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The pony car wars are still in full force and the Chevrolet Camaro is on the forefront of every battle. The seasoned muscle car boasts a muscular exterior with sleek lines and a powerful engine mounted behind that familiar face. The rear-wheel drive Chevrolet Camaro is powered by a 3.6L V6 engine delivering 304hp and 273 lb-ft of torque, but the better choice is found in the 6.2L V8 engine cranking out 400/426hp and 410/420lb-ft of torque. These engines are mated to either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission. 2011 Chevrolet Camaro by Whiteside Customs
 
One of the most popular cars to attend SEMA last year was the Chevrolet Camaro thanks to countless tuning companies that brought their iteration of the popular Chevrolet muscle car to the world’s biggest auto aftermarket show. The Camaro’s mass showing last year earned it the title of being the "hottest car" of the event and from the looks of things, it appears that the Camaro will be back in force this year, ready to defend its crown. One of the first to reveal their plans of bringing a Camaro to SEMA comes from Whiteside Customs, Inc, a Texas-based aftermarket tuning company that will finally present their long-awaited program for the Chevy muscle car. We say ’long-awaited’ because the whole program is two years in the making, giving Whiteside Customs plenty of time to not only prepare to show the car off at SEMA, but to also ready it to take down the Nissan GT-R. After all those months of laborious work, the folks over at Whiteside Customs are now finally ready to reveal their Camaro program. Full details behind the project are still being kept under wraps, although Mike White of Whiteside Customs did say that the Camaro will carry in excess of 500 horsepower, courtesy of a twin-turbo kit from RX Performance. Other tidbits about the project that have been revealed include a new exhaust system from ARK Performance, a custom suede steering wheel from Ace Custom Steering, and a custom suede interior from Katzkin Leather, among other things. While it appears that there’s more to this car than meets the eye, the good news is that we won’t have to wait long to find out what it is. SEMA’s coming next week, and for Whiteside Customs, that two-year wait is about to end. 2011 Chevrolet Camaro by Chris Dunlop
The visual treat that are art cars come out of the woodwork a lot in the past but very few of those we’ve seen have been drawn on with Sharpies. Such is the case with this silver Chevrolet Camaro. The work of Maryland-based professional pinstriper - apparently, there’s a profession for that - Chris Dunlop, a rather mindless Camaro was turned into a tasty and elaborate Sharpie-drawn work of art, replacing the traditional pinstripes found on the muscle car. The detail, as you can see, is as intricate as a porcelain vase. The two sides of the design are as intricate as it can get, making the whole process a lot trickier to pull of. Add that to the fact that well over ten Sharpies were used in the project with a number of layers of clearcoat added in to make sure the ink becomes permanent when it dries. So yeah, you can imagine just how tedious the work is in accomplishing this. But Dunlop is no ordinary artist; he knows his way around cars and how to use them as his personal canvas. In fact, this Camaro project is his fourth foray in decorating cars so he’s hardly a newbie when it comes to this. And as the age-old eye test will tell you, the finished product is a visual eye candy. All in a days work for Chris Dunlop. Video: Jay Leno reviews the Camaro ZL1
President of GM North America, Mark Reuss recently stopped by Jay Leno’s Garage with a very special car in tow: a 2012Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. But this wasn’t just any ordinary ZL1; this was the same model that blitzed the Nurburgring only a few days ago with an impressive lap time of 7:41:27. Shortly after its dalliance with the ’Ring, the ZL1 was flown all the way to Hollywood, California for a date with no less than Jay Leno. The ZL1 is powered by an LSA 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine that delivers an impressive 580 HP at 6,000 rpm and 556 lb/ft of torque at 4,200 rpm. The engine is connected to a Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual transmission that allows the ZL1 to sprint from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.9 seconds. Enjoy the video and see what Jay Leno himself has to say about the Camaro ZL1. You’ll need to be patient though because the first three minutes explains the car’s launch control system. But rest assured, Camaro fans, the video is well worth checking out! 2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible by Geiger Cars
