Camaro SS 30th Anniversary SLP Edition (LT4)

 

1997 Camaro SS 30th Anniversary SLP Edition

Anniversary Editions are always fun. Special stripes, badges, and performance upgrades find their way onto a limited number of stock versions of a vehicle to celebrate the special year. 

Although anniversary additions usually see minor changes, that wasn't the case when it came to the 1997 Camaro SS 30th Anniversary SLP Edition. All of the 30th Anniversary Camaros (RS, Z-28, and SS) seen an eye-popping color scheme and 30th Anniversary badges placed throughout the interior, but a few SS Camaros (US 100 – Canada 6 – Prototype 2) got much more than just a few minor upgrades and a cool looking color scheme. Those few special Camaro SS received a stout LT4 5.7-liter engine installed by SLP.

Where Did The Color Scheme for the Anniversary Edition Camaro Come From?

The color scheme is a throwback to the 1969 Indianapolis 500 Pace Car Camaro. Just like in '69, the '97 30th Anniversary Camaro was painted Arctic White accompanied by a set of Hugger Orange racing stripes that graced the hood, deck-lid, and roof of all of the 1997 Anniversary Editions (unless it was a convertible). 

The All-Important 330 HP Badge

They all may have looked the same and had the same embroider badges on the seats and the floor mats, but only a select few got to wear the all-important 330-hp badge indicating an LT4 under the hood.

Almost all of the Anniversary Editions came with stock engines that matched their trim package except for those few lucky SS Camaros that got to take the trip to SLP Engineering after they rolled off the assembly line.

SLP Engineering was able to get its hands on extra leftover LT4 motors that were used in the 1996 Corvette Grand Sport a year earlier. Before SLP bolted these LT4 motors into the Camaros, they broke each engine down and had them balanced and blue-printed. 

On paper, the LT4 was documented to get 330 horsepower at 5,800 RPM and reached its max torque at 4,500 RPM. But many car enthusiasts and automotive professionals believe this motor that had 10.8:1 compression was definitely underrated.

More SLP Camaro Upgrades

The 1997 Camaro SS with the SLP LT4 upgrade also received a Borg-Warner T56 six-speed manual transmission, a performance exhaust, a lightweight driveshaft, Bilstein sport suspension (optional level III Bilstein suspension package), and a Torsen limited-slip differential. All those extras were good to get you from 0-60 mph in 4.9 seconds and down the quarter-mile in 13.3 seconds. 

With the explosion of technology in the auto industry, that may not seem so amazing in this generation, but back in 1997, that was the fastest production American sports car on the market. There were no American sports cars at that time that could be bought from a dealer that went that fast.

Identifying a 1997 Camaro SS 30th Anniversary LT-4 SLP Edition

So how do you tell if what you're looking at or what you own is one of these rare 30th Anniversary SLP LT4 SS Camaros? Regular SS 30th Anniversary Camaros are commonly mistaken for these very rare SLP Editions, and that's because they're easy to pass off as one. 

All of the SLP LT4 Editions rolled off the line and out of the factory as an LT1 before being shipped off for the special treatment. That means even SLP LT4 SS Camaros will still indicate that it is an LT1 Camaro SS in the Vin#. 

First, to either begin or end the discussion of whether it is a true SS or not, look at the trim options. If it's anything other than a white SS hardtop with Huggar Orange stripes, your SS is not an SS LT4 SLP Limited Edition.  

There are a few places on the Camaro that will definitely give you the information you want if it wasn't removed post-SLP Treatment. Right above the rear bumper on the opposite side of the SS emblem, a special edition 330-hp badge will let you know if it's an LT4 SLP, but these can be easily applied to regular SS Cmaros. 

To get to the bottom of your research, you want to look inside the driver's side door and or inside the glove box to find the RPO code. This should indicate if it has been in the hands of the SLP engineers. But if you're still not sure what you are looking at, you can always call SLP Engineering, they are sure to have records of what Camaros they got their hands on.

