Chevrolet Bel Air Reviews

Following on from the iconic Efijy concept that was unveiled at the Australian International Motor show in 2005, Holden’s international reputation for show-stopping cars has been given another boost with the Chevrolet Orlando in Paris.Designed at GM’s global design centre in Bupyeong, Korea, the show car was built at GM’s Technical Centre in Port Melbourne.Holden’s design director, Tony Stolfo said the design team based in Australia had a great track record within General Motors for building world class show cars.“With concepts such as EFIJY and Coupe 60 receiving fantastic international coverage, we have gained a strong reputation in this area,” Mr Stolfo said.“It’s a testament to the expertise found here in Australia that we were asked to be part of this global collaboration.”The Orlando is a seven-seat interpretation of crossover design blending sport utility, family van and wagon attributes.Styling cues include muscular flared fenders, blue illumination for the instrument and the laser-etched glass on the headlights, taillights and full-length glass roof.The car sits on a 2760mm wheelbase with wide front and rear tracks adding to the capacity for interior space, which can be varied with the split-fold second and third rows. 

After more than a year of hints and rumours, the right-hand drive reality of the Camaro project has finally been revealed. This pair of right-hand drive Camaro coupes was caught at Melbourne airport by a carsGuide reader, though it is unclear if they were heading out to the US or returning to their home in Australia. GM Holden has been responsible for design and development of the Camaro, which is built up from the same rear-wheel drive mechanical package used for the VE Commodore. It has created dozens of test “mules” which spend most of their time at Holden's Lang Lang proving ground on the road from Melbourne to Phillip Island, though some have been caught doing real-world testing on roads around the Victorian capital. The test cars could have been heading to the US, as Chevrolet is running its own test program at a number of sites including GM's giant proving ground at Milford near Detroit. But those have always been coupes. And left-hand drive. This time, for the first time, the steering is obviously on the right and this firms the betting on a Camaro for Australia following the American introduction next year. The timing is likely to be in the first half of 2010. No-one at GM Holden has confirmed an official plan, with company spokesman John Lindsay again refusing any comment this week. But Brett Vivian, the vehicle line director for the Camaro, is on the record on the possibility for a right-drive version. “We've engineered the car to be right-hand drive and we can turn it on if we need to,” Vivian said in July. The right-drive test cars are identical to the left-hand drive cars which have been seen on the road near Melbourne, and also spotted up-close by carsGuide team members inside Lang Lang. But they still have the military-style body camouflage which has been applied to test cars from the start, despite an edict from GM's global product boss Bob Lutz that it should be stripped away. The undisguised Camaro was revealed several months ago in an official picture taken on the high-speed bowl at Lang Lang. But that was a left-drive car and not the right-side steering model caught at the airport, so perhaps GM Holden is still hoping to keep details of the local program secret until closer to an on-sale date.  

The Chevrolet Volt is already locked-in for sales in the USA from 2010 and there are growing signs it could make it to GM Holden showrooms in 2011. The latest hint comes from Larry Burns, the vice-president for R&D and planning with General Motors, who says his company is close to locking down the final specification of the Volt - which will use a 1.4-litre petrol engine to charge on-board lithium-ion batteries - to begin genuine sales. "We're keeping our options open with what we do with the Volt on a worldwide basis,” Burns said in Melbourne this week at Holden headquarters in Fishermans Bend. The recently-installed chairman of Holden, Mark Reuss, has an aggressive plan for greening the company and - together with everything from cylinder deactivation to advanced LPG systems on the flagship Commodore - is keen to see the Volt downunder. "It would be something that would be readily accepted by a lot of people here,” Reuss said. The Volt was only shown for the first time at the Detroit Motor Show in January and is being fast-tracked to mass-market sales, with former GM Holden chairman Denny Mooney helping to lead development. The biggest hurdle to overcome, according to Burns, is a giant battery pack which is bigger than a person and takes considerable cooling. It gives the car a 70-kilometre range but takes hours to recharge. GM intends to begin Volt sales in Washington and California in 2010 and will then do a global roll-out which could easily include Australia. Burns confirmed the basics but would not be drawn on a commitment down under. "We're keeping our options open with what we do with the Volt on a worldwide basis,” he said. "Our immediate focus is to get this car developed and get it in the market in the United States. We're not getting preoccupied with other possibilities.” But one company is pushing ahead rapidly with a Volt-style hybrid and could easily beat the American contender to Australia. Mazda has developed a version of its Mazda5 people mover in Japan which uses a hydrogen-powered rotary engine to charge onboard batteries for full electric operation. It is actually part of a major hydrogen push by Mazda which has already seen development of a hydrogen-fueled RX-8 sports car, which will soon be shipped to Norway. "Travelling around the world I know there are many people who believe we will evolve into a hydrogen-based industry," Mazda chairman, Hisakazu Imaki, said on a quick visit to Sydney. The hydbrid Mazda5 is one of its first and will be leased in Japan in 2009, with large-scale sales from 2010. "We are working on multiple solutions, including hybrids, to the challenges we face."  

