SOME rambling thoughts about Camaro...

[fbodfather]

At 9:04 am on August 27, 2002, the last 4th gen Camaro and Firebird rolled off the assembly line at Ste. Therese, Quebec.

The VINS were 22712466 and 22172467.................

It was a very bad day for a lot of people --
........................esp. the proud men and women who built them.



I'll never forget that day because it was the day that my family buried a favorite uncle who was a mentor to me.......

.........and the cars that I dearly loved went on hiatus.


I think that some of you may remember that day as well.


There were some that declared the Camaro dead.......forever.

Others - like you -- kept the faith.



Fast forward to January 9, 2006.
Camaro enthusiasts rejoiced when the Silver Concept made its way from behind the stage at Cobo Center in Detroit, Michigan.........and as anyone who was actually in the Chevy Exhibit will tell you -- the crowd went nuts.

I got many emails that week -- a few were not favorable -- but at least 99% were - I'll never forget what one person wrote to me:

"......Mr. Settlemire -- the beauty of what I witnessed today brought me to my knees....." I do know this: there were a lot of wet eyes.....



There were some that said the Camaro would never come back.

Others - like you -- kept the faith.



Fast forward to August of 2006 -- when Rick Wagoner and Ed Peper held simultaneous news conferences to announce to the world that the Camaro would, indeed be back -- and that we'd build it for sale in the early part of 2009. Many of you were present at the GM Tech Center to watch the Silver concept roll up for the announcement -- surrounded by many historic Camaros.



There were some that said "The Camaro will never look like that -- it will look completely different........"

Others - like you -- kept the faith.




And then the rumors started........

.....and then the pictures leaked.........

.........and the first picture to leak was of a white IVER in a garage .....a very unflattering picture.........



There were some that said "SEE!!!....a horrible looking car! It's fat....it does not look like the concept car in the least!....."

Others - like you -- kept the faith and said "I'll wait to see it in person...."




And then more information leaked out........

And still a few have negative things to say about the pictures they're seeing -- or jumping to conclusions after hearing rumors.




Others - like you -- continue to keep the faith.


The media that have driven it LOVE it......and those who have seen the cars in person are blown away by just how much they look like the concept car -- and they can hardly wait to get their hands on it........



Yes -- it's been a tough, emotional 6 years..........

........but I can hardly wait to see the faces and expressions of those of you making your way to Indy in September --



To those of you who have kept the faith - I thank you from the bottom of my bow-tie shaped heart.

YOU are the ones to whom we dedicate this new Camaro!
__________________

[BowtieGuy]

I think I may cry myself.

Thank YOU Father, for giving us all something to have faith in.

[The_Blur]

Originally Posted by fbodfather

At 9:04 am on August 27, 2002, the last Camaro and Firebird rolled off the assembly line at Ste. Therese, Quebec.



It was a very bad day for a lot of people --
........................esp. the proud men and women who built them.



I'll never forget that day because it was the day that my family buried a favorite uncle who was a mentor to me.......

.........and the cars that I dearly loved went on hiatus.


I think that some of you may remember that day as well.


There were some that declared the Camaro dead.......forever.

Others - like you -- kept the faith.



Fast forward to January 9, 2006.
Camaro enthusiasts rejoiced when the Silver Concept made its way from behind the stage at Cobo Center in Detroit, Michigan.........and as anyone who was actually in the Chevy Exhibit will tell you -- the crowd went nuts.

I got many emails that week -- a few were not favorable -- but at least 99% were - I'll never forget what one person wrote to me:

"......Mr. Settlemire -- the beauty of what I witnessed today brought me to my knees....." I do know this: there were a lot of wet eyes.....



There were some that said the Camaro would never come back.

Others - like you -- kept the faith.



Fast forward to August of 2006 -- when Rick Wagoner and Ed Peper held simultaneous news conferences to announce to the world that the Camaro would, indeed be back -- and that we'd build it for sale in the early part of 2009. Many of you were present at the GM Tech Center to watch the Silver concept roll up for the announcement -- surrounded by many historic Camaros.



There were some that said "The Camaro will never look like that -- it will look completely different........"

Others - like you -- kept the faith.




And then the rumors started........

.....and then the pictures leaked.........

.........and the first picture to leak was of a white IVER in a garage .....a very unflattering picture.........



There were some that said "SEE!!!....a horrible looking car! It's fat....it does not look like the production car in the least!....."

Others - like you -- kept the faith and said "I'll wait to see it in person...."




And then more information leaked out........

And still a few have negative things to say about the pictures they're seeing -- or jumping to conclusions after hearing rumors.




Others - like you -- continue to keep the faith.



Yes -- it's been a tough, emotional 6 years..........

........but I can hardly wait to see the faces and expressions of those of you making your way to Indy in September --

To those of you who have kept the faith - I thank you from the bottom of my bow-tie shaped heart.

YOU are the ones to whom we dedicate this new Camaro!
__________________

[greenrail]

Amen! Scott.

Add to that the fact that I feel pretty strongly about the new car. Every chance I get I talk to people about it. (Usually when asked!)

Having said that, to take it one step further, it is up to many of us to do likewise. I for one would love to see a sixth generation before I kick the bucket. It will be intersting to see if that comes about and what it could turn out to be.

[boxmonkeyracing]

wow great words. wish I could be going to indy.

[Txturbo]

Thanks Scott....I WILL be at Indy to see them in person. Indy is my vacation for this year and I told my boss I was going no matter what, even if I had to quit and get a new job when I get back.

[Robert91RS]

[AZCamaroFan]

Okay i missed something again. what's a IVER?

[tribone]

AMEN!!!!

[CamaroSpike23]

Originally Posted by azfan

Okay i missed something again. what's a IVER?

Quote from here: http://www.chevrolet.com/camaro/insi...y/?id=cid00013

The abbreviation IVER stands for "Integration Vehicle Engineering Release." So the end vehicle is the culmination of the computational and hardware development of all the vehicle subsystems. It's also the only time we will prototype a whole vehicle in the real world.

What do we use an IVER vehicle for? Well, it performs many functions in all areas of the business, including engineering, manufacturing, quality, marketing, etc. Its significance to the program is paramount; however, as in the case of quality, manufacturing, and engineering, the focus shifts from the virtual world to the physical world. It is also the time when the program shifts from development to validation.

[radz28]

You thank us? I think it's the other way around. I think we all should thank you. I personally wish to THANK YOU for keeping my spirits up and offering as much information as you can. I'm sure it can't be easy reading some of the posts you read, but I believe, for a lot of us, your continuous dedication will be totally appreciated in September, and moreso when we sit in our own new Camaro.

Thank you Mr. Settlemire for everything you've done and I can't wait for the day I can get the keys for my first brand new Camaro. I don't think there are going to be too many other days in my life that I will be more proud and happy.

[CatiaJockey]

I kept the faith and I can't wait to meet you at Indy. I hope you're up for an autograph, I'll be wanting one of those too.

[dayvedayve]

Yes I agree...
No, Thank you and the rest of GM employees that worked on the rebirth. I am sure it would have been easier on all of you if when you went to the GM big wigs and said "we need this for the new Camaro or what we want for the new Camaro" and they said why they didn't sell before that is why we cut them", you didn't give up. All those that helped and drove the project to get this "American" classic back on the road deserve all the thanks we can give them.

[RB43TD]

No sir, Thank you! I was in no way associated with this project, yet with the updates from you and the little info drops here and there I still felt like a team member just sitting in the background watching this beautiful concept become beautiful reality.

Does anyone know if there is a place on the forum where I can see this "white IVER in a garage .....a very unflattering picture"? I don't believe I've seen this one.