Zeta News 2.0: New VF Commodore and Chevrolet SS

[Joey D]

The Screamin' Chicken Lives!

They had to imitate that T/A? I think this might have been a better choice.

 

[buickgnx88]

I don't know, I think it's better than the '69 which appears to be tacked on as an afterthought (just as with the Daytona Charger).

 

[Omnis]

That lingenfelter looks downright stupid.

 

[Philly]

I think they chose the right Trans Am to go retro after. But of all the body kitted Camaros to be Pontiacs, that has to be the worst. I think it's almost there but the kit just looks so plasticy and fake that the car just can't pull it off.

 

[mPWRD]

The Lingenfelter looks like they tried a bit too hard - I think that fewer bulges and extra fake bits would make it look better. The Camaro has relatively simple lines, which makes the T/A look plasticky. And those wheels... they wouldn't be out of place on a Transformers toy.

 

[YSSMAN]

An Update to Update the Update:

1) The "Z/28 Concept," according to Jalopnik, isn't the Z/28. Instead, they seem to be suggesting that it is a "concept" belonging to Jay Leno, a part of his special run of vehicles that he gets to co-develop with GM. Hmmmm. Something still seems fishy over this...

2) Want some new 455 T/A photos?

Yeesh. That rear is terrible. Furthermore, the paint looks atrocious as well. Like something a couple of kids did at the local technical school.

 

[JCE]

I dunno Brad, I like the whole thing. Except black and gold is better.

 

[YSSMAN]

It just feels kinda cheap to me through the screen. Obviously, it does essentially compose of bolt-on bits and pieces, but does it have to look so much like it does?

 

[niky]

The SEMA photos seem better... the photo in sunlight shows the front fascia to have a rather matte finish... maybe it's a trick of the light, or maybe it wasn't painted yet...

Looks better now, but still, the front end of the new Camaro is too big for the design they want to transplant onto it. They got around this with the regular Camaro by being careful not to slavishly follow the lines of any previous Camaro fascia, instead, reinterpreting it to fit the car... with the T/A front, you get the feeling that they got the lights and grille perfect, and found out they still had three feet of height to cover underneath it... which makes the bumper and skirt area look unresolved.

 

[YSSMAN]

Just as a reference, there is another Firebird Redux available called the "Phoenix" which looks to copy the '77 T/A:

We Got Ourselves a Bandit

It looks a little more like how a production car would have, and I like it quite a lot better.


RE: Jay Leno's Camaro

Turbo Powah Baby!

Shes running a twin-turbocharged 3.6L V6 with 425 BHP. According to GM, with no loss in fuel economy. Yes, I'm still trying to get my head around that one as well.

 

[mPWRD]

Tree'd. I was just about to post the autoblog post on that "Phoenix" concept.... I agree. It looks a lot better than the Lingenfelter concept. Paint job is nicer, but there aren't so many extra bulges and bits bolted on to it.

 

[Joey D]

There we go, a better looking Trans Am recreation.

 

[Rotary Junkie]

Shes running a twin-turbocharged 3.6L V6 with 425 BHP. According to GM, with no loss in fuel economy. Yes, I'm still trying to get my head around that one as well.

It's called this one was turbocharged properly whereas Ford used turbos that can be considered "small" for an ATV or motorcycle.

 

[Philly]

I really like that Bandit thing. If Pontiac was still around, I could see the Firebird looking something like that. I'd definitely have one in my driveway.

 

[niky]

It's called this one was turbocharged properly whereas Ford used turbos that can be considered "small" for an ATV or motorcycle.

It's called "I'm a showcar and I don't need no frigging warranty".

 

[Paulie]

It's called "I'm a showcar and I don't need no frigging warranty".

It's called "Ford already turbocharged a 6cyl vehicle with very little loss in fuel consumption, maybe none on the highway". I call it an XR6 Turbo Falcon. My bet's that car would be completely warrantable, 500hp would be less so. It's not that much power from that engine, that'd be such a small amount of boost. There are port-injected High Feature V6 kits in Australia with single rotrex superchargers producing around 400rwhp or so.

But I'm frothing at the mouth over the turbo V6 Camaro, it's good to know GM are toying with the idea, we need that engine in a Commodore ASAP. HSV can up the ante to 450hp.

 

[niky]

If it's based on the modern high compression (11.3:1!) aluminum V6, then it's a lot of boost for a factory car, and probably involves rebuilt internals. It's a lot of boost for an engine not built for it... and it would raise the sticker quite a bit.

To be fair, many modern V6s in this size range can safely handle 450-500 hp... the question is whether they can handle it well enough to meet modern warranty needs if they're not purpose-built forced-induction engines.

 

[YSSMAN]

Live in the UK? Want to Buy a Camaro? This is What You Get...

The idea sure sounds horrible; a Camaro with styling cues from the Lamborghini Reventon; but seeing the VR Camaro tells a different story. Available only in two color schemes, a Bandit-pleasing black and gold, or Hurst-reminiscent white and gold, the VR looks badass, either way. Making it past the bombastic fascia, the rest of the body modifications are knife-edged but less over-the-top. The decklid gets a '70s-inspired ducktail spoiler, and while the styling tweaks are un-subtle, Denmark's Hermann and Brandt has used a balanced hand.

It's not all show and no go, either. The body mods have been rendered out of carbon fiber, and the big 22-inch wheels are actually lighter than original equipment. A new coil-over suspension replaces stock components, and upgraded brakes carry 12-piston (!) front calipers while rear brakes are forced to make do with eight pistons per caliper - enough for two complete braking systems in some lesser cars. The engine is also treated to a supercharger of Union Jack origins for an expected 600-plus horsepower.