Holden's Australian headquarters played host this week to the official unveiling of the revived Chevrolet Camaro as part of the classic badge's global reveal. Despite its American heritage, Aussie know-how was called on to develop the two-door coupe. The new Camaro was first shown as a concept at the Detroit show in January, 2006, after GM had axed the badge four years earlier. Its rolling chassis was developed in Australia from what was once called the Zeta platform (now the global rear-wheel-drive platform) — the same architecture as the VE Commodore. But although the car has plenty of Commodore DNA, there is still no official word on whether Australians will get to drive it. Holden is still waiting on GM to make a decision about making the car in right-hand-drive. “If there is confirmation of right-hand-drive, we'd be interested,” says Holden's John Lindsay. Holden designers and engineers have spent the past two-and-a-half years working on the project — along with the US design and engineering teams — as part of the push by General Motors to streamline its business. “It's different,” says Peter Hughes, who is the design manager on the project. “GM has gone global in the past few years and Holden Design has been part of that.” Global warming hasn't been forgotten either. The 6.2-litre V8 engine uses the latest cylinder deactivation technology to save fuel by turning the engine into a fuel sipping four-cylinder. And the new Camaro will also be available with a 3.6-litre V6 engine in the US. However, it is obvious that while much of the original appeal of the show car has been retained, the production model has lost a great deal of the jewellery that adorned that car when we first drove it at a US speedway in 2007. “Instructions were to interpret the Camaro as a contemporary design ... and to create the meanest street dog in town,” Micah Jones, lead interior designer on the show car project, said at the time. “In the interior there are definite cues from the classic '69 Camaro — especially in the gauges and dials, a reinterpretation of what was unique in that car.” One of the visual delights of the concept was the pure, clean engine bay with nothing other than a brake booster and oil and water filler caps left to drag the eye away from the shining engine. The wires and odds and ends that usually give an engine bay its confused look were tucked away under plastic covers. The milled and polished aluminium engine cover has made way for a more mainstream and cost-effective treatment — a pity, along with the integrated strut tower brace. The side mirrors (slim to the point of being useless) and the bonnet-lip air intake are gone. The long hood, short deck and wide stance of the concept remain and it appears rumblings at GM that the roofline needed to be lifted to allow more headroom have been swept aside. The deep set anodised main gauges with matching centre cluster have survived. And the retro styling of the bucket seats, keeps the '60s theme rolling. Reigning V8 Supercar Champion Garth Tander was on hand at the Australian launch — and even brought along his own 1969 5.7-litre, four-speed manual, V8 Camaro SS muscle car for a nice comparison.  

