The Camaro that all Chevy fans were waiting for made its way to the Windy City today for its world premiere. It may not carry the more widely recognized Z28 name-tag as Chevrolet chose to resurrect the less known ZL1 moniker from the 1969 model, but then again, this is a different beast.
Lurking behind that angry looking fascia is 6.2-liter V8 powerplant pushing out an estimated output of 550-horses and a ferocious peak torque of 550 lb.-ft. of torque (745 Nm), channeled to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual stick shift. We've posted a more detailed preview here but if you hit the jump, you can check out live pictures from the Chicago Auto Show reveal as well as the first video of the car.
Chevrolet is marking its return to the Super Bowl after a four-year absence with no less than seven ads that will air before, during and after the game. This one is called 'Ms Evelyn' and its GM's second commercial for the Camaro after the Transformers TV spot that we showed you yesterday. The advert will air on TV after the presentation of the MVP Award, which is sponsored by Chevrolet, but you can get a sneak peak in the video after the jump.
Next up on our list of automotive-related commercials that will air during the Super Bowl XLV game on Sunday is the Chevrolet Camaro ad from General Motors. Once again, the Detroit carmaker is playing the Transformers card with the Camaro turning into Bumblebee, and well, you can see the rest in the video that follows.
All in all, Chevrolet will air five 30-second commercials during the big game including “Misunderstanding,” featuring the Cruze Eco; “Discovery,” with the Volt; “Tommy,” showcasing the Silverado HD; and “Al’s Chevrolet,” starring the Camaro.
The company will also air a longer-form Chevrolet spot during the “Glee” episode following the Super Bowl as well as a second Camaro ad named "Ms. Evelyn,” which will be shown after the presentation of the MVP Award.
All of Chevrolet's ads at this year’s Super Bowl were created by the Goodby, Silverstein & Partners agency. Chevrolet returns to the Super Bowl after a four-year absence.
We’ve seen our share of burnouts ending in fiery fails, but in this case, the flames are a sign of success. We don’t know if the owner of this vintage Chevrolet Impala used some kind of special tires, but he leaves behind him two very cool burning trails, just liked Doc Brown’s time traveling DeLorean did in the Back to the Future movie. Watch the clip after the break.
Revealed for the first time here in North America at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic will replace the Aveo as GM's new subcompact model, while retaining the Aveo nameplate in Europe and other international markets. In this latest video, the firm's designers discuss the styling features of the Sonic, highlighting the motorcycle elements featured in both the sedan and hatchback. According to Design Director John Mack, the aim was to create "a youthful, spirited car, one that stands out in the market". For the complete walk-around check out the video after the break.
Trying to get away from the police in the first place is downright stupid, but the female driver of this fourth-generation Chevrolet Camaro drop-top took stupidity to a whole new level when she tried to rear-end / ram a police car that had her cornered on the road. The lady driver huffed and puffed her Camaro's rear wheels but in the end, she gave up. As for the driver of the older-generation Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan that can't make a turn, the video speaks for itself.
After some recent fails, let’s see a dyno test with a happy ending. This is a 2005 C6 Corvette built by Dallas Performance, which recorded a whopping 1,302 hp and 1,662 Nm (1,226 lb-ft) of torque on the rear wheels, according to the performance charts.
To achieve this, the tuning firm upgraded the V8 powerhouse with twin turbos, Performance Induction LS3 heads, RC120 injectors and single plane intake. The power is transferred to the rear wheels through a TR-6060 transmission and a C6 Z06 differential. The clip is available after the break.
Once upon a drive, all we had to know about a car's fuel consumption was how many miles the vehicle could travel on a single gallon of gas in the city, on the highway and on a combined route, regardless of whether the engine was fed with petrol or diesel.
Nowadays, the appearance of all-electric and extended range hybrid electric cars in showrooms has forced [ahem...] the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to embrace a new method to measure the energy consumption of alternative fuel vehicles called MPGe (Miles Per Gallon Equivalent).
The idea is to allow consumers to compare the energy consumption of EVs or Electric-Hybrid models such as the Leaf and the Volt to those of gasoline or diesel powered vehicles in terms of miles per gallon.
Knowing that many consumers are still baffled by the concept, General Motors released a short video where it tries to explain the new EPA ratings on the Chevrolet Volt. Scroll down to watch the clip.
How do you replace a motoring icon? In the years leading up to 1968, U.S. automaker Chevrolet was dealing with this very problem with their venerable Corvette. The first and second generation Corvettes, designed by Harley Earl and Larry Shinoda respectively, were stylish and innovative creations that drew countless fans from the automotive community.
The answer lies, in part, with the Aerovette: a mostly forgotten concept that made just two auto show appearances before being relegated to the GM Heritage Museum.
