It is now early March, nearly two months after GM dropped its Camaro concept bombshell on the world. Along with the rest of the Camaro lovers, the GMHTP staff has experienced an emotional rollercoaster-first, back when quiet rumors began circulating about a Fifth-Gen car, it was uncertainty. When the concept was finally revealed in January, it was elation. And now, in the no-man's land between concept and approval, the anticipation is flat killing us.
GM High-Tech Performance always has and will continue to cover the General's specialized, high-performance vehicles that never enjoyed the production numbers like the F-body did. Really, what would this magazine be without the wheel-standing Buicks, the street-lethal Sy/Tys, or the big-boy Impy SS? And there are lots of Corvette rags out there, but I'd like to think that we crack the whip on America's Sports Car especially hard.
What I do know is that I love every minute of it. Variety is indeed the spice of life, and I wouldn't trade the above vehicles, whether in a press car or project capacity, for anything. One of the great joys of being editor of GMHTP is that I'm not stuck with one type of vehicle month in and month out.
But this magazine was built on Camaros and Firebirds, and there's been a great big hole in my heart since the F-body died. This is kind of odd, as I'm not one of these guys who has 10 Camaros or Firebirds in the garage. Believe it or not, I've never owned an F-body! But just as with last call at your favorite dive bar, proximity has a lot to do with what you take home. I guess I had enough jackass friends who let me beat on their Camaros-eventually a bond formed, and there's no getting rid of it now.
While there are many intangibles as to why the F-body was so appealing, the simplicity of a naturally aspirated V-8 jumps out at me. I was raised on temperamental turbo engines that relied on intercoolers, wastegates, and a host of complicated engine management parameters to perform well. Sure, if you get the tuning down they run like hell, but if you screw up, consequences are instantaneous and severe. I learned from an early age that you have to respect a turbo mill's authori-tay-or else. As such, you are much less apt to duplicate your hillbilly buddy's quarter-mile-long burnout when it means you may be replacing a headgasket afterwards. And we all know that F-bodies were made for quarter-mile-long burnouts!
It all boils down to the fact that nothing is more American than a rip-snortin', V-8-powered Camaro. Our little corner of the world has suffered greatly since 2002; the absence of the high-volume F-body has affected performance shops, retail businesses, and car magazines alike. We simply have to have a new Camaro from GM.
At the time of this column, the word is mum out of General Motors. Some insiders think it's almost too quiet, which could be a sign of Camaro progress. You can count on us to keep you up to date on the latest Camaro production information.
In the interim, I finally took the leap. Between a family, a move, and NYC's cost of living, it took some time to scrape together enough cash to buy a Camaro, but I got it done in February. After a few months of searching, I was able to find a 2001 Z28 hardtop six-speed (since converted to auto), sans power windows, locks, and seats. This is the first Camaro I've owned, and it will complement my low-option Turbo-T hardtop nicely.
Hopefully, as I'm bolting up goodies to my LS1, GM will be dropping LS3s and LS7s into new Camaros, and delivering them to dealerships near you. Keep your fingers crossed.