Thursday, December 8, 2016

How Much Horsepower is Too Much Horsepower?


Anyone who has ever had an infatuation with power created by combustion engines will tell you, “you can never make enough horsepower”. But in this day-and-age where smaller engines and better technology takes us to astronomical performance levels, it seems like that thought process may not be so true anymore.


Normal-sized LS motors that already take in mass amounts of air and fuel by design leave the car enthusiast with all kinds of options to upgrade other non-horsepower performance parts on their vehicle to perform better. A tubbed-out, roll cage-fitted vehicle with a massive supercharger sticking out of the hood may look fierce, but you might be surprised to watch a vehicle appearing to be mostly stock smoke the crap out of the wannabe race car.


When building a badass vehicle it should be more about taking the horsepower you plan on creating and making sure you can successfully get it to the wheels and then to the payment.



500 Horsepower Before 1990

Sure, 500-hp has been possible since guys started taking apart engines and putting them back together with the whole intent to go faster. But before the '90s, 500-hp in a daily cruiser in a 1980s Corvette, Camaro, Mustang, etc. just wasn't realistic. 


Not to say that 500-hp in a daily driver before 1990 has never happened, but for the most part, that kind of horsepower was reserved for track use, short drives to the car show, or for trailer queens. Driving back and forth to work every day or taking long drives would have been pretty unusual for 500+ horsepower vehicles in the late '80s, '70s, '60s, etc.


The New Age: Right Off The Showroom Floor Vehicles Are Plenty Fast With Plenty Of Horsepower 

Finding a sports car from this generation with over 300 hp is as easy as going to your local dealership. No upgrades are needed, today's sports cars and muscle cars will leave any stock or upgraded '80s sports car trailing far behind. 


The new Corvettes, Camaros, Hellcats, Chargers, and Mustangs that we see today can easily make big horsepower and awesome 1/4-mile times. Even Cadillac and many other unexpected auto divisions have poured more horsepower into their vehicles than one could have ever imagined in the mid-'80s and early '90s. 


If you would have told me back in the '90s that there would be a six-cylinder Camaro in the 21 first century that would keep up with a '90s LT-1 Camaro and leave an '80s Z28 in its dust, I would have told you that you were crazy.


Well, maybe not. 


My Dad was a Pro-Buick guy, so I attended many Buick events watching my Dad race as I was growing up. The early '90s is when we started to notice V6 Buick turbos pulling the wheels off the ground and turning in 10-second timeslips - that's when we knew technology was going to start to change. But we never even bother to argue the point with the Ford Mustang Fox-Body lovers, they wanted to hear nothing of the sort. Ha. Ha.



How Much Horsepower Is Too Much

It really all depends on what your ambitions are. Let's face it, if you want to go fast on a race track, you can make more power than a top fuel dragster, but that does not mean you're going to dominate anything. 


If you're doing it just for show, I think that's kind of silly, but to each his own. Sure, it's great to sit at the car show or the drag strip and say, “yep, my baby puts out 2,200 ponies”. 


But when a brand new sports car pulls up next to you at the light –quiet and stock looking – and he takes off on you like a rocketship, and your loud, monster setup is gasping for mass amounts of air while standing still trying to find just a little bit of traction just seems kind of embarrassing.


How Much Horsepower Is Just Enough

It all depends on what you are planning on doing with your vehicle. The perfect amount of horsepower to me would be being able to use and have fun with every bit of horsepower that I paid for. Sure, have there been times when I have wanted more horsepower for some of my vehicles? Absolutely, but I also like to eat as well. 

Having an extra boatload of horsepower under my hood that I'll never use doesn't really seem worth it if my bank account is at zero. And on top of everything else, at one point or another, you're going to get curious and try to find out what your vehicle can do. If you find out that the car, you, or both can't handle it, you might find yourself with a vehicle that is wrapped around a tree. 

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

General Motors' Company Store Opened in GM Renaissance Center

The Renaissance Center 











Downtown Detroit on the river front of the Detroit River sets the skyline icon of the GM Renaissance Center. Headquarters to the General Motor Corporation, the 5.5 million square foot facility will play host to a new official General Motors Company store. 

Located on Level 1 in the GM Wintergarden, the GM store is part of an ongoing renovation to the tower to make public spaces more visitor friendly. The store will bring an exciting atmosphere that will use interactive exhibits to display some of GM's newest innovations, technology, and designs. The GM global brand will be promoted with novelties for purchase like branded coffee mugs, golf balls, hats, sweaters, polo shirts, model cars and much more. For more merchandise details head to www.gmcompanystore.com.
 
The new General Motors store first opened its doors on Nov. 7, 2016 with hours between 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. during the week and will be open on some weekends as its popularity progresses. All GM employs will enjoy a 10 percent discount with proper GM ID. 

