can do the swap yourself.

[DoggyB22]

Good write up... GM def did hit the mark with the ZL1. Even my friends who are die hard Ford fans like it! I think some people are disappointed that its not the Z28 but I still have hope that Chevy will surprise us with a Z28 for the Boss 302 after the ZL1 comes out.

SS>GT
ZL1>GT500
Z28>Boss 302

[The_Blur]

Originally Posted by Libertyforall1776

Umm, what about the FAKE rear brake ducts (gills)?! I would rather they go away or become functional...

Those are exactly the same as the ones on the first generation. The cowl-shaped hood doesn't do anything but look good on all current Camaros. Should it be replaced?

The front brake ducts work like the ducts on the Z06 according to the chief engineer, Al Oppenheiser.

Originally Posted by Libertyforall1776

HUH?! The top on my 4th Gen convertible looks just fine when it gets dirty (I think the material is vinyl, definitely NOT fabric) and cleans up well -- looks much better as a white than fabric, IMHO.

"Convertibles will have black or beige canvas tops. They had really bad experiences with vinyl in testing, and the white looked awful once it got dirty. "

I'm just referencing what I heard. They had a problem with the vinyl getting stuck and not cooperating. They also talked about past color issues with white.

[Mr. Wyndham]

Thanks for the run-down, Blur!!

Wow, they're putting a lot of work into this car.

Originally Posted by Libertyforall1776

Umm, what about the FAKE rear brake ducts (gills)?! I would rather they go away or become functional...

They aren't brake ducts, so they aren't fake.

But it would be nice to make them functional...however...the cost of stamping required would far outweigh any benefit...the rear brakes don't need nearly as much attention as the front. And those are cooled with direct ducting, just like the Z06/ZR1.

Originally Posted by The_Blur

Those are exactly the same as the ones on the first generation. The cowl-shaped hood doesn't do anything but look good on all current Camaros. Should it be replaced?

Well...on the ZL1, it serves to make room for the supercharger's intercooler...

[fbodfather]

Originally Posted by Libertyforall1776

HUH?! The top on my 4th Gen convertible looks just fine when it gets dirty (I think the material is vinyl, definitely NOT fabric) and cleans up well -- looks much better as a white than fabric, IMHO.

"Convertibles will have black or beige canvas tops. They had really bad experiences with vinyl in testing, and the white looked awful once it got dirty. "

Before I go any further - let me say that I personally love a white convertible top - and if it were easily doable, we would.

Al referred to a Canvas that's almost white - but it's canvas - not vinyl - and it has some real issues when it gets dirty.

The problem with vinyl is that it has different stretching properties than does canvas. We had to put it on hold in 1999 because the closing effort was unusually high - (esp. when cold) - the fix was to allow more material -- which caused 'ballooning' at speed.

Is there demand for white tops (besides me and a few others?)

1999-- 502 units (of which over 100 were orderd by GM for Indy and Brickyard)

2000 -- 73 units
2001 -- 73 units
2002 -- 208 units

.......so the demand isn't really there.

Further - the competition does not offer white - in fact, I cannot find a white convertible top offered by any convertible manufacturer other than Bentley and Rolls Royce........

So - while I really want it as an option, the data suggests that we'd be better spending the validation dollars (extensive) on other things.......

[fbodfather]

Originally Posted by Ringo

The last thing is pricing? I don't believe that for a minute I don't care who said it. It's clearly meant to compete with the GT-500, so I'd expect it to fall in that general price range. They had to of had a general price range in mind from the start, what it would sell for versus cost to make.

Why would we outright lie to you about something like this?

Yes - a 'general price range' but trust me, we do not know what the price will be........we are still working on the car -

[KATHY63]

Originally Posted by SSmoked

Since you guys got up close and personal with it lemme ask you something. The front lip, side skirt, and rear valance in the black pastic it is now, does it looks cheap in person. I ask this because in some photos it looks good and other photos it appears cheap.
Another question that you might or might not be able to answer. I personal love the suede on the inside for 1 its function over leather and 2 its higher end look and feel. but it being an option what will be standerd? id assume leather in the same place the suede is.

Im soo looking forward to the day i can see this car in person.

We were at the breakfast yesterday and we liked the ground effects much better. They blend in more with the car and I don't think that they looked cheap at all. The rims are also awesome. Too bad we couldn't hear it. I just want to thank everyone at GM because this was a very cool thing that they did for us. We will see a lot of you at Oshawa. We were also told it is not going to be a $43,000 car. You have to consider what engine you are getting in this beast. Thanks again guys!

[HumanWiki]

Originally Posted by Orange5thGen

I would like to thank Scott Settlemire, John Fitzpatrick, and Al Oppenheiser for spending a lot of time answering our questions and for the love of the Camaro.

Ditto.. Having parts of my car and the Monroney sticker signed by them is like having a model Enterprise signed by William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and James Doohan.. (I'm a Trekker)