Possible 2008 Chevy Camaro - Impressing Critics

GM willing, January 9, 2006, was the first day of the rest of your performance life.

With the revelation of two edgy, retro Camaro concepts, GM has impressed critics and fans alike-and judging from the public's response and statements from GM brass, an affordable, V-8-powered Camaro could be reborn as early as 2008!

Media representatives and Camaro enthusiasts alike, literally crammed into Detroit's Cobo Hall, were treated to a parade of some of the most memorable First-Generation Camaros ever made before the Camaro concept appeared. Once its futuristic-meets-First-Gen sheetmetal took the stage, it became clear that GM-and its much-insulted design team-took this vehicle very seriously.

The car was very similar to the model leaked onto the Internet only weeks before. Broken into sections, this concept has some excellent angles. One of the most powerful and passionate statements comes from a direct side view, which is RetroMod incarnate with its First-Gen roofline and haunches.

There are also some weak points: the rear end seems a bit bulky, and the nose is smashed in. But when taken in as a complete vehicle, the strong sections easily overpower the weaker ones, and the end result is a fascinating mix of old and new-not a complete knockout, but very, very close. And keep in mind--this is a much more original design than the knock-off Challenger. It's easier to score big when you base most of the design on the original musclecar!

Rolling stock consists of massive, 21-inch front/22-inch rear rims of a classic 5-spoke design, with equally impressive 14-inch brakes. The drivetrain would no doubt challenge those big binders, as a 400-horse LS2 V-8 puts the power down through a six-speed manual gearbox. An interesting addition to that LS2 is the use of Active Fuel Management, which is said to be able to shut down four cylinders under light load conditions.

One concerning aspect of this concept is the use of an independent rear suspension. When you combine GM's IRS problems from the past few years with future Camaro owners hoping for a mid-$20,000 base price, we'd be very curious to see how a production version of this concept could be kept, in Bob Lutz's words, "highly affordable" and an "astonishing value," without subjecting V-8 owners to broken halfshafts at the first hint of wheelhop. A production version of this IRS, when compared with a live rear axle, may be a step up in ride quality, but GM had better consider using an IRS at least as strong as the '05 GTOs if they want to avoid problems.

That being said, in my eyes, this concept is as bold and innovative as the GM brass wanted it to be, and is "this close" styling-wise to start a revolution.

But that's just one auto writer's opinion--what did you think? Is it too over-the-top? Did GM go too far with the styling? Is this the type of car that grabs you from the get-go, or is it lacking in enough areas to cause concern?

Let me know what you think, send your comments to rick.jensen@primedia.com.