The seven tower Renaissance Center sees an estimated 17,000 people per day and is home to great eateries like Joe Muer Seafood and Granite City Food & Brewery. Among the restaurants, the Renaissance Center also offers meeting and conference rooms, shopping experiences, other than the GM store, and even lodging, which includes a 70-story Detroit Marriott Hotel.  



Friday, October 7, 2016

6.6-Liter Durmax Diesel Torque Monster

Image result for 2017 GM heavy duty dually trucks

Like the horsepower wars that "The Big Three" are involved in with their cars, the war to build a heavy-duty truck that can push the limits and take the crown for the biggest and best torque ratings are very much alive as well. 

For 2017, GM decides it's time to refresh and toughen up their 6.6-liter Durmax diesel engines for their Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra HD trucks. The extra boost in power will provide the already stout HD trucks with 455-hp, up from last year's 397-hp. And the new torque ratings for the Durmax will be boosted up to 910-lb.-ft. of torque, a bump from the 765-lb.-ft. of torque from the previous year.

90% of this new found torque can be available at a very low 1,550-rpm, helping you take off from a dead stop very effortlessly even when towing an extraordinary amount of weight.  

  • The refreshed Durmax gets its power from a mound of new and beefed up engine components:
  • Turbocharger 
  • Cylinder Heads
  • Pistons
  • Connecting Rods
  • Crankshaft
  • Venturi Jet Drain Oil Separator


The Venturi Jet Drain Oil Separator uses boost from the turbocharger to suck more oil back into the sump, ensuring the oil doesn’t get in places it’s not supposed to go. GM also strengthens up their notorious Allison six-speed transmission to help deal with the new torque numbers, making the Durmax HD trucks more powerful and durable than ever. 

Along with all of the beefed up new components, the Durmax will also be able to run on B20 fuel, which is a mix of 20% Biodiesel and 80% conventional diesel fuel. 

So how does the 2017 Durmax setup match-up with the other competitors? The Ford Super Duty 6.7-liter Powerstroke diesel puts out 440-hp, but the Ford still takes the torque crown for 2017 with 925-lb.-ft. of torque. The Ram HD sports an inline six-cylinder diesel that puts out 385-hp with a very stout 900-lb.-ft. of torque, not bad for a six-cylinder. 

Since it doesn't seem like the competitiveness for big torque numbers is going to go away anytime soon, one would have to suspect that the possibility of seeing these HD trucks coming in at 1,000-lb.-ft. of torque+ very soon, is very real.    

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

2017 Chevrolet SS: Lack of Advertising - Lack of Sales?

2017 Chevrolet SS Sedan



In my opinion, one of the coolest four-door sedans that Chevrolet has produced since the Chevy Impalas of the mid-'90s is the 2014-'15-'16 Chevrolet SS sedan. Unfortunately, from what it sounds like, Chevrolet is going to make 2017 the last year for the four-door sedan that packs a punch of 415 horsepower courtesy of an LS3 motor.

The cool thing is that for, what sounds like will be the last year, there could be a supercharged LSA engine shoved in the engine bay that will put out 500+ horsepower. For a four-door sedan that can put down a 13 second flat quarter-mile time before the supercharged upgrade, if the rumors are true, the sports sedan will truly be a fun vehicle to drive. And with even more rumors of the sedan possibly getting a 1LE Camaro suspension, competing with cars like BMW and other European sports sedans will surely be no problem.

But why the reason for discontinuing a good thing [Chevrolet SS]?

No one knows for sure why Chevrolet is planning on discontinuing the SS yet [if they do], but for anyone hoping they don't, the news sounds very grim. Sales for the SS are down and GM already makes pretty good sales with another four-door sedan that emulates the same type of power and performance with a higher profile name, the Cadillac CTS-V.

2017 Chevrolet SS Sedan Interior



Some people may wonder why sales are down on the powerful, good-looking, well-priced sedan. I think one of the reasons could be the lack of advertising for the vehicle.

No one can really know if that is the way Chevrolet wanted it, or if they only planned to make the car for X amount of years. Let's face it, even the slick-looking mid-'90s Chevy Impala that everyone loved only stuck around for 3 years. 

If this was an attempt to make the SS sedan a rare car somewhere down the line, in say maybe a decade or two because of a limited number of sales, then Chevy has done a good job of doing that. In fact, for most people, if they see a new SS on the road, it would probably roll right past them without them even knowing what it really is. Hell, if I wasn't a car guy, and even for the car enthusiast who may not have much interest in GM vehicles, the Chevrolet SS could easily be mistaken for just another average grocery-getting sedan. 

