Rick Flair Camaro SS

I came across a blog post featuring famous people next to there new Camaro. I’m not really into the celebrity culture, but being that the Camaro is not quite exotic (though it did win International Design Car of the Year at this year’s NY Auto Show) I was curious as to who else is proud to be seen next to or behind the wheel of one of these muscular machines. Those of you who frequent TMZ or whatever other entertainment sites the kids are into these days may already be familiar with the following celebrity Camaro owners:

• Brad Pitt
• Lebron James
• John Cena
• Rick Flair
• Nate Clements
• Jim Jones (You can barely make out his Camaro in the 3rd photo down)

Camaro SS

After decades of being the No. 1 brand in Northeast Ohio, Chevrolet fell behind Ford last year. Chevy dealers don’t want that to be a trend.

So when organizers of the Cleveland Auto Show tried to see if several different brands wanted to get together to create an indoor test track at the I-X Center, Chevy dealers said no. They wanted the whole track for themselves.

“I think it’s going to be packed from open to close,” said Rob Patterson, Chevrolet zone manager for much of Ohio and western Pennsylvania.

There will be two free indoor test tracks at the show this year – the Chevy track and Camp Jeep, a smaller course at that brand’s exhibit. The Jeep exhibit was a popular feature at several auto shows in 2007 and 2008, but it was not in Cleveland last year.

Patterson said at the GM track the visitor can drive either at Chevy Malibu, a Camaro or an Equinox crossover. At the Jeep exhibit, the show visitor is a passenger in a vehicle driven by a product specialist.

Auto show chairman Gary Adams said he was surprised when the Chevrolet dealers group snapped up all of the space for the test track. Because of the large amount of space needed, he had assumed that no brand would want to take on all of the expense alone.

“It’s costly because it’s indoor space,” Adams said.

Adams and Patterson declined to share the cost of the new exhibit, but both said it was a major investment by Chevrolet dealers.

Patrick O’Brien, general manager of Pat O’Brien Chevrolet in Westlake, said he was excited about getting show visitors behind the wheel of a Camaro. He said the muscle car could attract a lot of attention to the display.

“It’s a great car, and not a lot of people have gotten a chance to drive one,” O’Brien said.

Though it’s 1,000 feet long, the indoor test track isn’t the ideal place to try out such as powerful sports car. Adams said the show is hoping speeds will stay well below 20 miles per hour.

“I’d love to get it up around 80, but that’s probably not a good idea indoors,” Adams said.

Story by Robert Schoenberger, The Plain Dealer

Chevy Camaro SS indy Pace Car

This year, the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS enjoyed the honor of pacing both the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500 – two races that could arguably be considered the traditional pinnacles of American motorsports. Now, it has apparently been decided that the Camaro’s performance was good enough to bring it back for the 2010 Indianapolis 500 with a brand-new livery.

This year’s Chevy Camaro SS Indy 500 Pace Car features the stock 426-hp 6.2L V-8, but adds an RS appearance package and a leather interior with Inferno Orange interior accents. Indy 500 logos can be found on the doors and on each headrest, while Indy 500 badges garnish the front fenders. New for this year’s Indy 500 Pace Car is a unique front grille that Chevrolet will add to the options list in the future, while the obvious light bar also takes its place in the rear window.

“Chevrolet has done it again with the 2010 Chevy Camaro SS Pace Car, it is simply beautiful,” said Jeff Belskus, president and CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation. “The car’s tribute to ‘500′ history and its sports car feel will be a big hit with our fans, and it will look great leading the Indianapolis 500 field on race day.”

The 2010 Indianapolis 500 is set to kick off Sunday, May 30.  Click here for more images

Source: Motor Trend

2011 Camaro Z28

There are unconfirmed reports that the supercharged, 500 plus horsepower Chevy Camaro Z28 program is back on track. The Z28 was to be the top-of-the-line option when the new fifth-generation car graced us in 2010, but it was shelved during GM’s financial crisis.

It looks like the Camaro Z28 might be back on track now and will likely feature a distinctive body kit, new hood, spoiler, and of course different wheels. Underneath the restyled hood will reside the supercharged 6.2-liter LSA V8 that currently powers the Cadillac CTS-V and we expect in the neighborhood of 550 horses.

Chevelle SS

Chevrolet set the horsepower bar high with its first production SS car-the 1961 Impala. While most manufactures were happy with a 300-horsepower engine, Chevrolet rated its first 409 at 360 horsepower. And in 1962, they raised that to 409 horsepower. Nothing looked or sounded more impressive in the summer of 1962 than a glistening black Impala SS rolling through a drive-in- restaurant with 409 flags visible on the front fender.

Thanks to the GTO, Chevy decide to make the
SS option mean something

But “Super Sport” wasn’t always synonymous with “fast,” at least not in some cases. In 1962 Chevrolet allowed any of its engines to be included with the SS option, including its inline six-cylinders. (Why Chevy Why!) Product planners continued with this strategy until they saw the success of Pontiac’s 1964 GTO. In 1965 Chevrolet released a small production run of Chevelle Malibus equipped with its 396 engine: the legendary Z-16s. In 1966 Chevrolet made horsepower available to the masses and equipped the new SS396 Chevelle, which featured the potent 396-cubic-inch Mark IV big-block as standard equipment. They made another strong horsepower statement in 1967 with the release of the Camaro SS with its 350 and 396 engine options.

