CAMARO NO CAMO !!!!!

[Jeff]

Just to make sure everyone is clear on this, I'm not the one who posted negatively about the Camaro. As I have no "Y" in the end of my name . lol.

Anyways Jeffy.. I completely disagree with you.. What do you mean the Camaro has no style.. But hey, everyone in the world is different and thats what makes it go around...... i guess........

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by Jeff

Just to make sure everyone is clear on this, I'm not the one who posted negatively about the Camaro. As I have no "Y" in the end of my name . lol.

We would NEVER make that comparison, my friend.

And take it easy, everyone. His first post on a Camaro board was this - letting it bother you only proves he got what he wanted.

[stovt001]

Chevy has deceptively small-looking trunks. If you look at the end of my Cobalt, it looks about the size of a glove box. But pop open the lid and it has a trunk that rivals most mid-sizers. My complaint is the trunk opening. For such a large trunk, the opening is very small. It appears that the opening is much better on the Camaro. I certainly hope so, as it is a shame to see such excellent trunk space (especially with the very nice use of struts instead of goose neck hinges) yet be unable to fit anything in there due to the small opening.

[Sterling]

Even the Corvette can fit 2 golf bags in its trunk. I'm sure the Camaro will have plenty of space back there. I am concerned about the opening though. I was hoping to see a change in the production model and see that space between the taillights incorporated into the trunk lid.

[KILLER74Z28]

GM uncovers the pre-production Camaro
From now on Camaros will be tested without camouflage, GM says, so bring out your cameras.
By Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNNMoney.com staff writer
January 4 2008: 1:43 PM EST

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The production version of the highly anticipated Chevrolet Camaro won't be officially revealed for some time yet but, in a highly unusual move, GM won't hide the car from prying spy photographers during test drives anymore.

Magazines and car enthusiasts pay top dollar for "spy shots" of early pre-production cars, which are usually covered in black cloth and stripes of tape to try to hide their appearance, as the cars undergo testing on public roads.

In fact, several companies now specialize in selling these pictures, while car companies do their best - or at least claim to do their best - to keep their future products under wraps.

"It's really a cat-and-mouse game between spy photographers and car companies that benefits everybody," said John Neff, editor of Autoblog.com, a Website that posted several Camaro spy photos. (Autoblog.com, like CNNMoney.com, is a Time Warner property.)

Starting now, however, the Chevrolet Camaro isn't playing coy. Want to take a shot? Go for it, GM (GM, Fortune 500) says. When Camaro prototypes go out on public roads for testing they'll be totally naked.

"During this upcoming year, pre-production Camaros will appear both on U.S. and Australian roads as we continue with testing and development," Chevrolet general manager Ed Peper wrote in a post on GM's FastLane blog. "So keep those camera phones ready - if you happen to see one, we'd like to hear about it, so please post a comment and include your 'spy photo!'"

Engineering and development for GM's new rear-wheel-drive cars is taking place in Australia. That's because rear-wheel-drive cars are more common there, making GM's Australian engineers the company's rear-wheel-drive experts.

The FastLane post was accompanied by a "spy photo" GM says was taken by one of the company's engineers.

The main reason for removing the camouflage, according to Peper's post, was to facilitate tests for aerodynamics and cooling efficiency.

But even high-performance cars like the Corvette ZR1, for which aerodynamics and cooling would be especially important, are covered up during public testing. That's made some people skeptical that this is the real reason for the decision. Certainly the move would help juice publicity for the car.

In the case of the Camaro, there wasn't really much of a secret to protect, though. The company has said the production car would closely resemble concept versions that have been seen at car shows and in the movie "The Transformers."

Some executive wondered: "Why are we camouflaging something that's so close to the coupe and convertible that are already on the auto show circuit?" said Chevrolet spokesman Terry Rhadigan.

Even so, there has been a lot of interest in spy photos of the car. On the morning that GM's decision was announced, Autoblog.com posted images of a test Camaro on a parked transport truck. The images included detailed shots of the car's interior and the inside of an open door.

Seeing the potential for damage or injuries as photographers try to get close to the cars, GM may have decided that "at this point everybody is safer just taking off the camouflage," said Brenda Priddy, a professional automotive spy photographer.

Priddy, who has spent 15 years taking spy photos of cars, did not take the pictures posted on Autoblog.com. For her part, she said, she would never actually touch or reach into a car, which is a car company's private property, to get a shot.

A representative for the company that distributed the photos of the test Camaro's interior did not immediately respond to questions about how the photos were obtained.

The decision announced Thursday was made weeks ago, said GM's Rhadigan. It was not made in response to those specific photos, he said.

"This was not by any means a knee-jerk reaction to something we saw on the Internet," Rhadigan said.

Besides, said spy shooter Priddy, why should GM let people like her profit from all the interest in GM's car?

[Mr. Wyndham]

What other car merits so much attention that people are risking harm to themselves just to get a shot of the unfinished prototypes.

I'm loving the consumer-base outlook for this car
EDIT: just found a great resolution pic from ChevyNation:
much clearer than the other one that's floating around

[balonywolf]

Agreed. I've never seen a car's production be so oriented toward the people who will own it one day. God knows Dodge has done nothing remotely like this with the Challenger - they've given no information on the car and demanded that everyone buy the overpriced limited production run sight unseen. Where Dodge alienated a lot of its customers with the release of that car, Chevy is embracing its masses and attracting new enthusiasts (like myself).

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by sterlingnotes

Even the Corvette can fit 2 golf bags in its trunk. I'm sure the Camaro will have plenty of space back there. I am concerned about the opening though. I was hoping to see a change in the production model and see that space between the taillights incorporated into the trunk lid.

