Chevrolet Bel Air Reviews

Back in the day, that's the 1950s and 1960s to anyone born since 1980, the American car makers spent a significant amount of money researching names that would appeal to the subliminal desires of consumers.And so the cars came out of the factories with names like La Sabre, Riviera, New Yorker, Newport, Imperial, Bel Air, Delray, Le Mans, Bonneville, Ventura, Electra ,Jetstar, Skylark, Catalina, Biscayne, Impala, Wildcat, Tempest, Mustang, Cougar, Sprint, Dart, Firedome, Thunderbird, Falcon, Marauder, 'Cuda, Challenger, Corvette, Cobra, Firebird , Fury, Monaco, Javelin, Rebel, Pheonix, Grand Prix and Toronado.Whatever your yearnings and needs, Detroit had the car for you! In Australia things were a little more conservative. We had Special, Premier, Royal, Regal, Kingswood, Belmont, Statesman, Brougham and Freeway. Ford pushed the envelope a little with Futura. Chrysler gave us Charger and Hustler, while Holden created the iconic Torana and Monaro names.These days so many cars are defined by a jumble of letters and numbers. I mean, does anyone really understand it all anymore, honestly? Well, Holden have reached back into the good old days in an effort to create a point of difference. Enter one of most evocative names ever to be affixed to the fenders of any car: The Malibu.While GMH (don't call them that, I've been told!) fills its showrooms with the new  Holden Malibu (don't called it a Chevy , I've been told!), the Chevrolet diehards will remind us that it is 50 years since the storied nameplate first appeared in the "bowtie" line up. In those five decades, General Motors (GM) has sold 8 million Malibus.Chevy introduced the Malibu in the northern autumn of 1963 as the top-of-the-line model for the new mid-sized Chevelle. Similar sized cars were fielded by GM's other divisions, including Pontiac who christened theirs "Tempest", and offered a performance option they cheekily called the GTO.Initially , the Malibu could be optioned with an  SS package, which meant a four speed transmission, bucket seats, some sporty wheel trims and a dual exhaust for the 4.7 litre (283 cubic inch) V8. As sales of the GTO took off, Chevrolet got to work on the SS, inserting a 5.2 litre (the fabled 327) V8 into the front end. The muscle car era was officially green flagged!From there on the Malibu became the base car for all manner of muscle bound machines, culminating in the outrageous SS of 1970 with a 454 cubic inch V8 upfront boasting upwards of 450 BHP and good for a 12 second pass down the  mile in stock form.Those days are long gone. Only the name remains now.David Burrell is the editor of retroautos.com.au 

Michael Bay, director of the upcoming Transformers 4 movie, has thrown up another wild card, this time revealing a striking new Chevrolet Camaro concept to be used as the vehicle mode for the Autobot Bumblebee. It was previously thought that Bumblebee in this fourth instalment of the Transformers movie franchise would use a classic 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS but it now looks like he’ll be sticking with more modern metal. A partially covered modern, fifth-generation Camaro had been spotted on one of the movie sets, so today’s announcement doesn’t come as a complete surprise. Furthermore, Bumblebee was originally a 1977 Camaro in the first film before changing into the fifth-gen model, albeit a concept version as well. What is surprising is the unique styling treatment applied to this Camaro concept, which is based on the latest 2014 model. Could the styling be a preview of the next-generation, Alpha-based Camaro? Possibly, or perhaps it was designed that way simply for the movie. Sadly, this looks like the last Transformers 4 vehicle reveal from Bay. On his personal blog, the director said that this Camaro concept was the “final jewel” in the Transformers 4 crown. The new movie is set to premiere nationwide on June 27, 2014. It will take place roughly four years after the events of 2011's Transformers 3 - Dark of the Moon, though none of the previous human characters are expected to return. The lead character, Flynn Vincent, will be played by Mark Wahlberg. In addition to the Camaros, other vehicles announced for the movie include a Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, a Corvette Stingray and Sonic RS rally car from Chevrolet, a Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4, a Pagani Huayra, a military truck from Oshkosh Defense, as well as Freightliner Argosy and Western Star trucks from Daimler Trucks North America. www.motorauthority.com

The annual Tokyo Toy Show is always full of fun weirdness. We've already seen Toyota roll out the Camatte sports car concept it hopes will attract a new generation of buyers yet to learn of the advantages of car ownership. We now have more news coming out of the Tokyo Toy Show, this time about a self-transforming Chevrolet Camaro robot. As reported by Gizmag, the tiny Camaro robot was developed by Japanese toymaker Takara Tomy and is controlled using a smartphone. Presumably for licensing reasons, Takara Tomy hasn’t called its transforming Camaro robot a “Transformer” but we still think it’s cool. Now if only the company made a bright yellow example that more closely resembled the Autobot Bumblebee. www.motorauthority.com  

Not a week goes by without news emerging of yet another car destined to appear in the upcoming Transformers 4 movie.