In the late ‘60s, GM engineer Zora Arkus Duntov and his team were toying with the XP-882, a mid-engined design and engineering exercise built on Oldsmobile Tornado underpinnings. Though fascinating from a design and engineering standpoint, Chevy General Manager John DeLorean saw no future for the XP-882 and canceled the project in 1969. It was simply too expensive and too impractical for the impending 1970s America.
When Ford announced it would be selling the Italian designed / American engined De Tomaso Pantera at its Lincoln / Mercury dealerships in 1970, DeLorean hit the roof. He immediately ordered Duntov and GM designer Charles Jordan to dust off the XP-882 and ready it for the New York Auto Show.
Renamed the Aerovette, the XP-882 was a revolution. After being re-engined for the 1973 Paris Auto Salon, the Aerovette now featured four transversely mounted Wankel rotaries, a full five years before they would be popularized in the United States by Mazda’s RX-7. Beneath that sleek glass fibre skin was a steel and aluminium birdcage that was both lightweight and strong.
Innovative features abound such as the bi-fold gullwing doors, V-shaped front windscreen and deformable plastic bumpers. Pop up headlamps, a fully independent coil spring suspension and four wheel disc brakes were also incorporated into the design.
Inside, a digital instrument panel displayed speed and engine rpm, while a switchable screen could show fuel, water temperature, oil pressure or voltage. A second digital display in the centre console could display the date, time and radio station as well as the elapsed time in minute or seconds for time trials.
Though the Aerovette / XP-882 never progressed beyond the concept stage, its design was highly influential in the third generation (C3) Corvette. Many of its ingenious design features would find their way into production cars; though in some cases this process took as long as then years(!).
So there you have it. The Aerovette: a car that was ten years ahead of its time but doomed by the ‘70s oil crisis. Gone, but hopefully, never forgotten.
In general, Polaris is regarded as one of the best ATV makers in the world. However, not everyone agrees with their engine choices. For example, these folks had the crazy idea of fitting a GM-sourced 454 cui (7.4 liters) big block V8 on one of the firm's four-wheelers, thus creating the ATV from Hell. The Chevy engine with the dual Holley carburetors is matched to a 350 Turbo Transmission. Just hearing the V8 burble gives you the goose bumps. Check out the video after the break to see this beast in action.
With all those JDM cars dominating drift championships around the world, it's nice to see something different for a change. In this case, we have the opportunity to witness Finnish pro drifter Mikko Viitala skillfully taming a 1970s Camaro fitted with a 6.2-liter LS3 V8 engine from a 2010 Corvette, churning out 505 hp. Check out the video after the break to see the "drifting Finn". By Csaba Daradics
Chevrolet's 2009 50th Anniversary Corvette Stingray Concept that made its way into the Transformers movies is one of those love-it / hate-it cars. On the one hand, it was sleek and muscular and pointed to the next generation Corvette. On the other hand, it owed a bit too much design-wise with the 2003 Cadillac Cien and the nods to the original Corvette Stingray appeared a little forced.
Still, I'd find it hard to believe that anyone, even lovers of the '09 Concept, would consider putting down over US$40 grand on this so-called replica. It's even harder to believe that underneath all that fibreglass is a 2005 C6 Corvette; it could just have easily been based on a twenty year old Mazda Miata / MX-5 like so many other eBay customs.
So what does the US$42,500 "Buy It Now Price" get us? For starters, the underpinnings from the C6 Corvette including its 440 hp LS2 V8 and 6spd automatic transmission. You get a clear title and 29,111 miles on the odometer to boot.
So, what else? Well, the bodywork, exhaust, air intake and interior decals are all new. And an ECU tune is good for a purported, though still unconfirmed, 430 hp. Jet stream blue paint. There's also Jet Stream Blue Paint, LED headlights (which surely can't be road legal) and "adjustable ride control" with "electric tilt front end". Is this a car or a sex toy?
Better still, is trying to choose a favorite quote from the seller's description. My two picks are:
"BUILT BY A PROFESSIONAL CAR BUILDER..... NOT SOME KID IN HIS GARAGE... And take a close look and you will see the difference."
And:
"Now with most "Replicas" you can tell from ten feet away that they are a replica's... We are proud that this "CONCEPT" car looks like a FACTORY BUILT CAR. NO one would ever know that this was not build by Chevy."
Oh, and the capitalization and grammatical errors are all the seller's own doing, not ours. Honest.
There are at least three of these replicas roaming about the Pacific Northwest, one of which allegedly appeared in Vette magazine. Oh, and there's a video too. We'll leave it up to our readers to properly "dissect" this abhorrent mutation, in the comment's section below.
