I do. And I want it now. You know why the ’69 Camaro was the bad ass toy of choice during the muscle car era? It was cheap, it was sexy, and it could play a certain game better than anything else out there. That game just happened to be layin it to the quarter mile in a serious way. You know what irritates me the most about the current generation of muscle cars? Every one of them plays like its still 1969. Pushrod V8’s, shit suspension and curb weights that could embarrass a tug boat (I’m looking at you, Challenger) would be just fine if we were all rocking bell bottoms and sideburns an inch thick, but we ain’t. The times have changed, so why not build a new, fun to drive, cheap car with the Camaro name? Hell, GM even has the engine for the job. Jump over and I’ll show you.
A while back I named GM’s 2.0-liter, turbo, direct-injection engine my best of the year. Straight from the factory it dishes out plenty respectable numbers. We’re talking 260 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque. All fine and dandy, and plenty quick in a 2,500 lb car, but nothing befitting a name like Camaro. But wait. Just today GM unleashed this little gem: a turbo upgrade for its 2.0-liter.
By upgrade, I mean 290 horsepower and a shit-kicking 340 lb-ft of torque. Hello? That’s knocking on the V6 Camaro’s door all day long. So, take that bad ass design from the 2010 Camaro, shrink it down, put it on a diet and wedge this killer engine in there. Give me a six-speed, row-your-own tranny, an LSD in the rear diff and a curb weight in the 2,200 lb range. Make the bitch stick, give it a price tag under $30k and you’ll have a car worthy of the Camaro name that can play today’s game. AutoX, trackdays and yes, even quarter mile from time to time. Nothing Japan or Germany has to offer could compete.
Or, you could keep selling your best engine in the bran-flake styled Cobalt SS, the disaster Pontiac Solstice GXP and the fugly HHR SS. Your damn funeral.
Posted By: Zach Bowman |
Tags: 2010 2010 Chevrolet Camaro Chevrolet Chevrolet Cobalt SS Chevrolet HHR SS Cobalt Cobalt SS EcoTec HHR HHR SS SS
i like the way you think.
Yes! Precisely.
“…a curb weight in the 2,200 lb range.”
AAAHHH HAHAHAHHA! I love ya, man, but those days are gone. Plus the majority of the fellas buying these retro cars might have been able to fit in to a Cobalt comfortably then, but certainly not now.
I’m sorry, Chief. Today’s “muscle” cars are your WRXs, GTIs, Mazdaspeed 3s, and, yes, your Cobalt SS.
Let’s keep it moving, Brother. Pining and being beholden to the past is part of the reason why Detroit is staring down the barrel of Chapter 11.
GM already builds a ton of cheap cars. Just lower your expectations of Fun and enjoy!!!
I’m with John. Some things aren’t coming back.
You want cheap, unsophisticated speed? Plenty of options.
You want over-the-top muscle? Also plenty of options. I’ll remind you that the 40k G8GXP is about the equivalent of the uber-muscle mobiles from back in the day.
You want Disneyfied muscle cars? The Challenger’s your bet.
The funny part is for something like half of any of the above, you could build or buy the pretty bitchin’ classic you wish Detroit would make again.
All the demand for “pure” sports/muscle/whatever is readily met by eBay motors.