Chevrolet Camaro 1973 News

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  

The dream of millions of Hot Wheels fans of all ages will come to life when the Camaro Hot Wheels Edition arrives at Chevrolet dealerships (overseas) early next year. This is the first time a full-size production Hot Wheels car has been offered for sale by any manufacturer. Blister packaging and orange race track not included. "Millions of us grew up playing with Hot Wheels," said Chris Perry, vice president of Chevrolet Marketing. "Offering a special production model of the Camaro Hot Wheels is an opportunity to bring those memories to life, for kids of all ages." The Camaro Hot Wheels Edition debuted at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas on Monday. A special run of the Camaro Hot Wheels Edition will be produced in the first quarter of 2013 and like the collectable toys on which it is based when they're gone, they're gone. "It's been nearly 20 years since I started designing cars for Hot Wheels and I have yet to drive one home," said Felix Holst, vice president of creative for the Mattel Wheels Division. "Personally, I can't wait to open the doors and see the Hot Wheels Camaro sitting in the garage." The appearance of the Camaro Hot Wheels Edition echoes the cues that Hot Wheels enthusiasts recognise, including a vibrant, graphics-accented metallic paint scheme. The result is instantly recognisable as a Hot Wheels. The Camaro Hot Wheels Edition is available in V8 coupe with manual or automatic transmission, blending exterior cues of the high-performance Camaro ZL1 with a Kinetic Blue exterior colour and unique graphics. The Camaro Hot Wheels Edition features a 6.2L V8 coupled with a manual transmission that churns out 318kW and 569Nm of torque, or an automatic which develops 298kW and 556Nm of torque. The latter features fuel-saving Active Fuel Management.  

The annual Quote Challenge rally in Europe is a technicolour dream. The supercars taking part are covered with vinyl wraps featuring bright artwork – and vie to be the loudest in both looks and sound as they cross the start line. This year’s cross-Europe rally is taking the supercars from Velden am Wothersee in Austria to the French capital of Paris, raising funds for children’s charities. However that is all the drivers know as they set off. The route of the rally is kept secret and revealed to the car owners on a day-by-day basis. But with the range of top-end sports and muscle cars – including Porsches, a Mercedes-Benz Gullwing, a McLaren MP4-12C, Chevrolet Camaro and Ford GT40 – roaring around in their spectacular livery, they shouldn’t be hard to locate. Check out some of the bright decoration in our gallery, above. Also, check out the great photos and video from our friends at You Were Flashed: www.facebook.com/YouWereFlashed  

