1994-1996 Chevrolet Impala SS: General Motors' Only Muscle Car of the Decade—Not Sports Car—Muscle Car

  

Summary

1994–1996 Chevy Impala SS — a full-size sedan with true 1990s muscle-car attitude.

5.7L LT1 V8 producing 260 hp and 330 lb.-ft. of torque.

Rear-wheel drive, limited-slip differential, heavy-duty suspension, 12-inch disc brakes, and dual exhaust.

Comfortable enough for five, but capable of 0–60 mph in about 7 seconds.

The LT1 offered plenty of potential for aftermarket performance upgrades.

Only 69,758 were produced, making clean, original examples increasingly desirable.

A big, comfortable American cruiser with legitimate muscle-car DNA.

The Big and Bold

These beautiful 94-96 Chevrolet Impala SS sport sedans weren't in production for long, but they did make a big impact in the Chevy lineup for a couple of years. What made this Caprice in disguise such a success was the addition of a Corvette 5.7-liter LT1 V8 engine, along with a few other upgrades.

• 260 Horsepower and 330 lb.-ft. of Torque

• 4L60E Automatic Transmission

• 3.08 Tall Rear Gear with a Limited-Slip Differential

• Lowered Heavy-Duty Suspension from the Caprice Police Car Package

• Performance-Oriented Shocks w/Semi-Stiff Anti-Roll Bars

• 12-Inch Vented Disc Brakes

• 0-60 in 7.0 Seconds and 15.0-Second 1/4-Mile Time @ 92 MPH, Give or Take, with Plenty of Potential

Now, of course, that doesn't sound like much today, with V6 SUVs outperforming this big-bodied vehicle. But this 4,220-pound beast was considered pretty fast for its size 26 years ago.

The funny thing is, the decision to go with the Caprice/LT1/Impala combination came about because the original Caprice 4.6-liter engine was having a hard time meeting emission standards. The LT1 engine that was placed in the Corvette, Camaro, and Pontiac sports cars was doing fine passing emissions and smog regulations, and that's why it got the duty of lugging the Impala SS around.

Potential For More Power 

Dropping the 4.6-liter and moving to the LT1 made the Impala SS even more like a muscle car. Since there wasn't a lot you could do in terms of upgrades to the 4.6-liter, the dud you got in the '93 and older Caprice was the dud you got. The LT1, on the other hand, offered plenty of room for upgrades.

If you could get an upgrade for a Corvette, Camaro, Firebird, or Trans Am, chances are you could get it for the Impala. This opened the door for easy upgrades, from cold-air induction and computer programmers to cams, heads, and nitrous. I'd go over all the upgrade options, but I figure you could use your imagination here.

Four-Door Competition

It was definitely faster than its American four-door competitors, i.e., the Ford Taurus SHO and the Pontiac Bonneville SSEi. Moreover, it was $65,800+ cheaper than the Mercedes-Benz S500 and could accelerate faster, handle better, and match the Benz in braking abilities, all while sounding like true American Muscle.

What The Impala SS Had Its Sports Car Companions Didn't 

That's easy: front bucket seats that made you feel like you were sitting on a sofa, a back seat where people—even those 6 feet tall and hefty—could sit comfortably, and a trunk you could neatly place a dead body in. 

The Impala's colors were limited. In 1994, you were only able to get one in Black, but the '95 and '96 models brought about a Dark Cherry Red and a Dark Green color.

                        

There were also a few other differences about the 1994 Impala SS. There was a digital dashboard with no tachometer and a column shifter. When Chevrolet noticed the consumer's want for this vehicle in the muscle car capacity, they added in an analog dashboard with a tach and a floor shifter to add to the muscle car feel. 

For all three years, the exterior sported special 17-inch 5-spoke rims wrapped in large 255/50R-17 tires. A nice-sounding dual-exhaust system was added, along with a rear spoiler and deleted Caprice chrome. The stance, the sound, the power, and the name alone—Impala SS—made this disguised Caprice no longer a car you would expect a 90-year-old church-going lady to drive. 