For whatever reason, the SS truly hides in plain sight and advertising and promotions of the very cool car are literally just about non-existent. And that could very well be the reason for the low sales of the Chevy SS sedan. Not only that, but if the rumors are true and Chevy decides to put the LSA supercharged engine in the SS but makes no changes in their promotional strategy, chances are the 2017 Chevrolet SS will not be a big seller either, and that will probably force GM to abandon production of the car, maybe something they wanted in the first place.


Thursday, July 21, 2016

The New Chevy Silverado HD Hood Scoop - Cool And Functional



For many years now, ram air hood scoops were put in place to shovel in more air into the intake system causing an increase of performance by horsepower. This new Chevy Silverado HD hood scoop is also designed to create better performance, but not by forcing more air into the intake system, instead, the hood scoop will help create a cooler engine compartment for the engine which can also help create better performance.

These trucks are designed for towing/hauling, four-wheel driving activities, long drives, withstanding major mileage while still performing well. Whenever an engine can run cooler it will always perform better. So when an engine is under constant stress, like these Chevy Silverado HD trucks spend a lot of their time under, it makes sense to want to keep that engine as cool as possible for all of the time that it is performing any type of activities.

So just how much does this ram air hood scoop actually help? 

The ram air scoop will take in 60 percent of all of the cool air that will enter the engine compartment. The other 40 percent of air will come through the space behind the front bumper which is designed to take on the engine compartment air funneling responsibilities even if the ram air scoop gets blocked up.

The ram air design features a 90-degree angle which is capable of catching large droplets of water (rain) and small debris keeping out as much moisture and crap as it can to ensure that as much clean and cool air gets into the engine compartment as possible.

All and all, the scoop not only looks pretty cool, but it is more functional than a lot of ram air hoods we have seen in the past. Let's face it, some ram air hoods we have seen though the years hardly created noticeable extra horsepower and some of which we've seen weren't even functional.

I have yet to hear any official statement if GMC will have the same ram air scoop on their HD trucks, but one would imagine they will follow suit.



Friday, July 1, 2016

2017 Bumblebee Transformer Camaro



After many stories about the 2017 Bumblebee Transformer Camaro, here comes the real news. My friend from GM says that all Camaros in the movie will be an assortments of different trims. Whatever GM will sell them and let them destroy will be the Camaro you see.

Still going to be cool.

Saturday, June 4, 2016

Chevrolet Grand Prix - Belle Isle, Detroit



What a great way to shine a bright light on Detroit and General Motors than having the Belle Isle Chevrolet Grand Prix play out on the backdrop of the cities GM Renaissance Center building in the city where GM headquarters resides.

With many great race events creating plenty of competition all weekend long, there won't be a dull moment for any race fans that come to the festivities. But if you do find yourself in the stands needing a break from the fast cars zooming by, there are plenty of infield events to keep adults and youngsters alike loving every minute of their stay at the Belle Isle Grand Prix. Between the autograph signing sessions, extreme sports demonstrations, live music, monster truck rides for kids, car shows and of course great food, there will be entertainment for everyone around every corner.

As always Penske Racing has put a huge helping-hand into making all of this work and without a doubt there will be plenty of Penske Racing Teams involved in these great events. But there not to overshadow some of the other great sponsors like Quick and Loans, Meijer who brings the Fan Zone, Motor City Hotel brings the live entertainment and of course Chevrolet and many other sponsors.

All of this great sponsorship just proves how much everyone believes in a city that has made some major changes in the past few years and are still working on making it just an all around great place to come and visit. Whether it is for a sporting event or just to paint the town red while hitting the Casinos, the great eating destinations, clubbing or pub and bar prowling - whatever suits your fantasy - you'll find it here in Detroit.




So I hope that everyone goes and does what I plan on doing - take some great pictures, but enjoy as much of the Belle Isle Chevrolet Grand Prix without an electronic device occupying your eyes and your every movement throughout the day.









Thursday, June 2, 2016

Mid-Engine Corvette Going To Happen - Update




Updated Again: 10/8/2018

Update
So a quick update on what could be one of the most exciting automotive days in my life. Living in the Motor City there has been a lot more talk that seems to be more fact than fluff about the new Mid-Engine Corvette.

Car and Driver, The GM Authority, Auto Week, Jalopink.com, etc. has all been posting on what might be - but I like facts. From sources I can't mention, the word is there should be renderings from Corvette designers (renderings that matter) out as soon as later this year and prototypes at the North American Auto Show in January of next year. And if anyone knows how Corvette does business, when they put something in the North American Auto Show, even if it is a prototype, that means unless something goes drastically wrong, it's going to make it into production.