Despite rocketing fuel prices, there always seems to be a market for muscle cars. Holden and HSV last year sold a record number of V8s and 1970s muscle cars continue to sell for record prices. And GM Holden — which this year is reintroducing another of its American brands, the Cadillac — is doing nothing to hose down rampant industry rumours that it is going to import the fastest Corvette yet. They keep sending details of the ZR1, yet claim we should “not read anything into it”. Yeah, right. The latest details on the new 'Vette American muscle car show just how fast the car goes. It accelerates from rest to 100km/h in 3.4 seconds, which is 0.3 seconds faster than the previous Z06 model and the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano which was released here recently at $595,600. The ZR1 also has recorded a quarter-mile elapsed time of 11.3 seconds at 210km/h and has a top speed of 330km/h, making it the fastest Corvette produced. It's not only faster than some half-million-dollar supercars but also more economical. According to fueleconomy.gov, the ZR1's official economy ratings of 16.8 litres per 100km on the city cycle and 11.7 litres per 100km on the highway beat 2008 competitors such as the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano (21.3 city/15.6 highway); the Lamborghini Murcielago (29.4 city/18 highway) and the Aston Martin V8 Vantage (19.6 city/12.3 highway). They're competitive with the Dodge Viper (18 city/10.6 highway) and the Porsche 911 GT3 (15.6 city/10.6 highway). Under the carbon-fibre bonnet is the new LS9 6.2-litre supercharged small-block engine. It belts out 476kW of power and 819Nm of torque, making it the most powerful automotive production engine manufactured by General Motors. The ZR1 also features a six-speed manual transmission with race-hardened gears and dual-disc clutch technology that delivers exceptional clamping power and lower inertia, as well as strengthened axle components. Fuel economy testing has not been completed, but engineers are confident the ZR1 will be the most fuel-efficient 600-plus-horsepower car on the market. The LS9 engine is hand-built by technicians at GM's Performance Build Centre in Wixom, Michigan, a small-volume engine production facility that also builds the Corvette Z06's LS7 engine and other high-performance GM production engines. The LS9 also features the industry's first production application of a new, positive-displacement Roots-type supercharger with a four-lobe rotor design, promoting quieter and more efficient performance. The large 2.3-litre displacement provides adequate air volume at high rpm. Maximum boost pressure is .72 bar (10.2psi). It is teamed with an integrated charge cooling system that reduces inlet air temperature for maximum performance. A raised bonnet provides adequate clearance for the LS9, while a polycarbonate window in the bonnet provides a view of the engine beneath it. If Holden doesn't import the ZR1, Queensland company Performax International could bring in left-hand-drive models and convert them to right-hand-drive. The Gympie company, formerly Corvette Queensland, already converts Corvettes to right-hand-drive, along with the Hummer H2 and several American pick-ups. General manager Nick Vandenberg says they would be keen to import the Corvette.  

The American badge’s latest offering — the ZR1 — has power to burn.