Taking One For A Ride

I've taken a few for a ride here and there while working at a dealership. They're not that fast, but one thing they are is a little surprising. You just don't think a '94-'96 Caprice with special SS Impala badges is going to offer you so much.

The Impala gives you more than enough throttle response to get the big, long sedan into the passing zone and go. It also gives you plenty of comfort, from the legroom and headroom to the soft suspension that performs well but still gives you a ride that reminds you of your grandpa's unmolested Lincoln.

And no, there is no media center, cell phone connectivity, or sophisticated driver-assist safety functions that allow you to disregard paying attention to the road. These Impala SS big-bodies are true cruising cars. A car that you can shine up, hit the road, listen to the mufflers hum, and get a few looks of envy from drivers in their cookie-cutter trucks and crossovers.

Purchasing a 94-96 Impala SS

With 69,758 Impala SS sport sedans produced between '94 and '96, they are not the rarest cars in the world. But a lot of them are stored away in garages as their value goes up. If you're looking to purchase one of these modern Impala SS muscle cars, your best option is to look for one that has low miles and has little to no upgrades.

Some of these cars have been heavily modified, and some have been around the block a time or two.

Look for rust in the usual places, signs of years of abuse, aftermarket-hacked stereo systems and suspension components, and beat-up interiors. Some of these cars may still have potential, but it would depend on how much money you want to put into them.

There are still plenty of good ones out there that have been well taken care of and can offer you a fun and cool multi-purpose Hot Rod!.

   

2018 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE Pushing Limits No Camaro Has Before

Summary

2018 Camaro ZL1 1LE was built as a serious track weapon while remaining street-friendly.

It keeps the 6.2L supercharged LT4 V8 with a 6-speed manual transmission.

The 1LE package made it roughly 3 seconds faster around GM's proving-ground track than the regular ZL1.

Multimatic DSSV dampers, stiffer suspension, and the largest tires ever fitted to a factory Camaro transformed its handling.

Aerodynamics include a large front splitter, dive planes, and a massive carbon-fiber rear wing.

Brembo six-piston front/four-piston rear brakes and Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3R tires provide serious stopping and cornering grip.

Standard performance tech included eLSD, Performance Traction Management, launch control, line-lock, and Performance Data Recorder.

Originally priced around $68,000, the ZL1 1LE delivered near-race-car performance straight from the factory.

A Little Change For The Camaro

Looks like the picture is stretched, right? It's not—that's the 2018 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE! Revealed the day before the 2017 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, this Camaro could be Vehicle Chief Engineer Al Oppenheiser's best work up to 2017.

This Camaro, in its disguised form, was mistaken many times throughout the winter for the next sixth-generation Z/28. When Oppenheiser was asked, "Why not a Z/28?" his reply was that if and when the next Z/28 returns, it will only come back as a naturally aspirated car—the way it was intended to be when it was originally created. He also went on to say this new car was built for the track but is a little more street-friendly than the last Z/28.

The new 2018 Camaro ZL1 1LE laps GM's proving grounds track three seconds faster than the previous ZL1. But make no mistake—it's not because of a new drivetrain. This new track weapon still uses the same 6.2-liter supercharged LT4 V8 paired with a six-speed manual transmission. (Sorry, no automatic is available.)

So what makes this monster so much better than the previous year's ZL1? The 1LE track package, of course. For the first time in a long time, Camaro is ditching the already impressive Magnetic Ride Control suspension in favor of a set of Multimatic DSSV (Dynamic Suspensions Spool-Valve) dampers. Combined with a stiffer suspension setup and the largest tires ever fitted to a factory Camaro, this suspension should hug corners like your grandma hugs her grandkids.

ZL1 1LE Camaro on the track

There is more to the equation. The body is outfitted with large front dive planes and a massive carbon-fiber rear wing. It also hosts a larger front splitter and a bigger grille to help feed more air into the engine compartment. Six-piston Brembo front brakes and four-piston rear Brembos provide the stopping power, while massive Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3R tires help the ZL1 1LE grip the asphalt in just about any track condition.