My hope is Corvette (GM) takes a page out of the Ford Motor Company's play book and does something similar to what they are doing when it comes to purchasing-eligibility for the 2017 Ford GT supercar. Clients who want a chance to get put on the waiting list for the limited-edition Ford GT supercar have to fill out an application. The idea behind the application is to make sure that people who purchase one of Ford's limited-edition supercars will drive it, take it to car cruises and car shows and not stick them into their personal museums to be dusted off 20 years later and sold at an auction for profit. 

Along with the above-mentioned reason, most auto companies that create such wonderful works of art usually store a few of those priceless cars in their own museums anyway. Ford Motor Company, as like most auto companies want to see their vehicles driven, they want to see their beautiful designs being used for what they were designed for, having fun in them.  

But time will tell what happens, the closer Ford comes to getting their supercar out, Corvette will push harder to get their mid-engine Vette rolling and hopefully the competition will roll on harder than ever. 
6/1/2016


I have talked about the mid-engine Corvette in the past, its possibilities of finding its way into the Corvette lineup and what it would mean for GM, Chevrolet and Corvette. After many exciting years of maybes, it's possible, it's just a cool thought and nothing more – the Godfather of the Corvette, Zora Arkus-Duntov, has made it pretty clear that the public will see a Mid-Engine Corvette revealed possibly as soon as the L.A. Auto Show late this year.

Although this would be new to the public eye, it is a well-known fact that Corvette has been working on and has come up with a pretty permanent version of a Mid-Engine Corvette. The drivetrain solutions are said to include a seven-speed manual transmission and an LT1/LT4 700-hp twin-turbocharged engine.

Unfortunately, the many renderings I have seen, which is not much to my surprise, looks almost just like a Ferrari with Corvette badges. And I say not much to my surprise because if you look at a 2016 Corvette Z06 and compare it to a 2016 Ferrari F12, put them in the same color, you can very easily mistake them for one another from a distance (my opinion).  

When this does happen, the word out is that most of the front-engine Corvettes will still be very much a part of the Corvette lineup and most likely none will be bumped out as a result of an extra Corvette coming in. The front-engine Corvette is part of the iconic brand as we know it. If anything, the Mid-Engine Corvette will be more for just breaking track records, giving the Ford GT and other Mid-Engine competitors a run for their money, and or to sit in a rich person's car collection.



When the Mid-Engine Corvette does become an available vehicle for the public to purchase, you won't be able to just go to any dealership and buy one or have one serviced by any dealership under warranty. Selected dealerships with a great reputation for sales and customer service will be high on the list of places that will have the honor of selling and promoting the Mid-Engine Corvette, and of course, three other things will help decide where they will be available at – location, location, location.

The price tag for one of these Corvettes is going to most likely be out outrageously high. That is why location will be a huge part of deciding where they will be sold. If Corvette is thinking about competing with the Ford GT, and when has Chevy ever not tried to compete with Ford, the price tag will likely find its way up into the $350,000 to $400,000 range. That is a supercar status price tag, but Chevrolet has yet to fail on any attempt to make a sports car or supercar worth every penny in the past 10+ years.

3/16/2016

Friday, May 27, 2016

Need Hennessy Power For Your Camaro SS

Hennessy Camaro ZL1

Update

As promised, Hennessy has been hard at work taking not just the Camaro SS and making it unstoppable, but they have also added Hennessy Camaro ZL1 versions, four-cylinder turbocharged versions, LE versions (including the V-6), and they have their own recipes for new Corvettes and Cadillac CTS-Vs. 


So if you are someone that is lucky enough to have some money left over after you buy one of these sweet rides and needs something a little extra, let Hennessy Performance hook you up with something just a little more awesome. 

5/27/2016

Like most of us excepted, Hennessy Performance Engineering got their hands on some 2016 Camaro SS sports cars and came up with a few different Hennessy versions, and anybody who has been around the aftermarket auto industry for a while definitely knows that Hennessy only puts their badges on vehicles that represent what they stand for – badass performance.

Although the Camaro SS already comes with 455-hp and 455-lb.-ft. of torque, for some people that just isn't enough. So Hennessy did what they do best and outlined eight different high-performance Camaro SS versions for customers to opt for if they so choose, including a 1,000-hp supercharged version that puts out 887-lb.-ft. of torque at 4,200-rpm. Other versions include the naturally aspired HPE500, 600, and 650, and the supercharged HPE650, 700, 750 and 800.


The 1,000-hp 2016 Hennessy Camaro SS will get a total reconstructed engine that will be stroked out from the original 6.2-liter engine to a 6.8-liter engine. Making sure that the engine can handle the massive 1,000-hp, Hennessy adds forged aluminum pistons, billet connecting rods, ported cylinder heads and hollow-stem valves to the engine rebuild. Of course, that horsepower would not be obtainable if it weren't for the massive supercharger, the heavy-duty intercooler, and a brand new engine management system.