The Chevrolet Camaro is so popular that, despite its all-American roots, the muscle car still generates tremendous amounts of interests from tuning companies a continent away. Geiger Cars is a German-based tuning company of American cars so it was only obvious that they would come out with a ridiculous program for the Camaro Convertible. And boy, did they ever. On mere aesthetics alone, the Camaro Convertible looks about as hot as any aftermarket Camaro we’ve seen in a while. It’s dressed in a Black and Orange paint scheme, complete with with a new body kit consisting of a new chin spoiler, a rear diffuser, a boot lid wing, new side skirts, and a set of 22" wheels that, for lack of a better term, are bursting in orange. On top of that, Geiger also added a new adjustable suspension system and a new sports exhaust system to keep the car on its edge. Despite the rather audacious look of the car, the performance upgrade under its hood is what makes this program a must-have for Camaro owners. Using the same 6.2-liter V8 engine from the muscle car, Geiger Cars added a supercharger system, ratcheting up the car’s output from 430 horsepower and 420 lb/ft of torque all the way up to 568 horsepower and 574 lb/ft of torque. The whole program looks fantastic from top to bottom. That’s why you’ll need to pay premium prices - €85,000 ($116,000) - for the privilege of owning one. 2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible by West Coast Customs
A lot of cars are being auctioned off these days with the intention of having the proceeds sent to various charities, that much we know. More often than not, these cars are of the special edition variety with the hope that their ’uniqueness’ would attract more bids than just a standard model. And when you look at this West Coast Customs-tuned Chevrolet Camaro Convertible, ’unique’ is probably too light a word to describe it. A few days ago, the UCLA Health System announced that a Camaro Convertible was auctioned off for $366,000 at the Mecum Auto Auction in Dallas, Texas. While the Camaro Convertible doesn’t appear to have any performance modifications attached, the people over at West Coast Customs, led by Ryan Friedlinghaus, made sure that the Camaro Convertible would look about as different as any other Camaro in the world. The special, one-off muscle car was dressed up in a full camouflage motif, representing all the branches of the US military. The rather steep price of $366,000 came as the winning bid of auction host Ben Mecum, who was pleased to raise that much money for charity. Proceeds from the sale of the one-off Camaro will go to Operation Mend, a joint tie-up between the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, and the Veterans Affairs–Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System. This organization provides specialized medical care to U.S. military personnel who have been wounded and severely disfigured in Iraq and Afghanistan. Check out the $366,000 camouflaged Chevrolet Camaro Convertible and tell us it’s worth the money it fetched in the auction. We can even argue that Mecum got a bargain out of it. Watch the amazing video of the Chevrolet Camaro Convertible by West Coast Customs’ auction after the jump! Full story 2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS ’Blaumatt Gold’ by Geiger Cars
German tuning company, Geiger Cars, has made a reputation for itself as being one of the best European aftermarket tuning companies that deal with making programs for American cars. So if there’s a Chevrolet Camaro on the other side of the pond that needs some tuning work, Geiger Cars is one of the first that anybody should call. One of their latest programs for the Camaro is called the ’Blaumatt Gold,’ which, as the name suggests, is named after the muscle car’s fancy two-color paint scheme. In addition to the ridiculously fabulous paint finish, Geiger Cars also gave the Camaro some aerodynamic tweaks in the form of a new spoiler kit, a new adjustable sports suspension, a new sport exhaust system, an RS package, parking sensors, a new sound system, black leather interior, and finally, a set of 22" gold alloy wheels. Under the Camaro’s hood, Geiger Cars added a compressor kit and provided further tweaking of the engine, turning the output of the muscle car’s 6.2-liter V8 engine from the standard 422 horsepower all the way up to an impressive 500 horsepower. In the event that you’re interested in Geiger Cars’ "Blaumatt Gold" program for the Camaro SS, you’ll need to have at least €79,900 ($110,000 at the current rates) at your disposal. 2012 Chevrolet Camaro 20th Anniversary Edition by Hennessey