The Koreans starred, the Japanese mounted a comeback, and One Ford hit the headlines with an extended family of Focus-based newcomers that it is certain to make a big hit in Australia. But it was one car and the commitment of its company chief that made the most impact as America fought back on the opening day of the 2011 North American International Motor Show.Chevrolet makes toys for grown ups who believe they can act like kids, so the combination should produce an enthusiast's dream car.Chevrolet and Hot Wheels have created a life-size concept that revisits the motor show circus in Detroit this week after its first showing at last year's debut at the SEMA show in Las Vegas.The Camaro Hot Wheels concept is inspired by Hot Wheels' Custom Camaro, the finger-sized Spectraflame 1:64-scale toy that was part of the original 16 Hot Wheels cars released in 1968. The project was a collaborative effort between the General Motors Design studio in Michigan and the Hot Wheels Design studio in California. Each sketched its own ideas of a life-size Hot Wheels Camaro, compared notes and refined their visions until the concept hit the right note for each group of designers."The Camaro has been a mainstay in the Hot Wheels lineup since 1968,'' says Phil Zak, GM design director. "Several generations of car enthusiasts grews up playing with Hot Wheels Camaros, while dreaming of driving the real thing, so this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make that dream a reality.''There was a similar buzz of excitement in the Hot Wheels studio."The Hot Wheels and Camaro brands have been paired together since their inception,'' said Felix Holst, vice president of design for the Mattel Wheels Division."As part of the brand's historic sweet 16, the Camaro was the first Hot Wheels car ever produced. The Spectraflame paint and redline tires of those first Hot Wheels cars have been the dreams of guys for generations, and it was thrilling to inject these elements into a Camaro for real.''The full-size result creates a car that is instantly identifiable as a Camaro with styling cues - including flat-black graphics, red-line wheels and the metallic green paint - that are classic Hot Wheels.The original Hot Wheels cars debuted with their metallic Spectraflame paint finishes, and the Camaro Hot Wheels Concept features a chrome-style finish created in a similar manner - that is, a tinted top coat over a shiny base.The reflective finish was created using Gold Touch Inc's Cosmichrome product, starting with the application of a primer coat on an immaculately prepared surface. The primer coat was then sprayed with a liquid-metal solution to create the mirror-smooth, silver-chrome base coat. Then the green tint was applied in several layers until the right colour effect was achieved."It may sound pretty straightforward, but no one had ever tried using this process to paint a whole car,'' says Zak."The bodywork and paint team experimented with several processes before spraying the first body panel. There were so many variables that contributed to getting the finish perfect, from the drying time to the air pressure of the spray guns - none of which was known before this project - and the team absolutely nailed it perfectly."Additional features of the Camaro Hot Wheels Concept include:Over Chrome Green paint with ghosted Hot Wheels logo on the quarter panelsSatin black ground effects (splitter, rocker and rear fascia-side extensions)Satin black wheels with milled face and Torch Red stripe: 20x10-inch (front) and 20x11-inch (rear)ZL1 grille with Hot Wheels badgingHot Wheels badge on the decklidEuro-style taillamps with new inner smoked lensEuro-style rear fascia with new diffuser and exhaust bezelsZL1 rear spoilerChevrolet Accessories Modified Satin Black StripeBlack aluminum CAMARO fender badges with milled faceBlack aluminum hood insert with milled hood vent extractorsChevrolet Accessories Synergy Series gill decalsBlack leather-wrapped IP and door inserts with Torch Red accents, and cut-and-sew flamesHot Wheels sill platesHot Wheels cut-and-sew embroidered logos in the front seatbacksChevrolet Accessories pedal kitChevrolet Accessories footwell and cup holder lighting (red)Brembo brakes: six-piston front with two-piece rotors and four-piston calipers (Chevrolet Official Licensed Product)Suspension lowering kit by Pedders (Chevrolet Official Licensed Product)Chevrolet Accessories strut tower braceChevrolet Accessories black engine coverChevrolet Accessories exhaust system.Under the hood is the all-aluminum 6.2-litre LS3 V8 backed by the Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual transmission.Hot Wheels is making a collectors edition 1:64-scale model based on the full-size concept.It will be the 18th 1:64-scale Hot Wheels Camaro model produced since 1968, all with a variety of colours and configurations. During the past 44 years, literally millions of Hot Wheels Camaro models have been produced.The original Custom Camaro from 1968 remains one of the most valuable Hot Wheels toys among collectors. That year, Hot Wheels produced all the Custom Camaro models with Spectraflame paint - except for one version in white enamel.Today, examples of the Spectraflame Custom Camaro in excellent condition can sell for $150 or more. Only 15 white enamel versions are known to exist, and none are in their original packages.The value of a white enamel Custom Camaro is upwards of $3000, says Holst. But if one still existed in the package, the value could be tens of thousands of dollars.

A hotrod Camaro is now being developed to go head-to-head with the Ford Mustang GT500, promising a return of the classic Z28 badge in 2012. Chevrolet is finalising testing of the born-again Z28, right down to running it against the GT500, and the car is caught by Carparazzi during the trails. There is predictable camouflage, but not enough to disguise the much- larger air intake in the nose and a pronounced lip spoiler. There are also giant 20-inch alloy wheels and brakes that could have come from the Cadillac CTS-V. The rear end reveals a set of dual pipes on either side of the car and Carparazzi photographers report a thunderous Nascar-style exhaust note. There are also potential mounting points for a rear spoiler. The car will be powered by a supercharged 6.2-litre V8 and the test car is running an automatic gearbox. The final result for the Z28 is likely to be similar to the Transformers Camaro displayed on the American motor show circuit last year, although GM's engineers are having some of their own fun with a Nascar-style number 2 on the side. The Z28 is likely to be revealed at the Detroit Motor Show in January for American sales, headlining a mildly facelifted 2011 Camaro range, in the first half of next year.

A right-hand drive version of the Commodore-based coupe is now cleared for takeoff and only needs a money-making plan from Fishermans Bend to make it happen.  The worldwide product boss of General Motors, Bob Lutz, confirms the right-side steering plan for the Camaro during a comprehensive new- model update for Australian reporters during the Detroit Motor Show, showing his usual enthusiasm for anything spun from the VE Commodore on the go-faster front. "I think you can pretty much count on a right-hand-drive Camaro," says Lutz.  "The Camaro at some point will be factory right-hand-drive. That is what we are currently looking at ...  with a great deal of focus, built in the plant in Canada and shipped to right-hand-drive markets from Canada." The original GM plan for the Camaro called for right-hand drive and a convertible in 2011, but the extensions from the basic coupe — which was engineered in Australia for North American production and sales — were delayed by the impact of the global financial crisis and last year's GM bankruptcy proceedings. But the convertible is now back on the map and the Australian import plan is also picking up pace.  Even so, the head of GM Holden is sounding a warning.  "It's not a done deal yet. We still have to put together a business plan," says Alan Batey, president of Holden, also speaking in Detroit. Batey is worried that enthusiasm will overtake commonsense on the Camaro and wants to wait until his sales and marketing team is able to complete some serious customer research. He is also worried about the long-term future of a Camaro in Australia, because of unstable exchange rates, and worries about introducing the Chevrolet brand following the failures of Daewoo, Hummer, Saab and Cadillac — which never even get off the launch pad — as brand extensions for Holden. Batey knows there is a strong call for the Camaro and only has to look at the success of the home-grown Monaro to know a Commodore coupe can work. But he refuses to get carried away.  "Let's wait and see. It's early days," he says.  "We've had our hand up for this car since we did the engineering work in Australia. It now depends on how quickly we can get it. We've always wanted it. We'll take it, but it depends on how soon it becomes available." Lutz is, typically, rushing ahead and can see no reason to delay a right-hand drive version of the Camaro. He knows Australia is the key but can see export potential to Britain and South Africa. "With the currency and so on we now have a golden opportunity to export from the United States, and with the excellence of the product we really should be pushing exports," Lutz says.  "Most of the parts are there. All we have to do really is reverse the instrument panel. All of the right-hand drive bits are a given because of the Holden architecture."