Even if you don't opt for the 1,000-hp version, but something a little more realistically streetable, all Hennessy Camaro SS versions get a few visual bonuses that include incognito badges placed around the outside of the vehicle, Hennessy specific floormats and a numbered plaque on the dashboard to distinguish its authenticity and rareness. Needless to say, with the tame visual effects, you might be sitting right next to an HPE Camaro SS without even recognizing it.

If a 1,000-hp Camaro sounds like something you are willing to spring for, know that after you buy your 2016 Camaro SS, you have to have an extra $65,000 lying around, because that's how much you will have to send to Hennessy to have your Camaro spruced up to a HPE1000. Prices for the less upgraded versions of the HPE Camaros can be obtained by a quick call to Hennessy and a little chat with their tech guys.


All Camaro upgrades come with a 36,000 mile/one-year drivetrain warranty to give you a little time to tear up the road and break the drivetrain before you're responsible. They are also compatible with the manual transmission and the automatic transmission, even if you upgrade to the supercharged Hennessy versions, both transmissions are said to perform flawlessly.

Although these upgrades are specifically for the Camaro SS, I'm sure if you talked to the guys at Hennessy about your Camaro LE (V-6, V-8), you would be able to talk them into hooking you up with a pretty sweet little performance package.

2/28/16




Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Camaro's Most Powerful Muscle Car: The 2017 Camaro ZL1



Later this year, Camaro will be adding a new ZL1 performance package to their 2017 lineup. Being held out of the lineup for 2016, Camaro plans on making up for its absence with a 2017 Camaro ZL1 that can take care of business on every level - from power and performance to style and comfort.

The 2017 Camaro ZL1 will come equipped with the supercharged motor that the Corvette ZO6 is currently using. This will boost the horsepower from the 580 horses the 2016 Camaro ZL1 produced to 640 horses for 2017. The badass 6.2-liter motor will come connected to either a six-speed manual transmission or a ten-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifting abilities.

No need to worry about peeling out before fishtailing into a tree as the Camaro's power is converted back to an electronic limited-slip differential with an adjustable performance traction management system. Although if it is a burnout that you are out looking to do you can always turn that bad boy off and go crazy. But if you are just looking to sprint forward in a straight line with virtually no steering responsibilities, the Camaro ZL1 traction management system will help you do just that.

As with just about all of General Motors high-end vehicles, you will receive the Magnetic Ride Control active suspension. This will without a doubt let you carve corners effortlessly on your Good Year F1 Eagle tires while comfortably seated on the inside secured to deep leather and sued-upholstery racing Recaro seats. And comfortably is always an understatement when it comes to Camaro or any GM vehicle for that matter, as all the interior creature comforts that come with all other Camaro trim models are also standard here.


Outside of obvious power, the next biggest difference you will see between the 2017 Camaro ZL1 and the other Camaros in the lineup is the appearance package. A huge front grille lets in much-needed air as a vented hood helps release the air keeping the front-end of the Camaro down at high speeds. Wider side skirts and a bigger front spliter are easily noticed along with a rear spoiler that is definitely needed to help keep the vehicle planted when hitting corners at the road course.

No price tag has been yet announced for the 2017 Camaro ZL1, but one would have to imagine it will be a little bit more than the original price tag on the 2015 Camaro ZL1 which came in at $57,000.00.

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Introducing the 2017 50th Anniversary Camaro





Way back in September of 1966, Chevrolet introduced what would soon become one of the most iconic American sports cars of all time - the Camaro. It was Chevrolet's answer to the Ford Mustang and their foot in the door to the poor man's sports car market.



With September 2016 right around the corner, Camaro recognizes the importance of the date and the need for a 50th Anniversary Edition Camaro. To celebrate 50 years of the sports car, a 2017 50th Anniversary Camaro Edition will be available for order as soon as this summer.

So what will be so special about this 50th Anniversary Camaro, as far as performance goes it does not sound like there will be any upgrades in that department. But you will have your choice of having any of the three engines placed in them that Camaro already offers: the 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, the 3.6-liter V-6 and the 6.2-liter monster V-8. Each engine setup will come available to you with the option of a six-speed manual transmission with rev-matching technology or the eight-speed automatic with the excitement of steering wheel paddle shifting.