Performax International general manager Nick Vandenberg said they would be keen to import and convert the much-hyped supercharged Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 due for production next year. “We convert a model if there is interest and I'm sure there would be interest in this one,” he said. The Gympie company, formerly Corvette Queensland, currently converts Corvettes to right-hand-drive, along with the Hummer H2 and several American pick-ups. The `Corvette (Vette) supercar has been rumoured to be called Blue Devil, SS, Stingray or Z07, following on from the 377kW V8 Corvette Z06 that Performax currently converts and sells for $230,000. But, the supercharged ZR1 will have more power, more torque, lower weight, a higher first gear for faster sprints, a close-ratio gearbox and bigger cooling vents, tyres and brakes. And while the Z06 used red as a highlight colour, the ZR1 uses blue, giving rise to the tipped Blue Devil moniker. “In 2007, we did about 15 to 20 Corvettes; based on that I don't see why we wouldn't do it,” Vandenberg said. “The only concern I would have is that it meets noise test and emissions criteria for Australia.” In a preview for next week's Detroit Auto Show, GM showed a production-ready 2009 Corvette ZR1, driven on stage by GM vice chairman Bob Lutz. “What's so terrific about this car is that it is very docile and easy to drive, but then when you step into it, the power just never stops,” Lutz said. While final specifications are yet to be released, it is rumoured the Vette will pump out about 460kW to 480kW of power and about 800Nm of torque from its new LS9 6.2-litre supercharged and intercooled V8 engine. The previous model was quicker than an Enzo Ferrari at 3.7 seconds from 0-100km/h. This one should put the Vette well into the supercar category. GM's LS9 engine shares key dimensions and some features with the current Z06's LS7, but employs a fifth-generation low-profile Eaton supercharger with four vanes instead of three. No point in having a supercharger unless the world knows about it, so a Lexan window has been installed in the centre of the carbon fibre bonnet so you can see the blue-tipped supercharger underneath. To keep the supercharger and intercooler supplied with air, the ZR1 has a huge front spoiler and side vents similar to those used on the C6R race-car. Apart from the supercharger providing extra power and torque, the ZR1 is suspected to sprint faster to 100km/h because of the taller first gear. From there, the Tremec six-speed that is used in many high-performance vehicles has closer gear ratios so, while the Z06 hit top speed in fifth gear, the ZR1 will reach its estimated top speed of more than 320km/h in sixth. That top speed also required the replacement of the US 200mph speedo with a 220mph unit. There are few other changes inside. However, the exterior gets a carbon fibre bonnet, roof and pillars to reduce weight. Weight is further reduced by the use of carbon-ceramic brake discs, replacing the metal discs of the Z06. GM claims ride will be more compliant than the Z06 with Magnetic Ride Control, which has immediate damper response, allowing the use of softer springs. Tyre size has been increased with 19-inch rims in front and 20-inch rims in the rear sporting 335/25Z/20 Michelin PS2s. Performax International has been importing and converting American cars for almost 20 years, producing about 200 vehicles a year for Australian roads and employing more than 40 people. However, it could face competition from GM Holden which has begun importing American vehicles. Last year it launched the baby Hummer H3, built in right-hand-drive in South Africa, while Performax imports and converts the larger H2, which is not built in right-hand-drive. H3 is imported under GM Performance Brands along with Saab and Cadillac, with the launch later this year of the Cadillac CTS. Previous GM Holden boss Denny Mooney often talked of also bringing in the Corvette. However, GM Holden national media relations manager John Lindsay has said he had “no further update” on importing the Corvette.   Corvette's career A Corvette is a small, manoeuvrable, lightly armed warship, smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft, according to Wikipedia. Or, it's an iconic American muscle car envied the world over for its brutish power and performance. The first Chevrolet Corvettes were made in 1953, but it was not until the second-generation and the Stingray version that the model started to gain appreciation in the automotive world. The third generation in 1968 introduced the most popular Corvette look with its E-Type long nose and swooping guards. It was scooped when Hot Wheels released a model before the car was actually unveiled. In the 1980s, the Corvette became more angular and wedged shaped, losing much of its soul, but since 1997 they have returned to the '60s and '70s, albeit a less revolutionary design.  