The new version of the 1LE also retains some familiar styling cues, including the satin-black wrapped hood, black side mirrors, and darkened taillights. It also comes with other ZL1 performance features, including the electronic limited-slip differential (eLSD), Performance Traction Management, line-lock, and launch control. Every ZL1 1LE will also come equipped with Chevrolet's Performance Data Recorder (PDR), allowing drivers to record and analyze their laps.

So what will the 2018 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE cost you? Well, if you're lucky enough to get your hands on one, expect the MSRP to be around $68,000.
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**Update: **Price Tag—Still Up There or Higher

First 1967 Camaro Commercial Broadcast In 1966

 

Back in 1966, the American people were introduced to a sports car that would see five decades of success. That sports car was the Camaro, and to this day has just as much power and influence in the high-performance auto motor industry as the day it first went on sale on Sept. 29, 1966.

After the Mustang was introduced in 1964, Chevrolet had to come up with a sportier, tougher two-door sports car than its current two-door sports car at the time, the Corvair. So under the code name XP-836 and then soon after named the Panther for temporary identification, Chevy went to work.

For the year 1967, Chevy decided to name the soon-to-be iconic sports car, the "Camaro". This obscure word comes from the French-English dictionary meaning "friend". They added eight different engine setups including a SS 350 option and a stout 427 option. Even though the Z/28 did not come along till the next year, on the day of September 29th, 1966, the Camaro hit the road for the first time. Five decades later, this sports car is still a noticeable piece of automobile history no matter what year or model you are driving. 

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!

 

Difference Between the Yenko Camaro and COPO Camaro

 

Difference Between the Yenko and COPO 

Most people probably know about how badass the Yenko and the COPO Camaros are, but how many people know where the names come from and what’s the difference between the two. Of course, if you are a diehard Camaro fan with a lot of knowledge of the first generation Camaros, you probably know some or all of the facts, but just in case you don’t, here is a little bit of education.

The Yenko

In 1967, Don Yenko, owner of Don Yenko Chevrolet, contacted General Motors and ordered 54 Camaros straight from the factory with a special mission in mind. That special mission was to convert those Camaros into Yenko drag strip-ready IHRA/NHRA Stock and Super Stock Camaro competitors.

(How many Yenko Camaros were built and sold from 67 through 69 is really unknown. The same goes with COPO Camaros; ask ten different experts and you're likely to get ten different answers).

When these Camaros first showed up at the Yenko Dealership, the first order of business was to take out the existing 396-cu.-in. engines and replace them with 427 big-blocks. Although a lot of numbers swirled around about how much horsepower they produced, it was estimated around 425-450-hp (depending on who you asked). Along the way, Yenko also had all Yenko labeled Camaros beefed up with other goodies like traction-bars and 3:73-positraction rear-ends. 

There was only one problem with Team Yenko’s plan to turn the Camaros into drag strip-ready Camaros, they were not allowed to race in the IHRA/NHRA Stock or Super Stock classes. These classes were strictly for cars that had no engine changes or any other big mechanical changes after they left the factory. They were not banned from all drag racing, just the Stock and Super Stock classes that the Yenko Team was aiming for, so eventually the Yenko program was canned. 

A lot of people think that the reason Yenko stopped the program was because of the inability to race in their intended classes. That was part of the reason, but most of the reasons were because Yenko was losing money on the pulled 396 motors and rear-ends they could not seem to get rid of and the program was losing even more money since GM would no longer warranty the Camaros if they were modified after they left the factory. That either fell in the hands of the owner or Yenko himself.

 

69 COPO Camaro   

It’s true, the name strikes fear in the hearts of racers who dare to pull up next to one in the staging lanes. They dominated the Stock and Super Stock classes for a long time.