Some other great things that Camaro leaves up to you as options are all of the 50th Anniversary Camaros can be ordered as a coupe or in convertible version and in the 2LT trim or SS trim package. Each Camaro will come with a Night Fall Grey Metallic paint job with two orange and black stripes that will break up the paint job by running down the hood and trunk lid. Added to the appearance of the Camaro will be the very famous and iconic RS visual package that adds on many cool looking upgrades. Some of those upgrades included are a new front splitter with a mesh front grille and chrome accents, 20-inch alloy rims with “50th Anniversary” center caps, HID headlights, LED tail lamps and rear trunk-lid spoiler. Along with that comes painted brake calipers that match the stripes (only in front on 2LT models) and added special "50th Anniversary" badges on the front fenders and rear bumpers. 



The interior, although no photos have been produced of it yet is said to be just as nice. Black leather with orange contrast stitching is what will surround you and what you will be seated on. The seatbacks, steering wheel, instrumental panels and illuminated sill plates will all get special “50th Anniversary” treatment. Add that in with the suede inserts and all of the other creature comforts the Camaro offers its drivers and you have a 50th Anniversary Camaro that will not only be fun to drive, but also fun to take around to all of the local car shows. 

Prices have yet to be talked about but will probably be soon mentioned as summer is quickly approaching. In my opinion, since there is no power upgrades and no limited edition numbered models to be mentioned, I can't see them being priced much more than an average Camaro.



Tuesday, March 1, 2016

2016 Autorama Exits of Some of the Most Beautiful Vehicles

The Autorama in Detroit is always a great place and time for Michigan auto enthusiast. After a few months of cold weather and a few more to go, the huge indoor car show in February is a refreshing break in the action for car, truck and bike lovers to see some awesome pieces of automotive machinery come out of hibernation.

One of the best parts of the event is the leaving of the vehicles. Brand new high-end sports cars to classic restorations and everything in between take their final stroll out of Cobo hall and probably back into their garages for at least another month.

Take some time to take a look at the exits of some of the most beautiful vehicles that came to Detroit for this year's Autorama.



Another part of the action that came along with the 2016 Detroit Autorama was the star of "Counting Cars", Danny, from on A&E, performed with his band "Count 77".





Friday, February 12, 2016

2017 Camaro 1LE V-6 and V-8 Packages

Image result for camaro 1le 2017

As the Chicago Auto Show gets on its way this weekend, Chevrolet will be introducing some special 2017 1LE Camaros that will be available for Camaro enthusiast to purchase. Although the 1LE Camaro package has been an option for Camaro shoppers since 1989, the 2017 Camaro 1LE will host two different engine options next year.   

The 2017 Camaro 1LE package will be available for purchase on the V-8 Camaros, like in the past, but for 2017 it will also be available on the V-6 Camaros (1LT and 2LT). In the past, owning a V-6 Camaro or Firebird gave you the looks of a sports car, but when it came to power and handling, even braking, you definitely did not have much to brag about.

Now Camaro is stepping up to change that and give even Camaro V-6 owning's a sports car experience. If you order or buy a 2017 Camaro 3.6-liter V-6 you will be getting a Camaro that is 100-lbs. lighter than its V-8 big brother, while still pumping out 335 horses. Along with that horsepower, you also get a bunch of other goodies that come along with the 1LE.

Here are some stats to look forward to:
Camaro 3.6-liter 1LE
- The 335 horsepower V-6 comes matched up to a six-speed manual transmission
- The FE3 suspension components come from the Camaro SS and includes dampers, rear cradle mounts, ball-jointed rear toe links and stabilizer bars.
- 20-inch forged aluminum lightweight wheels come wrapped in Goodyear Eagle F1 - 245/40R20s for the front and 275/35R20s for the rear
- Front Brembo 4-piston brake calipers for major stopping power
- Mechanical Limited-slip differential with 3.27 ratio
- Standard track-cooling package, with engine oil, differential and transmission coolers
- Suede steering wheel for easy grip and shorter-throw shifter for quick gear selection
- Dual exhaust system comes standard
- The Camaro SS fuel system is put in place for higher-load cornering capability
- A Satin wrapped black hood along with a front splitter and a smooth looking three-piece rear spoiler are some of the styling features of the Camaro
- Unique high flow upper and lower grille with satin black accents
- Optional Recaro seats and Chevy's performance video and data recorder



Camaro SS 1LE
The SS 1LE comes with the new FE4 suspension that is track turned for high-performance corner cutting lap times. The Magnetic Ride dampers, springs and stabilizer bars are most likely courtesy of the Cadillac ATS.