In 1968, much of what was being written about the muscle car focused on Plymouth’s new Road Runner, a stripped-down, midsized car with high-horsepower engine. Chevrolet also released its new Nova SS, also a stripped-down, midsize car with a high-horsepower engine.

Chevy unleased it’s SS 454

Throughout the late 1960s, Chevrolet offered several versions of its 396 in the Chevelle, Camaro, and Nova. Customers who wanted more horsepower could purchase it through Chevrolet’s Central Office Production Order (COPO) system. Then in 1970, Chevrolet unleashed its SS454 Chevelle with the famous LS6-a 450-horsepower, 454-cubic-inch engine. With the LS6, Chevrolet offered for retail sale the highest horsepower engine of the muscle car era.

Information provided by Chevy SS 50 Years of Super Sport

Papa John's 1971 Camaro Z28

The founder of the Papa John’s pizza chain – who spent years searching for the beloved Camaro he sold to start his business – has finally been reunited with the muscle car.

In celebration, the chain is handing out free pizzas Wednesday to all Camaro drivers.

“The Camaro represents what I gave up to start Papa John’s,” said company founder John Schnatter. “Words cannot capture the emotions I am feeling….I never gave up hope that someday I would get that car back.”

In 1983, John Schnatter’s father, an Indiana bar owner, was on the verge of bankruptcy. So Schnatter sold his only asset, a black-and-gold striped 1971 Chevy Camaro Z28, for $2,800.

As he frequently told the story, he had to turn his back as the buyer drove away, unable to watch his cherished car go.

With the proceeds, Schnatter bought some equipment and started selling pizzas out of a broom closet of his dad’s bar, digging their way out of bankruptcy a pie at a time.

The pizza chain is now the world’s third largest and is worth $750 million.

Even as his buisness took off and he became rich, Schnatter never stopped missing his Camaro.

He had no record of who he sold it to and spent years looking for the sports car, even hiring a private eye to search.

In May, he turned the hunt into a slick marketing campaign tied to the firm’s 25th anniversary. Schnatter drove a replica of the car across the country and handed out free pizza from Denver to Times Square.

He initially offered a $25,000 reward, and upped the ante in June to $250,000.

Last week, the Kentucky family came forward and said they sold it to another man five years ago.

The buyer, Jeff Robinson of Flatwoods, Ky., readily agreed to sell it back to Schnatter for a cool $250,000.

“I’ll try to spend it wisely, but, you know, I may not spend all of it wisely,” Robinson said, smiling. “I’m still kinda numb about it.”

The original buyers will get $25,000 for their help tracking it down.

Robinson kept the car in pristine shape, only beefing up the motor for drag racing: now it goes 141 mph.
Schnatter proclaimed himself delighted.

“It looks just like it did when I sold it,” the pizza guy said. “The odds of that happening is one in a million.”

Story can be found here… dailynews.com

Chevy Social Networking

We would like to invite you to join our new social networking site located at www.chevysupersport.ning.com. There you can join the forums and groups, share and post photos and videos, or just browse around and enjoy a piece of automotive history.

Camaro SS Transformer Edition

Great news for all you Transformers fans, today at Comic-Con, General Motors officially announced the 2010 Chevy Camaro Transformers (Bumble Bee) Special Edition. No it doesn’t transform or come with Megan Fox in the passenger seat, but it does come with the following:

• Autobot insignia fender badges and wheel caps
• An embroidered Autobot insignia on the center console
• Gloss-black rally stripes with Transformers logos
• Transformers-logo doorsill plates

The $995 appearance package can be applied to LT (V6) and SS Camaro in Rally Yellow with or without the optional RS package.

Check out the official press release or click here to see more images.

PRESS RELEASE:

Chevrolet announces the 2010 Camaro TRANSFORMERS Special Edition

DETROIT – Fans of the new Camaro and the blockbuster TRANSFORMERS movies can now combine their love of the car and the films with the Chevrolet Camaro TRANSFORMERS Special Edition announced today at Comic-Con in San Diego.

“When the first TRANSFORMERS movie was setting box office records, we had countless customers asking to purchase the ‘BUMBLEBEE’ Camaro,” said Karen Rafferty, product marketing director, Chevrolet. “Now, they can buy one with the new Camaro TRANSFORMERS Special Edition. Streets all over North America will be buzzing in no time.”

Features such as an EPA-rated 29 highway mpg on the V6-powered Camaro, Bluetooth phone connectivity, USB connectivity, XM Satellite Radio and OnStar combined with TRANSFORMERS design cues add to the car’s status as a 21st century sports car.