If you do have a true LT4 SS 30th Anniversary Camaro in your sights, you're looking at a true collectible. These cars will eventually sell on the Barrett Jackson block like the COPO Camaros do right now. They're good-looking, powerful, rare, and fun to drive.

Happy Hunting!

 

The 1956 Corvette "The Real McCoy" That Saved The Brand

Just about anybody in the world who knows a little about cars knows that the Corvette was the first American sports car and is now the most popular, fastest, and most recognizable American sports car to date. But what a lot of people may not know is that this was not always true. In fact, by the year 1955, the Corvette almost saw its extinction.

Rumors about the move to drop the Corvette flooded out of Chevrolet's top offices with very sad sales numbers to back up what only seemed to be a good idea. Their competition, the two-seater Ford Thunderbird, which sold an astonishing 16,000 units in 1955—the Corvette—only sold a depressing 700 units.

Unfortunately for Ford, the same car that was taking so many sales away from the Corvette would be the inspiration for keeping the Corvette in the product lineup. The idea behind keeping the Vette and spending more money on a car that was obviously tanking was brought on by a few Chevrolet bigwigs, including former Corvette chief engineer Dave McLellan. McLellan released a statement concurring that, "if the Ford Thunderbird was doing so well, there is obviously a market for a two-seater sports car. With a solid change for the better and the right amount of marketing, the Corvette should be able to become a moneymaker."

In an ironic twist, the very car that Corvette planned to piggyback off of, the Ford Thunderbird, had already made future plans to market the car differently by doing away with the two-seater style and making it a four-seater touring car, thus leaving the American sports car market wide open for Chevrolet and its Corvette.

"The Real McCoy" 

As wide open as the market was, the Corvette needed some changes for success, ideally in the form of performance and a new body style. When Zora Arkus Dutov took the reins as Corvette Chief Engineer, he was ready to make those changes, but he knew first the chassis had to be redesigned to handle any horsepower upgrades.

Once engineers updated and strengthen the chassis, Chevrolet engineers went performance and horsepower hunting. First, they ditched the boring and heavy two-speed power-glide transmission and replaced it with an upgraded four-speed. They also took the original 265 cu.-in. motor and bored it out to a 307 that sported dual Cater carbs and a now-famous "Dutov High-Performance Cam." 

Other upgrades were also included on the Real McCoy like a very rare set of Halibrand magnesium knock-off wheels, special heavy-duty brakes with cooling scoops, heavy-duty shocks and sway bars, an upgraded high-capacity fuel tank, and more—all newly implicated to help achieve the Corvette performance desired.

After all of those upgrades, top engineers slapped a new SR Prototype body on what was now known as project Corvette #6901. The engineers called it "The Real McCoy" and decided it was ready to head to the racetrack.

Dayton Speedway Record

The first stop for the "Real McCoy" was the Dayton Speed Week for a two-way flying speed mile. This is where the Corvette would make its first milestone. At the time, the record for the Corvettes class was 127 mph. With Dutov as the driver, the 255-horsepower Corvette sped to an average speed of 150.58mph to crush the record.

This was an extremely sufficient record because it occurred just weeks before the New York Motorama, where the Corvette would be on display to many potential buyers, most of which had already heard the news of the record-breaking performance.

12-Hour Sebring Race

A few months after Daytona, the ground-breaking Corvette made its way to the famous 12-Hour Sebring Race. This race was designed only for the toughest of the toughest—the fastest of the fastest. Only cars like Jaguars, Bentleys, and Aston Martins graced the racetracks for these events. But with a chance to prove that the Corvette has changed and deserved respect along with the other powerful sports cars, Chevrolet did not shy away, instead, they joined in on the action.

Race car drivers John Fitch and Walter Hansgen were brought on board to take on the challenging race. When the green flag dropped, the race was on. But early on in the race, the Corvette experienced mechanical problems, so much so they did not think it would finish the race. In the end, not only did the Real McCoy Corvette finish, the Corvette finished first in its respective class and 9th overall. This was an incredible accomplishment, especially considering 60 cars entered the event, but only 24 crossed the finish line.