All the work to convert the VE Commodore-based American coupe from a set of plans into a road-going reality here has been done, but the project is on ice until the global financial crisis clears and 'New GM' gets a clearer picture of its future. It's the same story with the Camaro convertible - which is also iced until financial conditions improve. But Camaro chief Gene Stefanyshyn, who drove the project on both sides of the Pacific, is keen to get the car into Australia and says it is not a lost cause. "All the basic engineering is done. It would cost about $35 million to do the production engineering," says Stefanyshyn, the global vehicle line executive at GM in charged of global rear-wheel drive vehicles. He is talking about the cost of converting the plans into parts for the production line but, sadly, the spend would not stop there. It would also take millions on shipping, spare parts and a local dealer network to really get the Camaro going. "They are like children. You have to feed them and clothe them and send them to school," Stefanyshyn says. And GM Holden is still refusing to even admit the Camaro could be a goer down under. "There is no business case for the car," says official spokesperson, Kate Lonsdale. But the Camaro is picking up speed in the USA and headed for some export success. "We will build about 80,000 this year. That's pretty good," says Stefanyshyn. "We are also about to start exports to Europe. We've got the parts done and we're ready to go. The car is also going to Japan, still in left-hand drive." Stefanyshyn was speaking at an exclusive drive of the Camaro at Holden's Lang Lang proving ground for World Car of the Year judges. The car is included on the list of contenders for the 2010 award. The briefing included significant details on the Camaro and the VE Commodore program - officially called Zeta at General Motors - which led to its creation. "When Zeta started it was a flexible architecture based around VE.  There have been all sorts of opportunities we've looked at," says GM Holden designer, Peter Hughes. "We always had visions about doing another couple of cars off the architecture. But we were hoping for a Monaro." The success of the Camaro project means no chance for a Commodore, even though the American retro muscle car was a much bigger job than it looks. "Monaro was a VT Commodore cut-and-shut with a new back end. This is a whole car. The Monaro was basically a Commodore coupe but the Camaro is two-plus-two, not a four-seater, and completely different from VE," says Hughes. Do you want the Chevrolet Camaro in Australia? Carsguide will mount a campaign if enough readers get behind the car, and we're happy to pass the push to GM Holden's new chairman, Alan Batey. Write to Batey, give him your thoughts, and we'll pass the messages to the top man at the red lion. Email to: karla.pincott@carsguide.com.au

This was my first hands-on exposure to the American coupe that has been created from the bones of the VE Commodore and I was hopeful of something special. The car is great, and is now one of my favourites as a voter in the World Car of the Year contest, but it was the in the Camaro which is now truly memorable. It came at the hands of Rob Trubiani, who is one of the most talented wheelmen I have met. And I mean Brock-type talent. I had never heard of Trubiani and he has never raced, but he has an incredible gift for speed with poise and precision. Ok, so he knows the Camaro and Holden's ride-and-handling track as well as anyone, but he still conducted the car around the course at incredible pace with zero fuss - even when he was totally sideways. It turns out he is the only Holden driver who is qualified to test at the Nurburgring in Germany, which is one of the tracks where he helped to hone the Camaro. And he is talented engineer as well. "I guess I'm an engineer who is able to drive fast. But I'm an engineer first," Trubiani says modestly as we head into our third lap. It's thanks to Holden people like Trubiani, and talented young designer Peter Hughes who was also part of the Camaro experience, that the company does so well. It is packed with incredible skills. And I still cannot fathom how Trubiani has such a light touch at Lang Lang while driving with the klumpy steel-cap boots which are compulsory in his job. "I guess I've just adjusted. They're not my first choice, but they get the job done," he laughs. Follow Paul Gover on Twitter!

The reborn muscle car was yet to be confirmed for sale Down Under but it was likely given that it has been designed and engineered by Holden in Australia.

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.