Copping one of these SS Camaros will also get you:

- A 455 horsepower 6.2-liter V-8 LT1 engine that comes standard with a six-speed manual transmission. (no automatic offered)
- Magnetic Ride Control (most of GM's high-performance high-end vehicles have this suspension)
- Special forged aluminum wheels: 285/30ZR20s in the front and 305/30ZR20s in the rear
- Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires with a compound and construction developed exclusively for the Camaro and carving corners like a supercar
- Brembo brakes with new six-piston monobloc front red calipers and two-piece rotors. Measuring 14.6 inches in diameter, the front rotors are 7% bigger than the regular Camaro SS rotors and feature the 1LE Camaro emblem on them.
- Segment-exclusive electronic limited-slip differential with 3.73 ratio
- Track-cooling package, with engine oil, differential and transmission coolers
- Comfortable suede steering wheel with a shorter-throw shifter
- Dual exhaust system
- Recaro front seats with aggressive bolsters optimized for shifting and steering comfort
- Satin black wrapped hood and front mirrors to match along with a unique three-piece rear spoiler
- Satin Graphite front splitter and rear diffuser
- Chevy's performance video and data recorder optional.



Al Oppenheiser, Vehicle Chief Engineer of Camaro says that “the Camaro SS 1LE sets the new benchmark for the segment, lapping the Big Willow track at Willow Springs three seconds faster than the standard Camaro SS.” He also went on to say the V-6 1LE has been making lap times at the Willow Springs Race Way that keeps up with the V-8 Gen-5 Camaros. As of right now the V-6 pulls .97Gs of corning grip, while the V-8 pulls 1G of corning grip.

So what about the four-cylinder turbocharged Camaros that are even lighter. There is no word if they will make a 1LE package for the four-cylinder Camaro yet, but you can bet that you will be able to buy the 1LE components from GM Performance and have them installed. That would be a pretty fun little four-cylinder sports car to drive around.

Saturday, February 6, 2016

COPO Camaro 2016: A Tall Order to Fill




When it comes to the 2016 COPO Camaro, as with the previous years, Chevrolet will only be producing 69 of them. The problem is there are already some 5,500 order forms filled out all from customers that want the drag strip ready race Camaro.



As of the end of January, at the world-famous Scottsdale, AZ. Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction, the first 2016 COPO Camaro was auctioned off for $300,000.00. This COPO Camaro was one of the big-block drag car versions that was specially designed with Courtney Force giving a lot of help in the color scheme and overall look of the Camaro. Unfortunately, big wallets that buy cars from these very prestigious auctions don't buy them to race them. So this car will not only most likely find its home in some museum somewhere, but it also brings down the total of COPO Camaros left to purchase to 68.

There will be three different powerplants that can be ordered with the COPO Camaro. One will be the monstrous naturally aspired 7.0-liter V-8, another engine option will be a 6.2-liter 376-cu.-in. LT engine and a 5.7-liter with a Whipple supercharger will also be an option. The COPO that was auctioned off at the Barrett-Jackson auction in January came with the 5.7 supercharged setup along with a race-ready THM-350 transmission, the other two engine options will also come with this tranny setup.


That all sounds good, but what if you're not one of the special ones, and, believe me, you will have to be special, to get picked to own a 2016 COPO Camaro. Well, the good news is if you have a big enough pocketbook, the drivetrain and the parts that run the COPO Camaro will be available by order through Chevrolet. You may not technically be able to have a true COPO, but getting your Camaro to move as fast as one will definitely be feasible.

This probably won't happen, but maybe Chevrolet will get their heads out of their asses and see the COPO Camaro's potential for growth and make a few extra ones next year. 

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Opel GT Concept - General Motors European Branch


Opel GT Concept

It's probably been a long time since you heard the car brand name “Opel” and sports car in the same sentence, in fact, if you're young enough, like me, you probably never heard the word sports car describing an Opel period. But the General Motors European branch is trying to change that with a very cool looking Opel GT Concept set to make an appearance at the Geneva International Motor Show Switzerland.


A Small Opel With Big Features
The little two-seat coupe has a lot of big features that prove that Opel is looking to move forward with up-to-date innovations that can attract younger people and compete with the many other compact sports cars in today's auto market.

According to Opel's CEO, Karl-Thomas Neumann, “the concept is no business case, but more of a brand investment.” The idea behind the Opel GT concept is to see the reaction of the consumers and see if something like the GT is something that consumers are really looking to get into.
Although the Opel GT is just a concept and has a long way to go to become a real production car, the '68-'73 Opel GT was also just a concept in 1965, but in just three short years it was in production and making the Opel name popular.

Like many concepts, the Opel GT Concept is built with many innovations that might not make it into production even if the Opel GT sports car does. The first one is the noticeable red front tires and wheels that are designed to look much like a roller skate wheel. You also might notice a set of doors that flow seamlessly into the windows with a silver tint to match the vehicle. It looks pretty cool, but government rules would keep the idea out of production unless some laws are changed.