“Hasbro is thrilled to team up with Chevrolet and excited to see the Camaro TRANSFORMERS Special Edition come to market for our fans to enjoy,” said Samantha Lomow, Global Brand Leader for TRANSFORMERS at Hasbro. “The yellow Camaro with the black stripes has become so iconic and closely associated with the BUMBLEBEE character that this edition was a natural fit for both companies.”

While the aggressive styling of the Camaro is unmistakable, true TRANSFORMERS fans will notice some of the unique, but subtle features of the Camaro TRANSFORMERS Special Edition.

The 2010 Chevrolet Camaro TRANSFORMERS Special Edition includes the following:
* AUTOBOT® shield on the driver and passenger side panels
* AUTOBOT® shield on each of the four wheel’s center cap
* AUTOBOT® shield embroidered on interior center console
* “TRANSFORMERS” logo on driver and passenger doors’ sill plates
* “TRANSFORMERS” logo embedded into the hood rally stripes
* High-gloss black center rally stripe package
* Manufacturer’s suggested retail price of package: $995

Dealers are now taking orders for this car. Customers can order the TRANSFORMERS Special Edition as either a Rally Yellow LT or SS model. The optional RS appearance package can also be added.

The V6-powered Camaro uses a 3.6L engine with variable valve timing to optimize performance and fuel economy. It is SAE-certified at 304 horsepower (227 kW) and 273 lb.-ft. of torque (370 Nm). A six-speed manual transmission is standard with the 3.6L engine; a Hydra-Matic 6L50 electronically controlled six-speed automatic, with TAPshift control, is available.

The high-performance Camaro SS is equipped with a powerful 6.2L V-8, with a choice of a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. Manual transmission-equipped models receive the LS3 engine, SAE-certified at 426 horsepower (318 kW) and 420 lb.-ft. of torque (569 Nm). It is paired with a TR6060 six-speed transmission.

A new, L99 V-8 engine is used on automatic transmission-equipped SS models. It is based on the LS3, but also includes GM’s fuel-saving Active Fuel Management feature. It is SAE-certified at 400 horsepower (298 kW) and 410 lb.-ft. of torque (556 Nm). It is matched with a Hydra-Matic 6L80 six-speed transmission that helps delivers an EPA-estimated 25 mpg on the highway.

“It all boils down to the power-to-weight ratio and the ZR1’s is exceptional,” said Chevy’s Ed Peper. “Better than the Porsche 911 GT2, the Ferrari 599 and even the Lamborghini LP640. In fact, the ZR1 is expected to be the first production Corvette to achieve a top speed of at least 200 mph.”

GM used the Z06 chassis as a starting point, but further tuned the front and rear independent suspension to work with the ZR1’s ultra-wide tires for increased grip. According to GM, the car achieves 1g cornering grip.

Exotic looks, exotic materials

The use of carbon fiber is pretty extensive throughout the ZR1. The wider fenders are made of the material, as are the hood, roof panel, roof bow, front fascia splitter and rocker moldings.

The roof and front fascia splitter have a raw carbon fiber appearance with a protective clear coat. The hood is painted like the rest of the car, but the underside is exposed carbon-fiber-weave for increased novelty.

Another standout feature of the hood is a clear polycarbonate “window” that provides a view of the top of the engine’s intercooler, with embossed “LS9 Supercharged” lettering.

Brakes, tires, and wheels

The ZR1 has the largest wheels ever of any production Corvette — not just in diameter, but in width also. The rims measure 20 inches in rear diameter and 19 inches up front. Rear width is a whopping 12 inches, while the front wheels are nearly as massive at 10 inches of width.

In terms of wheel finish, a bright silver paint coat is standard and a chrome version is optional.

The matching Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires measure P285/30ZR19 in front and P335/25ZR20 in the rear. While Michelin’s PS2 tires are offered on many vehicles, these were engineered specifically for the ZR1, GM says.

The car’s braking system features carbon-ceramic rotors measuring 15.5 inches up front and 15 inches at the rear. GM says the rotors are so durable they should not requiring replacement for the life of the vehicle.

Squeezing the dics are six-piston front calipers and four-piston rear calipers, painted in ZR1-exclusive blue.

Adjustable suspension

The ZR1 comes with GM’s Magnetic Selective Ride Control (MSRC) suspension system. The MSRC shocks are automatically adjusted based on driving conditions and vehicle dynamics (cornering, braking, etc) for optimal handling. The system is adjusted every milisecond to provide sharp handling during spirited driving, and a smooth ride while cruising.

While the ZR1 is overall a more aggressive sports car than the Z06, it is actually less harsh over bumps, thanks to the MSRC technology. ‘The damping control of MSRC allowed for front and rear springs that have a slightly lower rate than the Z06, which enhances the car’s ride quality,’ said Tadge Juechter, Corvette chief engineer.

Optional premium interior features

There is very little optional equipment on the ZR1. Aside from the aforementioned chrome wheels, the only other optional equipment is a premium interior package. The kit includes power-adjustable leather-trimmed sport seats, leather-wrapped interior elements (including the dashboard), a navigation system, and Bluetooth connectivity. The interior leather treatments are available in four colors.

Article by leftlanenews.com