DETROIT: While they may or may not end up in driveways, there were plenty of vehicles turning heads at this week's North American International Auto Show, including Hyundai's new luxury sedan, a Cadillac coupe, Chrysler's green concept cars and a hybrid Toyota pickup.Slumping US car sales did not slow down the action at the grandaddy of the car show circuit, where car makers introduced more than 50 production and concept models in three media preview days. High fuel prices did not play much of a role, either. For every plug-in hybrid or fuel-cell concept, there was a 620 horsepower Chevrolet Corvette or a brand new full-sized sport utility vehicle from Kia. Chrysler promoted a tiny electric concept car as well as the full-sized Dodge Ram, which made a grand entrance alongside 120 longhorn cattle.“The overriding theme was that there was no theme,” says Jack Nerad, executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book, the car buyers' guide.Car makers put a head-spinning variety of fuel-efficient technologies in cars at every price range. There was the $US80,000 ($91,000) Fisker Karma, a plug-in electric hybrid sports car with Maserati good looks that can travel 80km on a single charge. BYD, one of four Chinese car makers at the show, unveiled a plug-in hybrid sedan that will go on sale in China for under $US30,000 this year. Ford introduced EcoBoost, a direct injection, turbocharged engine which it says will improve fuel economy by 20 per cent. Even Ferrari unveiled an ethanol-capable F430 Spider.Diesel engines, which are about 30 per cent more efficient than their petrol counterparts, made a big comeback now that cleaner diesel fuel allows them to meet emissions standards in all 50 US states. BMW unveiled its first diesel-powered vehicles for the US market, the 335d coupe and X5 xDrive35d sport utility vehicle. Audi showed a 500 horsepower diesel super car concept, the Audi R8 V12 TDI, which can go from zero to 90km/h in 4.2 seconds. Daimler offered a diesel option on its GLK compact sport utility vehicle, among others.But diesels were not limited to German car makers. Toyota announced it would soon offer a diesel V-8 in the Tundra pickup and the Sequoia SUV, while Honda said it would put a diesel engine in its Acura sedan in 2010. Chrysler put a diesel hybrid in its Jeep Renegade concept vehicle, while General Motors has a diesel engine in its Saturn Flextreme plug-in concept car.David Champion, the senior director of Consumer Reports' Auto Test Centre, says diesel used to connote pollution and big trucks. He is eager to see if clean diesel has changed that perception, and if US consumers will choose diesel even though it is no cheaper than petrol.“Whether the marketplace is going to endorse diesels remains to be seen,” he says.Other car makers met demands for more fuel-efficient vehicles by downsizing. The Hummer HX concept, a Jeep-like offroad vehicle with a removable roof, would be the smallest Hummer ever if it is made. Toyota's A-BAT concept is the Prius version of a pickup, with a hybrid powertrain and a 1.3m bed. Land Rover unveiled the compact three-door LRX concept, while parent Ford showed the Ford Explorer America concept, a reworking of its phenomenally popular SUV that uses a unibody frame — rather than the traditional truck frame — to save fuel and give the vehicle a more car-like ride.“Explorer has been such an important model for them over the years. Taking that in an inventive direction that's still true to the Explorer name could be a big success for them,” Nerad says.Ford also got kudos for the eye-popping design of its Verve concept, which showed what Ford's subcompact may look like when it hits the US market in 2010.“Here's your proof that good design doesn't cost any more than bad design, but it makes all the difference in the world in terms of buzz,” Global Insight car analyst Aaron Bragman says of the Verve.Other cars generating serious buzz were the Cadillac CTS coupe, a sharp-looking, two-door concept that many analysts agreed was a highlight of the show, and the posh Hyundai Genesis sedan.Hyundai hopes Genesis will help it compete with other luxury makers when it goes on sale this year for just under $US40,000, but analysts aren't sure the bet will pay off, saying the Hyundai name means great value but not luxury. “You don't sell Mercedes-Benz and BMW because they're great value. You sell them because of the cachet and the image,” Bragman says. 

It's the sort of odd-couple relationship that really shouldn't work ... but does. North America's eternal fascination with giant trucks and muscle machines continues

After being a smiling model on quiz shows The Price Is Right and Temptation, McGregor has landed a gig hosting the Foxtel reality show, Blood, Sweat & Gears."It was always the next step," McGregor says. "I meet people saying they love Temptation, but it's so hard to get your personality across when you're just smiling in the background."A graphic designer by trade, 26-year-old McGregor spent the past two-and-a-half years in Nine's Temptation family with Ed Phillips and Livinia Nixon.McGregor admits he's not "the craziest car fan," but didn't hesitate when it came to auditioning for BS&G."To be honest, I got a phone call from one of the guys at Foxtel asking me if I would like to audition for it," he says. "I never knock back an audition, even if I don't think I'm suited to it."He may not be a revhead, but the Aussies on the show certainly are."They're absolute nuts. It's like a religion to them. Since I have had the gig, I have had so many people come up to me and tell me a story about their cars," McGregor says.The show pits seven guys and their beloved cars against each other.The contestants are;Andrew: Japanese Import (Nissan 200SX)Andy: American Muscle(Chevy Corvette)Dave: Classic Australian(Holden LJ Torana)Dimitri: Classic Australian(Ford GT Falcon)Dominic: Performance Rotary (Mazda RX7)Jeremy: Australian Muscle (Holden Commodore VL HDT)Mohamed: High Performance European (Ferrari 350 Modena)Official judges are Ian Luff, a former race driver, and Nathan Luck, a motoring journalist. Each week, the revheads and the cars will be put through a series of tests. While the drivers will know who wins each stage, they never find out their placing on the leaderboard. McGregor says it adds to the tension."They don't know who is doing well and the challengers get a little angry and eaten up inside," he says."These guys think their car is the best. But they find out a few things about themselves as drivers - maybe they're not as good as they thought. I think it will get people into the show."While McGregor is enjoying his debut as TV host, he is unused to seeing himself as a presenter."You're always your own biggest critic and it is still kind of strange when I see myself. But I love hearing feedback, even when it's bad. It makes you better at what you do."