Holden's new new mid-sized hopeful, the Malibu, is battling to overcome the lacklustre start of its US twin. The American Malibu has just been rushed through an early update to add some kerb appeal and extra rear-seat space, setting the scene for a troubled touchdown for the car that now sits between the locally-made Cruze and Commodore. But Holden says it's not worried about the Malibu, for a very simple reason. "We actually have a different version of the car," the executive director of sales and marketing at Holden, Phil Brook, tells Carsguide. "Our car was designed to be a Holden from day one. We see a bit of an opportunity for it. We're happy with the way it looks, from front to rear." The Malibu for Australia is coming from Korea, where Holden designers Justin Thompson - the bodywork expert who also led the VF Commodore work - and interior specialist Yan-hong Huang were involved from the start. Holden has also done a lot of tweaking to the way the car drives, from its electric power steering to the suspension, engine response and noise suppression. "In the 'states, they had issues with two key things - the frontal look and rear-seat space," says Brook. "They had downsized the car. And this was the core, bread-and-butter Chevy." He says Holden is not expecting complaints about cabin space because people who want more have an obvious choice. "You know what it is. For us, we have the Commodore," he says. But what about the negative feedback from the American situation? "It hasn't been an issue outside the 'states. We don't see it as a problem. There is a different lineup and a different requirement here. "We've had a lot of input, from day one." But it's true that Holden has struggled with mid-sized cars in the past, from the miserable Epica that was parked back in 2011 back through the over-priced European Vectra to the re-badged Toyota Camry called the Apollo. And the situation in the USA paints the Malibu as a loser even before it gets on the road in Australia. "We argue that it's not a failure. It's done well in the 'states," Brooks says. "But is there an opportunity to do better? Yes." "It's a big, big change (locally). There is no comparison between this car and what we've done in the past." This reporter is on Twitter: @paulwardgover  

GM's dark days of bankruptcy left the company without a compact sports car-- leaving room beneath the Camaro and Corvette for such a model. While the dynamically-focused 2014 Corvette Stingray starts at a reasonable $51,990 in the US (AU$50,750), that's about double the US price of the Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ. Lesser Camaros can be had for 86/BRZ money, but they lack the dynamic edge of the new Japanese heroes. Chevy wants to step back into the affordable, compact sports car market, says GM's North American president -- and former head of Holden in Australia -- Mark Reuss. It's not much of a surprise after the launch of the Code 130R concept at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, though Reuss told Automotive News the 130R's design won't be used, as it's "already dated." Instead, a new design would be dropped on an entirely new platform -- something "scalable and efficient", according to Reuss, rather than the Alpha platform that underpins the Cadillac ATS and is tipped for the underpinnings of the next-gen Camaro. Considering the ATS' relatively light weight of about 1542kg, we would like to see a much more compact car using the same architecture. Such a car could conceivably check in under 1360kg -- perhaps as low as 1270kg, putting it in the range of the Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ twins. If GM chooses to go with an entirely new platform, it will be a challenge to meet weight and performance targets within a cost-return ratio likely based on relatively small volume targets. If Chevy can pull it off, however, with a choice of normally aspirated and possibly turbocharged four-cylinder engines -- with options to upgrade to V6 and turbo V6 engines, at least in theory -- a light, rear-drive sports car might just find the niche Chevy needs below the larger, heavier, far more powerful Corvette. The idea, however, remains on the drawing board for now. GM hasn't yet decided to give the green light. www.motorauthority.com