With another huge milestone under Corvette's belt, Chevrolet exploited it by printing ads like this "A Tough, Road-Gripping Torpedo On Wheels" and "The Most Remarkable Car Made In America Today." 

Those ads were to send a message: Corvette had finally arrived as a force in the international sportscar racing circuits, and they proudly called this particular Vette "The Real McCoy."

Between all of its accomplishments and Chevrolet's ad campaigns, the '56 Corvette sold 3,467 units, and in '57 they nearly doubled that with 6,339 sold. One of the main reasons the Corvette saw such selling success was if they were to race the Vette in its respected class at the 12-hour Sebring race, every part that was changed or modified for the race had to be documented and later made available to the public. This process made potential buyers very excited about being able to buy a Corvette and beef it up to run and look just like the “The Real McCoy”  

Auctioned Away For $2.3 Million

In any event, if it was not for the #6901 '56 PJ Prototype "Real McCoy" Corvette, and possibly the success of the Thunderbird, Chevrolet may have never gone forward with the Corvette and, the automobile industry would definitely not be the same today.

Pontiac Firehawk Third and Forth-Generation: Which One To Buy

I think most automobile enthusiasts would agree that very few vehicles from the mid-'70s to the late '80s could be considered high-performance vehicles. Between higher-priced fuel due to oil shortages, the EPA clamp-down in search of better emissions, and sky-rocketing insurance rates, there was just no market for higher-performing cars, especially with the US bouncing in and out of recessions. 

But still, in the ‘80s, there were some well-performing cars that gave us gearheads some hope for a change—a light at the end of the tunnel that would get us out of an era that produced mostly disappointing sports cars and sad muscle car attempts. 

So when did the tides start to change for the high-performance automobile industry? 

It is tough to pinpoint when or where, but there are a few vehicles like the Buick Grand National, GMC Syclone and Typhoon, prototype 454 Corvette ZR-2, and some other impressive attempts to revive the high-performance auto industry. 

One very important contribution to the reviving process was the creation of the Pontiac Firehawk. Let’s take a look at how these cool cars got their start, what made them awesome, and how they evolved. 

The 1991 and 1992 Pontiac Firehawk 

When Pontiac was ready to give their sports car a boost in the right direction, they looked to the SLP company. Starting in 1987, SLP has been a huge contributor to high-performance parts for vehicles of all kinds. 

Pontiac just didn’t place some of the SLP high-performance parts on the soon-to-be Firehawk, instead, the two companies joined together to create a new performance RPO code name B4U or better known as the Pontiac Firehawk. 

Built off the Firebird trim package, this Pontiac received an L98 350 V8 engine that pumped out 360 horsepower 390 lb.-ft. of torque thanks mostly to upgraded pistons, intake, exhaust, and a set of well-ported heads.

Other upgrades included:

• C4 Corvette ZF 6-speed manual transmission 
• Aluminum driveshaft
• Limited-slip differential 
• 275/40-17 tires

Firehawk $9,000 option

• Recaro front seats
• Aluminum hood
• Roll Cage
• Five-point harnesses 
• Stiffer bushings for the rear control arms
• Brembo® brakes
• Optional fuel cell

Performance Results 

There are no official times that any one source can tie down as a positive, but an easy 13-second quarter-mile time at 106 mph seems to be about on target with its 4.6 seconds 0-60 mph times.  

  

Production Numbers

Between the ‘91 and '92 third-generation Firehawks, a total of 25 were built. The first eight Firehawks were built as 1991 Pontiac Firehawks, and the last 17 were built as 1992 Firehawks. 

Fourth-Generation: Pontiac Firehawk 1993

The first Firehawks were so well-received there was no doubt Pontiac was going to carry the nameplate over to the fourth-generation Firebirds. Unfortunately, these Firehawks would receive fewer upgrades from the original ‘93 Firebird Formula. Most people believe it was to not take too much away from the new-generation look and drivetrain. 