Yeah but the Vette doesn't have a rear seat but is just a little smaller than the Camaro. The space is impressive though, one time on discovery I saw a guy load up a disasembled motorcyle into his corvette and take it over for paint

[Jeffy]

Originally Posted by Jeff

Just to make sure everyone is clear on this, I'm not the one who posted negatively about the Camaro. As I have no "Y" in the end of my name . lol.

LOL...

I'm guessing most of you were not born when the Camaro first came out in the late 60's.
I myself had a yellow 69 back in the early 70's.
Compairing what I had with today style just doesn't do for me.
Son-in-law has a mustang and it sure looks like the ones from my early years and I'm sure Dodge Challenger, once it comes out will also remind me of those good ol'days. But this Camaro has no retro style.
BTY - Nobody has any comments about those backup lens. Guess you'll agree it doesn't look good.
Time to sign off and go play 18 holes of golf.

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by Jeffy

But this Camaro has no retro style.

It's not supposed to. That's what sets it apart from the other three. It took design cues, such as the haunches, and the grille/headlamp asembly, and a couple others...but it wasn't meant to be Retro.

As per the reverse lamps I DO like 'em. I think they add to the sharpness of the car. A little random location to put them...but

[Angrybird 12]

Originally Posted by stovt001

For gas caps, I have honestly never noticed any extra effort having to go around to the passenger side to fill up. I'm one of those very rare un-Americans who thinks nothing of walking a couple extra feet. I take the stairs to my cube every day, as I work on the second floor (first floor for our friends across the pond), yet all of my coworkers take the elevator. As far as sitting in the car and pumping a few extra gallons in after it shuts off, both are no-nos. Sitting in the car supposedly increases static electricity build-up, and while I'm sure the threat is exaggerated, you're still technically not supposed to do that. Topping off is a real thing to never do though. The cut-off point is set for a reason, and pumping in more after it shuts itself off just floods the charcoal canister and will likely lead to costly repairs down the line. Really, you should never do that. Getting an extra 2 tenths of a gallon in the tank is just not worth it. And with people causing problems when you pull in head-to-head.....

We have a Gas Station here that has 8 rows of pumps and two pumps per row, with the ability to fill to either side of the car, and a big sign as you enter says to follow the arrows and enter in the same direction, and still 1/4 of the people will drive around the sign and come in the other way... I see now why Florida had such a problem with those Ballots in 2000, 1/4 of the people can't read instructions or follow arrows..... Geesh...

Oh sometimes a pump will cut off pre mature because of various reasons, such as a pressure drop in the pump from someone else starting to use on. this happens alot if there are many using the gas pumps at the same time... I have had it cut off and when I started my car it only went to 7/8's full... I always give the handle another squeeze to make sure it didn't cut off too soon.

The static build up is not exaggerated. you can get a healthy spark when you touch the handle of the gas nozzle. and if there are enough fumes present.. well you know what can happen. Even if you are getting out for the first time it is a good practice to touch something metal BEFORE you touch the gas Nozzle.

[acscamarochick06]

Originally Posted by Jeffy

LOL...

I'm guessing most of you were not born when the Camaro first came out in the late 60's.
I myself had a yellow 69 back in the early 70's.
Compairing what I had with today style just doesn't do for me.
Son-in-law has a mustang and it sure looks like the ones from my early years and I'm sure Dodge Challenger, once it comes out will also remind me of those good ol'days. But this Camaro has no retro style.
BTY - Nobody has any comments about those backup lens. Guess you'll agree it doesn't look good.
Time to sign off and go play 18 holes of golf.

We currently own a 1969 SS Camaro that has been in the family since 1970. I can see a lot of similarities between the Concept/Prototype and the 69 model. The Camaro was not meant to have Retro styling, that is why it is DIFFERENT from the others. And I absolutely LOVE the reverse lenses.

If you're so worried about the styling, the answer is simple: Don't buy one. I'm sure there is another person in the world that will take your place and will go out and purchase a new Camaro. You won't affect the success of the Camaro either way, I assure you.

[Silverado]

There's a difference between retro styling and a modern interpretation of an older style.

The Challenger is obviously retro styling....they basically took the old car and remade it (at times, it looks like they just broke out the old molds/stamps/dies to build the thing). I don't really think the Mustang falls into the retro styling (although more so than the Camaro), I personally think both Ford and Chevy are doing the modern interpretation....using styling cues, rather than just copying what they've done before.

Although, I've said for a long time that if GM really wanted to sell Camaros/Firebirds (in addition to finally marketing them), they could easily go back, get the molds/stamps/dies/etc and crank them out with today's materials/engines/suspensions/etc and they would sell them all quickly (Ford with the Mustang and T-Bird to some extent could do the same, as could Chrysler with the Challenger/Cuda....they're just pricing themselves out of it). I would say the popularity of the current/upcoming "muscle car" segment backs that up. Ford sells a lot of Mustangs. GM will sell a lot of Camaros. Chrysler will sell all of their Challengers (although to a slightly different market...more collectors) and they sell a lot of Chargers (although to a slightly different market...more family oriented..being 4-door and all). But they sell. And, after all, that is the point.

[Jay]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

As per the reverse lamps I DO like 'em. I think they add to the sharpness of the car. A little random location to put them...but

Come-on Dragon.... don't lose your criticism skills in all your excitement for the Camaro, lol.... those back up lamps don't add to the sharpness..., it would look much cleaner without them.

But I guess to each there own.