Filed under: Aftermarket, Classics, Coupe, Performance, Chevrolet

Suspension tuner John Hotchkis, principle of Hotchkis Sport Suspension and apparently at peace with the fact that we broke his precious E-Max, invited yours truly out to the Streets of Willow to pound some more hard fought miles into the amazing yellow 1971 Dodge Challenger. Actually, a whole bunch of people were on hand to do the pounding, and not just on the E-Max. Hotchkis was putting on a before-and-after clinic to showcase (and show off) a couple of its suspension packages. Not only was the mighty, heavily tweaked E-Max on hand, but the Hotchkis gang brought along a fairly stock 1970 Challenger, a rented Chevrolet Camaro SS and a Camaro SS that had been given the full Hotchkis suspension treatment.

The Plan: Put each car in the more-than-capable hands of John’s brother, Mark Hotchkis, a former Indy Lights driver who also happens to campaign a Porsche 962 in vintage races. Each car would be put through a series of tests (slalom, skid pad and a lap of the track itself) revealing numerically just how much better the new Hotchkis suspension pieces worked. They also brought a few of us journalist types along to not only see viva la difference, but share our impressions with the world/you guys. But before we get to the results…

Photos by Jonny Lieberman / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc. and Dan Khan

Continue reading Hotchkis Track Day proves “After” is much better than “Before”

Hotchkis Track Day proves “After” is much better than “Before” originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on March 12th, 2010 by Jonny Lieberman
Filed under: Camaro, Chevrolet | Comments Off

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Chevrolet, GM

General Motors is working hard to improve the image of its core brands, and the largest GM division, Chevrolet, will be getting some fresh new marketing in the near future. The theme, “Excellence for Everyone” will debut in ad spots over the next two months.

In a web chat yesterday, GM’s North American president Mark Reuss told the Detroit Free Press that Chevrolet will be using the Camaro and Corvette more frequently in its advertising to improve the brand’s overall image. “When have you ever seen ‘Vettes and Camaros in ads for Equinox and Malibu?” Reuss stated. And speaking of the Malibu, Reuss says that GM needs to “re-energize the car,” so expect a new set of ads focused around Chevy’s well-liked midsize sedan, as well.

[Source: Detroit Free Press | Image: Stan Honda/AFP/Getty]

Chevrolet to employ new “Excellence for Everyone” ad campaign originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on March 11th, 2010 by Steven J. Ewing
Filed under: Camaro, Chevrolet, Chevy, Corvette, GM, General Motors | Comments Off

Today’s photo comes from Steve Brandon.
Be sure to look at all of Steve Brandon’s photos and our other albums. And if you would like to recommend your favorite photo with a GM car or truck in it, put it up on Flickr and tag it with “gmfyi.”

Posted on March 10th, 2010 by Will Stewart
Filed under: Camaro, Chevrolet, Chevy, GM, General Motors | Comments Off

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Plants/Manufacturing, Chevrolet

No matter which side of the Mustang/Camaro divide you fall on there’s no arguing that Chevrolet’s reborn entrant in the pony car wars has been a hit. It’s been less than a year since production of the 2010 Camaro began at General Motors’ Oshawa assembly and the 100,000th example rolled off the line this week. The milestone car was reportedly an inferno orange SS.

Ever since last June, the Camaro has been outselling its chief rival,, the Mustang, despite the Mustang’s refresh at around the time of the Camaro launch. Ford, however, left out one important aspect in the 2010 redesign, the powertrains. That oversight has been addressed for the 2011 model year, and the Ford vs. Chevy battle begins anew next month. That’s when 2011 Mustangs will start rolling off the line with power on par with the Camaro, along with the significantly better interiors that carry over from 2010. We’ll be watching this horse race very carefully over the rest of this year. Hat tip to Henry!

[Source: Camaro5]

Report: GM builds 100,000th Chevrolet Camaro originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 06 Mar 2010 10:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on March 6th, 2010 by Sam Abuelsamid
Filed under: Camaro, Chevrolet | Comments Off

Today’s photo comes from cedarkayak.
Be sure to look at all of cedarkayak’s photos and our other albums. And if you would like to recommend your favorite photo with a GM car or truck in it, put it up on Flickr and tag it with “gmfyi.”

Posted on March 2nd, 2010 by Will Stewart
Filed under: Camaro, Chevrolet, Chevy, GM, General Motors | Comments Off

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Chevrolet, GM

Earlier today, the folks from Exodus Pictures - a Michigan-based film studio - officially unveiled the FireBreather, a Camaro-based creation built in collaboration with Classic Design Concepts of Novi, Michigan. The one-off Camaro was designed by Ajmal Ahmad, the writer and director of the upcoming sci-fi film Jinn, in which the FireBreather will make its big screen debut.

Underneath the slightly revised sheetmetal is a factory-fresh Camaro SS, but the creative team from Classic Design Concepts have outfitted it with a new front fasica, hood, rear fascia and some incredibly hot-looking wheels. The new nose has a bit of Pontiac Trans-Am nostalgia to it, and we very much approve. No modifications have been made to the Camaro’s 6.2-liter V8, but CDC has outfitted an Elbach Pro-Plus Performance handling package, as well as sticker Pirelli PZero Rosso tires.

