Super Vette Spied! Again!

Chevy’s 650-hp Corvette SS caught heading in for EPA testing

Source: AutoWeek 11/06/06

Not even a month has passed since we first reported on Chevrolet’s plans for a super Corvette, a halo model well in excess of the already superb Z06. Judging by these spy shots, it appears assurances we were given earlier this year that the car was on the development fast track (“To Hell and Back,” May 8) were right on target.

These photos were taken by George Kachadoorian just outside of Ann Arbor last week. He suspects the car was headed in for EPA testing.

While the hood scoop indicates this is something other than an ordinary Z06, the real prize is under the hood where our spies previously heard the whine of what is most likely a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 pushing as much as 650 hp. The engine, which will be hand-built at a rate of 1500-2000 per year at the General Motors Performance Center outside Detroit, features an integrated intake manifold intercooler similar to the one GM developed for the Cadillac STS V-Series.

So far, names for the production supercharged Corvette include everything from Z07 to Blue Devil to Corvette SS to Sting Ray. No matter what they call it, look for production of the 2009 model to start in early 2008. And set aside at least $100,000 if you want to one in your driveway.

The Red Camaro shows up at SEMA

GM sent the red 5th Generation Camaro concept car to Las Vegas, Nevada for the 2006 SEMA show. Why they chose the mock-up model instead of the functional Silver car is beyond me, there is no powertrain, interior or anything functional about the red car. SEMA is one of the premier shows in the world, I would think GM would have rather had the Silver car represent the new model on the floor, maybe it was a scheduling issue that casused the red car to be on display instead, who knows.

Makes us wonder what we will see on the floor of Cobo Hall in Detroit during the 2007 NAIAS, a convertible version or the same old thing we have seen all year...

Reggie Jackson Camaro

Source - edmunds.com — Ed Hellwig

What is it?
Reggie Jackson Camaro

What's special about it?
When GM Performance Parts wanted to find a '69 Camaro to show off its very first LSX crate motor, it wasn't much of a surprise when baseball hall-of-famer Reggie Jackson, an avid muscle car collector, came calling. "He said he was looking for a new project and we just happened to be looking for a car to show off our new motor at SEMA. It was pretty much full steam ahead from there," said Jamie Meyer, product integration manager for GM Performance Parts.

The LSX is an all-new cast-iron racing block based on the LS7 engine used in the current Corvette Z06. It's designed with help from drag racing legend Warren Johnson and its goal was to offer weekend racers extreme capabilities at a price around $2,500. "We've tested this block in applications up to 2,500 horsepower so we know it's plenty strong," noted Meyer. Although it's based on GM's small-block design, the LSX offers a displacement range from 364 cubic inches to over 500 cubic inches.

In the case of Reggie's Camaro, the LSX displaces 454 cubes, and according to Meyer it develops 640 hp and 611 pound-feet of torque using pump gas and a Holley 850 cfm carburetor. All that power is sent through a heavy-duty T-56 six-speed and 3.91 gears. The original Camaro suspension wasn't going to keep up, so Jackson specified a Detroit Speed and Engineering setup that swaps in coil-overs and tubular A-arms up front and a four-link setup for the narrowed 12-bolt axle in back.

Why a narrowed rear axle? It was needed to fit the 12.5-inch-wide rear wheels and the 295/35 Goodyear Eagle F1 tires. Measuring 18 inches in diameter, the Budnik wheels are one-offs designed to mimic those used on the Camaro concept introduced earlier this year. In fact, the car's red paint is the same color used on the concept.

As good as it all looks, Reggie likes to own drivers, and this Camaro doesn't disappoint. According to Meyer it will run 10.80s in the quarter-mile, not to mention maintaining high speeds without flinching. "We've had it up to 140 mph at the proving grounds and it was just fine." Try to do that in the concept.

More Pontiac Firebird Renderings

Cliffhanger from the forums at GMInsidenews.com is the creator of these very nice renderings of what he would like to see in a 5th generation Pontiac Firebird. Although GM says they will not bring back the Firebird when the Camaro returns to showroom floors as a 2009 model, may Pontiac loyalists on the internet have created some nice versions of what they would like the car to look like.