Another innovation that is pretty cool is if you look closely you will notice that there are no side mirrors. The side mirror's duties are relieved by two cameras mounted on both sides of the rear-wheel arches and then displayed on right and left side monitors inside the vehicle. With that fanciness, you may also notice that there are no door handles. You open the doors by an invisible touch-pad integrated into the red stripe that divides the two-tone paint job. 



The Opel is Fun, Small with Power to Match
The sports car power is supplied by a three-cylinder aluminum engine block with a turbocharger. The power is converted to a six-speed transmission that can be controlled with steering wheel paddle shifters. The combination gives the Opel GT 145-hp, which may not sound like a lot for a sports car, but this car only weighs about 2,200-lbs.

Opel Concept

Along with some other cool perks like duel exhaust that pokes out of
the rear bumper, panorama glass roof, and a patented door design that allows the doors to partially open into the front wheel-well for easier parking in tight areas - this Opel concept might be something we might see making headlines in the near feature – maybe even with Buick emblems on it. If you look closely at the Buick Avista Concept and compare it with the Opel, the cars look very similar, and it wouldn't be the first time that Buick slapped badges on an Opel.

Thursday, January 14, 2016

2016 Buick Avista Concept Car


2016 Buick Vista Concept


The North America International Auto Show always brings us the latest and greatest new cars, trucks, and SUVs that the auto industry has to offer. They also bring us cool concept cars that may or may not make it into production in the near future. For the 2016 NAIAS, there were many concepts that stood out this year, but perhaps the one concept that stood out the most and has the biggest chance of making it into production sooner than later is the 2016 Buick Avista concept.

A Luxurious Interior Cool Enough For Space Travel 

The Avista is built on the Camaro Alpha chassis, which leaves room on the inside for four passengers to enjoy the comfort of  Mist Gray leather seating inserts, 3-D printed door and seat trim, and exposed carbon fiber and aluminum accents. The future of Buick's IntelliLink technology is also displayed throughout the dash and is controlled by touchscreen controls on a widescreen instrument panel display. The touchscreen technology is also displayed on the center console that stretches all the way to the back seat passengers.


From the driver seat, the driver can feel like he is captain of his own spaceship with the digital futuristic instrumental panel that smoothly integrates into the dash and flows seamlessly with the rest of the interior components. And, in your spaceship like Buick, it may also sound like you are somewhere out in space with the most up-date next-generation QuietTuning and air-quality control, including advanced noise cancellation technology, ionic air purifiers, and aromatherapy.

“There is elegant simplicity in the Avista’s surfaces, which speak to the purity of the car’s performance, and a timeless beauty that’s a hallmark of Buick design,” Bryan Nesbitt, executive director of Global Buick Design says. “It was designed to capture the spirit of the perfect drive for all passengers.”

Driving a Buick Full of Technology and Power
Buick really has not been known for power-punching cars outside of the '86 and '87 V-6 turbocharged Grand Nationals. And before that, you have to go back to the muscle car era, when Buick was producing 455-cu-in torque monsters to find fun fast worthy cars to drive. But Buick knows that Buick fans are ready for some more technology-driven fast and fun cars.

If the Buick Avista makes it to the market the way it sits as a concept, it will receive a 3.0-liter V-6 400-hp twin-turbo engine that will be matted up to an 8-speed automatic transmission. 400 horses are good, especially when you are getting it out of a V-6 that will use Active Fuel Management (cylinder deactivation) with Start-Stop technology to bring you some very good mpg averages. And along with all that awesome power comes an awesome ride, the wide stance and 20'' rims not only help the car look great, but also work perfectly with General Motors' iconic Magnetic Ride Control for nice and tight cornering.

Smooth, But, Bold Exterior Excellence

The exterior profile of the Buick Avista's wide stance gives the vehicle an aggressive sportier look. With the intent to attract younger customers, Buick put a lot of effort into making the Buick stand out with bold and futuristic-looking head and taillights, 20'' aluminum rims, and a big mesh front grill with the Buick emblem front and center.

“The Avista embodies the dynamic soul of Buick,” said Duncan Aldred, vice president of Global Buick Sales, Service, and Marketing. “It is a modern expression of the brand’s heritage of sophisticated performance, communicated with beautiful elegance.” 


A lot of times these cars never even make it into production, and if they do they are deturned, toned-down versions from their concept start. But the market is hungry for a vehicle like this. It was not long ago the Chevy Volt sat in front of us as a concept vehicle and one mesially year later it was rolling off the assembly line, in other words, let's keep our fingers crossed, it could be here in no time.
  

Friday, January 1, 2016

1997 Camaro SS 30th Anniversary (LT-4) SLP Edition

 

Redirect: 1997 Camaro SS 30th Anniversary (LT4) SLP