Want one? Exodus will be offering up 50 individually numbered FireBreathers for just under $60,000. Orders can be placed at the FireBreather’s sales website, and will be sold on a first come, first served basis. Click through our gallery to see high-res shots of the FireBreather from all angles.

Exodus Pictures unveils FireBreather movie car at Detroit Autorama originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on February 26th, 2010 by Steven J. Ewing
Filed under: Camaro, Chevrolet | Comments Off

Today’s photo comes from sjb4photos.
Be sure to look at all of sjb4photos’ photos and our other albums. And if you would like to recommend your favorite photo with a GM car or truck in it, put it up on Flickr and tag it with “gmfyi.”

Posted on February 22nd, 2010 by Will Stewart
Filed under: Camaro, GM, General Motors | Comments Off

Filed under: Videos, Chevrolet

We’re not sure if it’s the raw display of power or the smell of burning rubber, but there is just something about a good burnout that puts a smile on our face. Of course, the burnout has to be done right to make us smile. A poorly executed spinning of the rear wheels prompts plenty of indifference, unless the burnout goes so terribly wrong that it proves to be somehow better than even the best burnouts.

Luckily it just so happens that we’ve found an instance of badder is better. Hit the jump to see what happens when a guy in his third-gen Chevrolet Camaro has the wrong kind of tires to be spinning around on the pavement. We don’t want to spoil the climax of this video, but we will tell you that it is absolutely worth watching if you’re a big fan of automotive carnage.

[Source: RIDELUST | Images: Wayne Rames]

Continue reading When Tires Attack: Burnout competition turns ugly for third-gen Camaro

When Tires Attack: Burnout competition turns ugly for third-gen Camaro originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Feb 2010 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on February 19th, 2010 by Chris Shunk
Filed under: Camaro, Chevrolet, Chevy | Comments Off

Filed under: Aftermarket, Concept Cars, Coupe, Chevrolet

When pictures of a camo-clad coupe surfaced earlier this week, the rumormill went into overdrive, with speculation that the Camaro-based prototype was the second coming of the Z/28 or one of the rebodied Firebird replicas we’ve seen making the auto show rounds in the last year. The truth, as always, is far more interesting.

Exodus Pictures, a Michigan-based production company currently working on a new feature film, created the custom body kit for the 2010 Camaro for its lead role in an upcoming movie Jinn. The FireBreather was designed by the film’s director, Ajmal Zaheer Ahmad - an Art Center College of Design graduate - and created by Classic Design Concepts, which helped create the Mustang-based Knight Rider GT500 for the recently canned TV show.

Although the photos we published earlier this week were taken without the vehicle producer’s knowledge, Faisal Ahmad’s decision to cloak the Camaro in camouflage was part of a marketing campaign that was set to begin next week. That plan is out the window now, and the FireBreather will be unveiled at the Detroit Autorama next weekend.

Although a single bespoke movie car isn’t that compelling, Ahmad disclosed to us that Exodus plans to create 50 limited edition models of the rebodied Camaro. Originally, there were discussions with a few aftermarket companies to create the body kit, but the size, scope and capacity of the endeavor was apparently too much for the small outfits to handle.

We’re hoping to have live shots of the FireBreather from its unveiling next weekend, and look for another update on this newest hero car in the coming days.

UPDATE: According to our man on the inside, the FireBreather will be packing a supercharged V8 churning out around 630 horsepower.

UPDATE 2: Full release on the movie and the car after the jump.

Continue reading Behold the FireBreather: Camaro-based movie car is more than meets the eye

Behold the FireBreather: Camaro-based movie car is more than meets the eye originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on February 18th, 2010 by Damon Lavrinc
Filed under: Camaro, Chevrolet, Chevy | Comments Off

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Performance, Chevrolet

Autoblog tipster Mark has sent in these images of what appears to be some sort of Chevrolet Camaro body restyling kit that turns the Bowtie musclecar a latter-day Pontiac Firebird tribute. As posted on GMInsideNews forums, there is speculation that the mule could actually be a Camaro Z28, what with its big hood bulge and all, but the styling doesn’t seem right to us, nor does the prototype’s camouflage pattern. We suspect it’s more likely an aftermarket affair, something along the lines of the Kevin Morgan Designs ‘Phoenix’ project, the ASC redux, or the Lingenfelter 455 T/A concept.

The prototype was spotted in suburban Detroit area when its car cover partially blew off while parked, giving Mark the opportunity to capture his quarry. Unfortunately, the cover apparently never came all the way off, so we’re left wondering what’s been done to the back end. Judging by what we can see of the cover’s outline, it doesn’t appear to have been left alone, so our curiosity remains piqued. Thanks for the photos, Mark!

[Source: GMInsideNews]

Reader Spy: Are you a new tuner Pontiac Firebird homage, the Chevy Camaro Z28, or something else? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on February 15th, 2010 by Chris Paukert
Filed under: Camaro, Chevrolet, GM, Pontiac, SpyShots | Comments Off