Considering that GM is not exporting the Camaro to European markets that require a steering wheel on the right, the only way to get one is by importing a wrong-hand-drive (to them) version or waiting for this VR Camaro, which will be the first LHD conversion available, to arrive early next year.

 

[McLaren]

Ugh. I have yet to see a decently modified Camaro exterior. Seems the best kits have been lip kits, imo.

 

[mPWRD]

I kinda like this one, though. Just the right amount of extra aggression.

 

[niky]

Ugh. I have yet to see a decently modified Camaro exterior. Seems the best kits have been lip kits, imo.

When you get it right from the factory, there's not much you can do to improve it...

 

[Tornado]

Looks like someone just gave Lamborghini the inspiration for their next concept car.

*zing*

 

[YSSMAN]

Zombie Rumors Rise Again: Return of the "Four Door Corvette," and the Possibility of the El Camino Back at Chevrolet​

Here we go again with the bi-polar GM talk...

​

According to the man, the legend, Bob Lutz, "There's a possibility of a premium Chevrolet sedan that would be sold in limited numbers. Think of it as a kind of four-door Corvette." Lets be reminded for a moment that this is an idea that has been batted around for, well, more than a year now. With the G8 gone, and the cries from the motoring press and the GM fanboys at an all-time-high, you can imagine that there is a bit of pressure to give us something other than the Camaro at Chevrolet. To put things further into perspective, the existence of the PPV Chevrolet Caprice (a long wheelbase version of the Pontiac G8 GT) and the ensuing questions over why the public can't have it (lets go back to 1993 for a moment...), there is a perfect storm forming.

When you've got so much excellent kit on the shelf, and major portions of it still being sent here, you may as well give the people what they want - even if it is in small numbers. Simply put, graft the front end of the Middle-Eastern market Chevrolet Lumina SS on the now defunct G8 GXP, call it a Chevelle or simply a Chevrolet SS, and they'll be more than ready to blow through the small allotment they'll bring to the US every year. Honestly, it will be the true successor to the 1994-1996 Impala SS, and it will likely be just as much of a cult hit. Better yet, for a lot of people who want a Camaro but can't justify dealing with the coupe limitations, a big sedan with just as much gusto makes even more sense.

Do it GM, I dare you.


In other news...

There is this dude named Mark Reuss who is now the head of GM North America, and used to be the former head of GM Australia (Read, Holden) when the VE cars were first developed a few years ago. As the head honcho for the US/Canadian market, he holds a lot of sway in the way the product lineups look at the respective brands. Apparently, he is a Ute fan, and wants it to come to the US as the Chevrolet El Camino. Totally.

Lets be honest here, we've had this carrot dangled in our face before. In fact, it was downright evil when they took away the chance we had at vehicular awesomeness by killing the G8 ST. But, it wouldn't have been right at Pontiac. Reuss is right about that. With all these new CAFE regulations, crazy shakeups within the company, and no one really seeming to know what they want out of the respective brands - this idea may get lost in a deck that is overstacked with wacky ideas. I mean, I'd love to see the El Camino come in here and replace the rather-terrible Colorado... But its not a safe sales move against the Ranger, Dakota and Tacoma (well, only one of those is a legitimate truck anymore). Lets say GM could pull it off though... What if it worked? Yowza.

You'd think that IF they did it, they'd try to squeeze every drop of gasoline out of the car by stripping out luxuries, dropping big cogs in the gearbox, and outfitting the car with the newer, more efficient V6s that have arrived since the Ute debuted all those years ago. GM really needs a quirky transport vehicle to counter the Ford Transit. While it isn't a funky closed-cab van, there are a lot of people who would swing for an easier to use Ute than an actual pickup truck - especially if it offered four doors, similar levels of capability, and a car-like ride at a reasonable price.

C'mon GM. Just do it. You'd get more credit from car people just for trying it instead of just sitting on your hands.

 

[Jim Prower]

It may be too late, now. They should have done this three years ago.

 

[Eric.]

You know, why not just bring over a select few Holdens and bring the Holden brand here? I think the Ute and that Commodore look just right with their native faces. Build them in Australia and keep the numbers low, then adjust it accordingly depending how they sell. Oh, and advertise the 🤬 out of them so people know they exist.

 

[Tornado]

But wouldn't importing more Holdens as Chevy's expose the EpsilonII (as it is used by Buick and Cadillac) for the joke it is?

 

[Philly]

It may be too late, now. They should have done this three years ago.

They did. And it must have been too good to deserve a GM badge because they don't sell them anymore.

 

[Omnis]

They did. And it must have been too good to deserve a GM badge because they don't sell them anymore.

4 Dollar gas killed the big sedan. But there are a couple of huge improvements that could have been made to the interior as well.

 

[LSX]

I would see organs to get my self a UTE. Otherwise I would not touch a GM car, well, aside from a Corvette, second hand G8 GT/GTO, Solstice, and the F-body cars.

Oh man, I'd love me a UTE. It's the best of both worlds, haul it while hauling it. !

If they never built that ugly SSR, and spent that money bringing UTE's over, well, we would not have those ugly trucksomthingorothers running around. They were overpriced too if I remember.

 

[ND4SPD]

This is the only 4 door Corvette I want. I can haz with pushbars and spotlights too?