Chevrolet Camaro ~ Cars

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Chevrolet Camaro

2:35 AM Chevrolet Camaro, Chevrolet Camaro specs, Chevrolet Camaro wallpapers 1 comment

The Chevrolet Camaro was introduced in North America by the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors at the start of the 1967 model year as competition for the Ford Mustang. Although it was technically a compact car (by the standards of the time), the Camaro, like the entire class of Mustang competitors, was soon known as a pony car. It may also be classified as an intermediate touring car, a sports car, or a muscle car. The car shared the same General Motors "F-Body" platform and major components with the Pontiac Firebird, also introduced in 1967. Production of both cars ceased in 2002.

Though the car’s name was contrived with no meaning, GM researchers reportedly found the word in a French dictionary as a slang term for "friend" or "companion." Ford Motor Company researchers discovered other definitions, including "a shrimp-like creature" and an arcane term for "loose bowels." In some automotive periodicals before official release, it was code-named "Panther." Historical examples exist of Chevrolet product managers being asked by the automotive press "what is a Camaro?", with the tongue-in-cheek answer being "a small, vicious animal that eats Mustangs," a sideways reference to the competing Ford Mustang.

While the Camaro was never the flagship for Chevrolet, it was for many years one of its most popular models. If its frequent inclusion in automotive enthusiast magazines is any indication, the Chevy Camaro is one of the most popular cars for modification in automotive history.

The Camaro is available in LS, LT and SS guise. The LS and LT models come with a 3.6-liter V6 -- mated to either a six-speed automatic or manual transmission -- and produce an uprated 323 horsepower (up 11 horsepower) and 278 lb-ft of torque.

Chevy says the added power comes from a new cylinder head design, an improved intake port design, longer-duration intake camshafts, new fuel pump with isolated fuel rail, new and improved fuel injectors and camshaft cap and throttle body design improvements.

While boasting more power than the V6 version of the Ford Mustang, the V6-powered Camaro Coupe returns slightly lower fuel economy with 30 mpg on the highway (up front 29 at launch), compared to the Mustang's 31 mpg.

Some Pictures