Fourth-Generation Firehawk Upgrades

With both Camaro Z28 and Firebird Formula now receiving the new LT1 that Corvette started using just one year earlier, more power became a little bit more achievable. In stock form, the 5.7-liter LT1 engine would make 275 horsepower. With some special Firehawk tuning, the LT1’s power was boosted to 300 horsepower and 330 lb.-ft. of torque. 

 

Other Upgrades Included: 

• Lightweight composite hood with functional CAI ram air
• Firehawk graphics
• Stainless exhaust tips
• 17-inch x 8-½-inch aluminum alloy wheels
• P275/40ZR17 Firestone Firehawk tires
• 201 Firehawks produced in 1993 with the RPO code of R6V

1994 Pontiac Firehawk 

These fourth-gen Firehawks would get an increase of 15 horsepower and an increase of 5 lb.-ft. of torque from the previous year. The increase was achieved thanks to a 3-inch dual system with a less restrictive muffler. You were also able to option up a Level II Bilstein suspension package for some great handling attributes and better launches. 

1995 Pontiac Firehawk

Although mostly unchanged from the previous year, Pontiac did make a move that made the Firehawk more desirable to a wider audience. For the first time, a Firehawk buyer had the option of purchasing one in a convertible configuration. In fact, 102 convertibles were said to be built for ‘95. Unfortunately, although the convertible Firehawk received all the other performance upgrades as the other Firehawks, they were unable to be ordered with the Level II Bilstein Sport Suspension. 

1996 Pontiac Firehawk 

1996 was a low production year for the Firehawk due to the interest that SLP found in the WS6 Ram Air Pontiacs and Camaro SS. Only 41 were produced, but the nice thing was that the Firehawk performance package ended up costing less than it did the previous year. 

1997 Pontiac Firehawk 

1997 was another special year for the Firehawks. Although it is unknown how many were produced, 29 were produced with a Corvette LT4 engine. Since in ‘97, Corvette had moved on to the new and improved LS1 engine, there were extra LT4 engines left over. Some of those engines went into the ‘97 Camaro SS SLP Edition, and the others went into the Firehawk. Other than the bigger engine package, not much changed from ‘96 to the ‘97 for the Firehawk.  

  

Some More Upgrades Through The Fourth-Generation Years That Could Be Order Depending On Year And Configuration Were:

• Engine Oil Cooler Package
• Performance Lubricants Package with synthetic rear axle lube, semi-synthetic power steering fluid, and premium quality synthetic media engine oil filter
• Torsen Limited Slip Differential (includes Performance Lubricants Package)
• SLP Hurst short throw shifter with H-shift knob
• American Racing Equipment chrome-plated aluminum wheels
• LT4 Engine Upgrade (only for ‘97) 

1998 Pontiac Firehawk 

No Firehawks were made in anticipation of a big entrance for ‘99.

1999-2002 Pontiac Firehawk

These generation Pontiac Firehawks would get the brand new Formula/Trans Am bodystyle. Outside of their Firehawk emblems and sometimes different rims, there was one sure way you could tell a Firehawk apart from a Pontiac Formula or Trans Am, and that was the Ram Air Induction. All Firehawks had a distinctive ram air with two solid hood scoops for the induction system, whereas the Formula and Trans Am ordered with the WS6 Ram Air package had a hood that looked like it had four air inlets. 

The big changes for the ‘99-’02 Firehawks were the horsepower, a selection of suspension upgrades, and the chance to finally get a Firehawk in a Trans Am trim. Thanks to the success of the LS1 engines, Firehawk Trans Ams were popping up all over the place, and they were mighty feared competitors on the streets. Horsepower changes for those years are as follows: 

• 1999 - 327 horsepower
• 2000 - 330 horsepower 
• 2001 - 335 horsepower
• 2022 - 345 horsepower  

As The F-bodies Fade Away  

It was sad to say goodbye to the F-bodies and Pontiacs in general. The Chevrolet Camaro came back to life, but it will soon disappear as well. It’s gems like these that need to be preserved, and although it's hard to find a Firehawk for a good price, they are still out there and probably worth the high price tag that car enthusiasts are asking.