COPO stands for (Central Office Production Order) and this program was invented specifically to put competitive Camaros in those Stock and Super Stock classes. If you ordered a Camaro from the central office, the build sheet would go to the factory, and when the Camaro rolled off the factory line complete, whatever you asked to be installed would be installed and considered stock. With that being said, there was nothing IHRA or NHRA could do about excluding the cars from racing in stock classes.

Ultimately, it was Fred Gibb and Don Yenko that pushed Chevrolet into making this program happen. Chevy saw the need for competitive Camaros in these classes for the use of sponsorship and of course bragging rights. They were Camaros, they were stock, and they were Mustang and Mopar eaters for a long time at the track. The 427 big-blocks made 425-hp and 460-lb.-ft. of torque, they took home a lot of trophies.  

Last Note 

A lot of people believe the COPO division was designed for the 69 ZL1-Camaro and then squashed, and then brought back in 2013 for the Camaro again. But the General Motors COPO Division has been around since GM made fleet vehicles e.i. cop cars, taxis, tow trucks, etc. All vehicles that are ordered specially from a corporation, charity, a government, or something like that are considered specialty-made vehicles or COPO vehicles. (It wasn’t just a program made up for one of the baddest Camaros ever produced, the Camaros just stole the spotlight). 

  

 

1968 COPO Camaro Z28 Convertible: The Rarest Camaro Built

Rarest Camaro Every Built

1968 COPO Camaro Z28 Convertible

This 1968 Z28 convertible was a signal ordered (1-of-1) COPO Camaro built specially for Chevrolet’s General Manager Elliott "Pete" Estes.

1967 was the first year Camaro made its debut in the auto industry market. In '67, Chevrolet only built RS and SS Camaros for driving purposes and built Z28 Camaros for the SCCA Racing Circuit. The Z28s were not cars you could buy at the dealership or drive legally on the streets.

Vince Piggins, Chevrolet's Manager of Product Performance at the time was ready to change that for '68, but the only way he could get the Z28 into regular production as a street-legal car was to get Estes approval.

So Piggins plan was to give Estes a Z28 to drive with hopes he would fall in love with it. The only problem was Z28s were only designed as hard-tops and Estes only drove convertibles. Piggins knew if he gave Estes a hardtop to drive, he would park the Camaro in a company garage where it would sit until someone else moved it.

Piggins decided to fix that problem by rolling the dice and building Estes a convertible 1968 Camaro Z28, the only 1968 Z28 convertible that would ever be built. The gamble paid off. Estes drove the Camaro as a daily driver and loved it, in fact, he loved it so much he gave the go-ahead for a full line of regular production Z28s for 1968.

Where is the 1-of-1 1968 Z28 Convertible Now?

After Estes sold the Camaro in December of '67, this beautiful rare Camaro was not really known to the public as it spent more than 20 years being sold back-and-forth to front office GM employees. But in 1991, the Camaro made it to a public auction and at that time became the highest selling muscle car of all-time with the hammer dropping at $172,000.

Unfortunately for the buyer, Al Maynard, when the purchase was made, he realized all of the Z28 special parts had been removed and the Camaro was put back to RS trim. But Maynard had a plan for that, he bought another Camaro equipped with everything that originally came with the Z28 back in '68 and put the car back to its original being.

Maynard said, "This is the Pete Estes car! It has all the original sheet metal with absolutely nothing out of place. Everything is date coded correctly, and every piece is absolutely correct. It is the only one in the world." This Camaro is truly a gem and in today's standard, if a Camaro like this rolled across the Barrett-Jackson Auction block it could possibly fetch about a million maybe more.

Special Parts:

• Folding Rear Seat
• Auxiliary Console-Mounted Instruments
• Auxiliary Lighting
• Power Windows
• Remote Outside Mirrors
• Custom Seat Belts
• Positraction
• 1969 Prototype Fiberglass Hood
• Cross Ram Air Hood
• Coated Factory Headers
• Performance Suspension Package
• Four-Wheel Disc Brakes
• Blue Light Stereo Radio

It’s always a good thing when a piece of car history ends up in the hands of someone who knows what it is and appreciates it the way it should be appreciated. Hopefully this COPO 1968 Camaro Z28 convertible sticks around for many generations to come.

