Long Live Detroit!

Two new AWESOME show cars, from Chevy and Dodge. First, the car we know so little about; the new 2006 Camaro.

This right here, this sexy, fast, thank GOD GM is not totally dead car, is the new Camaro. Although it might not make it to production in 2008, a 2009 model year is very possible. what better way to commerate 40 years of true Camaro muscle (the '69 Camaro is known to be the best in its performance history) than designing a retro rod with ques right off of a real 1969 Camaro SS? I am sorry I don't have any pics from the rear, cause that's all your going to see when you go red light racing.

Enough of the design crap, now for what really matter... The BIG ASS ENGINE! I am so glad not everybody in GM is as dumb as people think. To keep up with the competition, and to not piss off the likes of Lee Iacocca, Harley Earl, and John Delorian, GM brass shoved a 6.0L V-8 pulled from the corvette line, and and built the Camaro show car on the New Zeta rear-drive platform that is being developed in Australia for high volume low-cost cars (such as a possible rear drive Impala/Monte Carlo, and the next gen GTO/Holden Monaro) This Camaro also handles a lot better then even the old 2002 model with a better developed, more modern fully independent suspension and smokes the tires with a 6-speed manual transmission.

The bad news is this car is only a "show car" and is out only to judge public reaction. The Zeta platform was put on hold until further notice because of cost and the fact that GM is still losing money makes the likelihood of this car actually being built a long shot at best. So get out there and show GM and Chevy that we care and we what this car to be built. Don't forget that although V-8's are powerful, V-6's are cheaper and a buzzy one (like those found in BMW's) are fast, and I-4's are cheaper still and lighter than the V-8's and V-6's. Lets have a Camaro that goes fast, and a Camaro that high school kids can afford again! I don't want to see rice-burners all over the roads anymore!!!



Now for the car that has the best possibility of being built. Enter the challenger! We were all disappointed when Dodge flubbed the Charger by adding two more doors and calling it is "coupe-sedan" What ever they were thinking, I don't know, and if I ever run into the guy who did that I'm going to have a few words for him. After all, who are they to tell me that "coupes are dead, this is a car for the newest era of buyers" Well Ford is selling more Mustangs than ever (see review below), than maybe Dodge needed to rethink their take on the market. When the design team was asked to create a new coupe on the LX platform (the underpinnings of the 300C, Charger, and Magnum) they bought an original 1970 and literally copied almost everything. So what did they scrap? The 14-inch wheels, narrow width and wheel base (the '70 has 110" the '06 has a 116, the 300c has 120") and the over all length. other than that it was mostly how do we get the old car to look modern, and more bad-ass?! Oh, I almost forgot! YES ITS GOT A HEMI!

This time the Hemi comes out with 425 horses running from 0-60 in about 4.5 seconds, and almost sprinting this huge car down the qouter mile in about 13 seconds. The hemi is connected, like the Camaro's LS2, to a 6-speed manual transimission. Some other small little details that make this Challanger so nice is the lack of 14's; the design team opted for 20's up front, and 21's out the back. I would expect to see 17's to 20's offered in simmiler packages to what is offered on BMW's with the sport package or dressed in full M trim.

Once again, for the sake of all that is good and holly people, PLEASE go to your local auto show, email or call Dodge tell them you LOVE this car, and they are doing the right thing. If this car gets to your show room 99% unchanged from the concept like the Pontiac solstice did I am sure that like the Pontiac, the dealers will not be able to keep them on the lot.

It seems very odd to me that both Chevy and Dodge are keeping these cars under such a tight seel. I can only come up with two reasons, totally opasite from eachother: both of these cars will be produced very soon, and will take the market by suprise and by storm tracking HUGE sales figures, or enither of these cars will be produced and Dodge and Chvey are just kidding around and trying to gain public reconition. If the fromer is true, chevy and dodge rock; I for one would love to see these cars in show rooms very soon. right now the only choise I have in the Ford Mustang, I am personally a chevy guy, and if these too cars make it to show rooms Ford will no longer be the king of the hill. History repeites it self so well.