Growling Camaro returns with a vengeance

• By STEVE WHEELER
• Advocate Wheels editor
• Published: Jun 19, 2009

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We had a lot going on in the summer of 1966. Vietnam was raging, America was racing the Russkies to the moon and the Beatles had launched the British invasion.

With all this going on, some people may not have paid much attention to a June 28 press conference in Detroit, where the General Motors Corporation announced it would introduce a 1967 model automobile called the Camaro.

It was reported that one of my brethren auto writers of the day fell into the trap and asked Chevrolet officials, “What is a Camaro?”

“A small, vicious animal that eats mustangs,” Chevy said.

Game on, Ford.

With the unveiling of the fifth-generation 2010 Camaro, three of the major pony cars from the 1960s are back. Actually, of the three — the Mustang, the Camaro and the Challenger — the Mustang never left. The Challenger returned last year, and the first 2010 Camaro was sold in Baton Rouge about three weeks ago.

Although it was last to show up at the pony car reunion, Chevrolet may have saved the best for last.

During my days driving the Camaro SS last week, more people took pictures and made comments than with any other car I’ve driven. One young man, who wasn’t old enough to be around for the Detroit press conference, took a picture with the car and flashed a big smile. “I can’t believe I finally saw one in person,” he said. With anticipation like this, you might wonder how Chevrolet could possibly live up to the expectations with the new Camaro.

Well, wonder no more. This Camaro automobile is filthy. Which is to say it is bad. Which is to say it is good.

Of the three models — the LS, the LT and the SS — I got to drive the Super Sport, powered by a monstrous 6.2-liter V-8 mated to the optional 6-speed automatic transmission. Peak horsepower is 400 and torque is 410 lb.-ft. With the manual transmission, the numbers jump to 426 and 420 respectively. The LS and the LT have 3.6-liter V-6 engines that crank out 304 horses and 273 lb.-ft. of torque.

The SS zero to 60 time is 4.7 seconds, and the speedometer is not visible to the passenger in the car. I liked that. My wife didn’t.

The new Camaro’s design is a masterpiece. The long hood and short rear deck are traditional pony car elements, and the front end is what makes the Camaro so bad. Its brow furrowed, the car literally scowls at anyone before it, “Don’t mess with me,” when the big V-8 rumbles to life.

The windshield is wide and short, and the side windows are elongated, which actually improves the not-so-great visibility from the driver’s seat. The optional 20-inch polished aluminum wheels are a bargain at $470.