Rich With Words

2018 Chevrolet Camaro 50th Anniversary Hot Wheels Edition

2018 Hot Wheels Edition Camaro 

Back in 2013, Camaro offered up a Hot Wheels Special Edition Camaro that came with a Kinetic Blue Metallic paint job. For 2018, Camaro will be offering another Hot Wheels Edition to celebrate Hot Wheels' 50th Anniversary. This time the Camaro will be dressed up with a Crush Orange paint job. Although some might think that the Camaro color is the famous Camaro Hugger Orange, it’s not. The Crush orange is actually a tribute to Hot Wheels' iconic orange race tracks they produced for many years.

Stretched across the center of the Camaro, running from bumper-to-bumper, are a set of Satin Graphite racing stripes with Ice Metallic accents. Along with the 2018 Chevrolet Camaro Hot Wheels Edition package comes Satin Graphite ground effects, blacked-out bowtie badges, 50th Anniversary Hot Wheels fender emblems, darker tail lights, and orange brake calipers. Hot Wheels-inspired 20-inch wheels with Chevrolet center caps round out the bold but sleek-looking special edition exterior looks.

The interior has its own set of goodies. Special Hot Wheels Edition door sills pop right out at you when you open up the door. The gorgeous Jet Black interior is trimmed with Crush Orange stitching and other orange inserts like knee pads, door panel inserts, custom-made seats, and more. You’ll even find a Hot Wheels logo on your steering wheel for a constant reminder of your special edition purchase.

These 2018 Chevrolet Camaro Hot Wheels Edition packages can be ordered on the 2018 2LT and 2SS Camaros for $4,995.00. At the 2017 SEMA Show Chevrolet introduced the new 2018 COPO Camaro Hot Wheels Edition with an updated 302 small block race engine. Most of the special accented parts and accessories that you receive on the Hot Wheels 2SS and 2LT trim models are the same on the COPO with two big exceptions. The wheels and tires are different and beefier to accommodate competition racing, and on the doors and quarter panels of the COPO is a pretty good-sized Hot Wheels 50th-anniversary decal that is a little lighter shade of orange than the Crush Orange. So although a pretty big decal, it’s not intrusive to the exterior look.

The 2018 Chevrolet Camaro Hot Wheels Edition can be ordered both with the coupe and the convertible. These are going to be limited edition Camaros, and orders have already been being processed with delivery dates sometime in the spring of 2018.  

Chevrolet Redline Special Edition Vehicles

Chevrolet has been making an attempt to offer more options to the consumer without adding more models to their lineup. This can be seen in the Silverado lineup where you can choose from five different special edition trim models. 

Chevrolet has done this in the past with their world-famous trucks and has had a lot of luck with it, so in order to keep the luck running, they have come up with a special Redline edition that will not only be available on the Silverado but also on eight other Chevrolet vehicles. 

Nine Redline Special Edition Vehicles

• 2017 Colorado
• 2017 Camaro
• 2017 Silverado 
• 2017 Cruze Sedan
• 2017 Cruze Hatch
• 2017 Malibu 
• 2018 Trax
• 2018 Equinox
• 2018 Traverse 

This will be the Chevrolet brands biggest special edition project to-date. Never have they had a special edition span across so many different models in their lineup. This Redline special edition lineup was first introduced at SEMA in 2015. Brian Sweeney, U.S. Vice President of Chevrolet says, "this is just one example of this company taking the concepts we introduce at these cars show and bringing them to the showroom."

The Redline special edition vehicles will come with mostly visual upgrades. Coming in a special silver paint, they will also receive a blacked-out grille with a black-out Chevrolet bow tie, special edition black and red accented rims, red trim, and other special features.  

If you want a Redline special edition Chevrolet model, you might get lucky and find one that a dealership has ordered to play host to their showroom. But in most cases, you will have to head to your dealer and have one ordered for you, at least while they are still a new and hot commodity. Happy Hunting