Armchair racers all around the globe, this is the moment you have all been waiting for; Gran Turismo 6 will be released on November 28, 2013.The date suggests a formal announcement is likely to be made during June’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), though Sony may have a surprise or two up its sleeve.The release date was leaked by Italian electronics retailer Multiplayer.com, which has since pulled down the page containing information on the game, though not before CNET could jot it all down.Along with the date, which may only reflect the European launch, the page also included this cover art, which, if real, confirms that Gran Turismo 6 has been designed for Sony’s existing PlayStation 3 console and not the next-generation PlayStation 4 due out at the end of this year.Not much else is known about the game, though we know that a pair of unique muscle cars will be among the lineup of cars offered.The cars, a 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 40 custom as well as a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro, were handpicked for a virtual appearance in the latest instalment at previous SEMA shows by the game's creator, Kazunori Yamauchi.The original Gran Turismo was first launched in 1997 and has since sold more than 65 million copies of its various versions. The game is recognized for its realistic graphics and physics and the upcoming sixth instalment should be the best version yet.www.motorauthority.com 

Spied lapping the German circuit with disguised Chevrolet C7 Corvette, Camaro ZL1and Z/28 development mules, the right-hand-drive SS V Ute looks to be undergoing final evaluation ahead of its launch in June.Curiously, no VF Commodore Sedan or Sportswagon variants were sighted, despite Holden’s pledge to launch all body styles simultaneously.Holden, with parent company General Motors, has used the 20.8km Nordschleife circuit extensively for chassis tuning and evaluation since developing the VE/VF Commodore and fifth-generation Camaro’s shared Zeta platform in the early noughties.Several other manufacturers have taken advantage of the spring weather at the circuit in recent weeks, but this Holden/Chevrolet convoy was captured by Dale Lomas of Bridge to Gantry.

The spirit of the mighty Holden Special Vehicles W427 sedan lives on in a race-tuned version of the Chevrolet Camaro unveiled at the New York motor show overnight. The iconic Z28 badge has been revived with the same high-performance 7.0-litre V8 (427 cubic inches) used in the limited edition, handbuilt HSV W427 released in 2008. The Camaro Z28 project -- which coincided with a facelift for the Camaro range -- was personally overseen by former Holden boss Mark Reuss, who describes the coupe as a “street-legal track car”. “I have the best job on the planet,” Reuss, the boss of General Motors in North America, told reporters. “This is for all of us who want a Camaro that's absolutely built for the track. And I don't mean just built for speed.” Chevrolet is yet to announce whether the Z28 is faster than the supercharged 6.2-litre V8 version of the Camaro called the ZL1. But Reuss says the Z28 would probably be faster around a track and the ZL1 faster in a straight line. “This is not simply a straight-line … drag strip car, although you can use it for that as well,” Reuss said. “This car is set up for track perfection, just like the original Z28.” The front bumper has a larger lower opening for improved cooling and GM says the rear has also been redesigned for improved aerodynamic balance. The air vents on the bonnet are functional to reduce lift for increased stability at high speeds, and to provide an escape for hot air in the engine bay. Inside, the new Camaro has race-bred Recaro seats. Underneath, it has a differential cooler, transmission cooler, and brake coolers as standard. Big news: it gets carbon-ceramic brakes, as first seen on the Corvette ZR1. Meanwhile, Chevrolet has ripped out 90kg of equipment, by removing the carpet in the boot, fitting thinner glass in the rear window, and removing all audio speakers except one. In fact, the only reason one speaker remained was so that the seat-belt chime still worked, Reuss said. The finishing touch: air-conditioning is optional on the most expensive Camaro ever built. The Camaro Z28 will be a standard part of the Camaro line-up rather than a limited edition model. “We’re building these cars to order. We will make as many as people want.” Last year the Camaro was the best-selling performance car in the United States for the third year in a row. But it's still not available in Australia even though it was developed by Holden on behalf of Chevrolet, because it would be too expensive to convert to right-hand-drive for such a small market. This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling Price: TBA Engine: 7.0-litre V8 (427 cubic inches) Bore & stroke (in / mm): 4.125 x 4 / 104.8 x 101.6 Block material: cast aluminium Cylinder head material: cast aluminium Valvetrain: overhead valve, two valves per cylinder Fuel delivery: SFI (sequential fuel injection) Compression ratio: 11.0:1 Power (kW @ rpm): 373 @ 6300 (estimated) Torque (Nm @ rpm): 637 @ 4800 (estimated) Redline: 7100rpm (estimated)