Click here to see more and participate in the discussions on GMInsidenews.com

Baldwin-Motion SuperSpeedster to debut at SEMA

After winning the coveted GM Design Award at SEMA 2005, Baldwin-Motion returns with the most extreme Camaro ever!

SEMA Show 2006, Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV
Tuesday October 31 to Friday November 3
MEGUIAR'S Booth #23342, Central Hall (next to GM)

Stop by Meguiars, see the coachbuilt SuperSpeedster, and visit with its builder Phil
Somers, American Super Car and the Baldwin-Motion Team: Larry Jaworske, Joel Ehrenpreis, Joel 'Mr. Motion' Rosen & Marty Schorr.

1969 Baldwin-Motion Camaro SuperSpeedster
Kinsler FI aluminum MOTION 540
Front/Mid engine layout
Spine-type full tube chassis
Four-wheel independent suspension
Power rack & pinion steering
Handcrafted two-seat interior
Power hood & tonneau
No Top * No Windows * No Competition!

All Baldwin-Motion SS-427, Phase III 540 and Coachbuilt Super Series Camaros are built using premium donors with original Chevrolet VIN numbers. They can be registered and insured worldwide.

Drag Racing at 1000 Frames per second

Check out this amazing video shot at 1,000 frames per second. Notice the detail in the tires and the motors firing.

Saleen Camaro: Fact or Fiction?

This thread just came to our attention today. It is an interview with John Breaux and Steve Saleen at the 2006 Crusin the Coast show in Biloxi, Mississippi. Here is the original thread on Road & Tracks website.

Car Crazy - CC: Are you going to bump up the horsepower on your Saleen Mustang cars when Ford adds horsepower in 2009?

Steve Saleen: Yes we are, I just talked to Alan Mulally (Ford Motor Co. Chief Executive) about the 2009 facelift year and what kind of added power the GT and Cobra will get.

CC: What kind of added power did he talk about for the 09 model year?

Saleen: Nothing extreme, it's only a facelift year, but enough to make my current engine upgrades obsolete. They're aiming for 350 horsepower out of the V8 in the GT, and they're only adding about ten or fifteen horsepower to the GT500.

CC: Can you give us an idea of what you'll do to for your Saleen models?

Saleen: We don't know yet exactly, but we've had many meetings on what we want. We're aiming to get around 385 horsepower out of the S281 3 Valve with around 390 lb-ft of torque. The S281 Supercharged model will get 500 horses even with around 460 lb-ft of torque, and expect about a fifteen horsepower increase on the (S281) Extreme Mustang over the 2007 model (that's 565 horsepower and 535 lb-ft of torque).

CC: That's a big power increase on all cars, are the prices going to change?

Saleen: Not counting inflation, the prices should stay the same.

CC: Are the rumors of you teaming up with GM true or false?

Saleen: My team just worked with GM last month on the Transformers movie. We had such a good relationship with them that we are infact going to team up with them on future projects?

CC: What future projects?

Saleen: Well the Camaro project is one of them, I've watched from a distance while they've been putting the production model together. I think it would be foolish on our part if we didn't get a part of that action (Steve laughs).

CC: So are you going to do your own versions of the new Camaro?

Saleen: It's not legally official right now, but that's what we're hoping for.

CC: What kind of upgrades will you make, have you seen the engine GM is using in the Camaro?

Saleen: I hope I don't get in trouble with GM for saying this, but they're using a 6.2 liter 450 horsepower engine for the premium V8 in the 2009 Camaro and the base Corvette. The base V8 will probably be a detuned version of the same 6.2. So we'll just upgrade the 6.2 liter V8 to Saleen level specifications. We're going to upgrade the 6.2 liter V8 if we're given the legal chance by GM. Our base model should have around 485 horsepower, and expect our Extreme Supercharged Camaro to have over 600 horsepower.

Joing the discussion on this topic HERE

2007 - 40th anniversary of the Camaro/Firebird

World Wide Camaro/Classic Chevy International and General Motors has just announced a very exciting event for the summer of 2007, A 40th Anniversary Celebration of the Camaro and Firebird at the General Motors Technical Center in Warren, MI.

The dates are August 9 - 11, 2007. This is the weekend before Woodward Dream Cruise

For more information and details - see the World Wide Camaro Club