Hennessey Performance has been alive and kicking for 20 years and as is tradition with anniversaries like this, you can expect a special edition model to be part of the festivities. In the two decades that it’s been around, Hennessey has grown into one of the leading aftermarket tuners in the world, and to commemorate their 20th anniversary, the company is coming out with a limited edition run of the Chevrolet Camaro SS HPE650. Called the "20th Anniversary" model, the 20-piece muscle car will be available in either coupe or convertible variants and is being made as a tribute not only to the company but also to the dedicated and loyal fan-base it has had since it broke into the tuning scene back in 1991. "We wanted to build something special for our clients and production will be limited to just 20 vehicles. Each one will have it’s own serial number", said Hennessey CEO, Don Goldman. "For over 20 years, HPE has been making fast cars go faster. We are excited to celebrate this milestone with a very special car". Find out more about the Chevrolet Camaro SS 20th Anniversary Edition after the jump. Full story Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 laps the Nurburgring in 7.41.27
 Sometimes it may seem as though German models rule the roost in the high performance sports car segment, but those models may have learned a valuable lesson today. Jason Laird, GM’s Executive Director for Product and Technology Communications, posted the following on his Twitter account: "Mark Reuss just confirmed ZL1 Camaro lapped Nurburgring in 7.41.27." GM hasn’t confirmed the official time of the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1’s lap, but so far it sounds as though it is completely legit. Once confirmed, it will place the new ZL1 just a notch under the new generation Porsche 911’s recently reported time of 7 min. 40 sec.. It will also prove that the Camaro is faster than models like the Audi R8 V10 and the Porsche GT3 which lapped the ring in 7:42. We’re interested in knowing what the 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 will have to say about this. The Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is powered by an LSA 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine that delivers a total of 580 HP at 6,000 rpm and 556 lb/ft of torque at 4,200 rpm. This power is just enough to sprint the car from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.9 seconds. Updated 10/06/2011, 14:00: General Motors has just confirmed that the ZL1 has lapped the Nurburgring race track in 7:41.27, nearly 40 seconds quicker than a Camaro SS tested at the legendary German track in 2009. The car was driven by Camaro Performance Engineer Aaron Link and raced the track with no modifications. "The Nurburgring is unlike any track in the world," said Al Oppenheiser, Camaro chief engineer. "Each lap includes fast straights, sweeping off-camber turns, hairpin corners, and elevation changes. In order to do well on the ‘Ring, the car has to do everything well – including acceleration, braking, and lateral grip. Breaking an eight-minute lap in a 2+2 production car is a tremendous accomplishment, and validates that the Camaro ZL1 will truly be track-ready from the showroom." Chevrolet prepares Mustang Cobra Jet competitor
 We’ve been watching the ping pong muscle car wars for years with either the Ford Mustang or the Chevrolet Camaro coming out on top every time. As true competitors, these two companies were able to stay abreast of the advances the other has made, resulting in similar lineups and no constant top dog. In 2008, Ford muscled in an edge over Chevrolet with the release of the Mustang Cobra Jet, the only Ford model without a true Camaro competitor even in its limited production state. Now, in true competitive style, Chevrolet has announced plans for a high performance Camaro to compete with the Cobra Jet. The company is taking under consideration two options. The first is to strip down the portly showroom version of the Camaro and the second is to build a completely new car. It is rumored that Chevrolet will unveil their new Camaro in November at the 2011 SEMA Show. Chances are the new Camaro will not be as light as the Cobra Jet so Chevrolet will have to come packing more heat under the hood to obtain the same performance numbers as the Ford model. Other elements should include upgraded drag-specific suspension, chassis, and brakes. Ford may be winning the battle, but Chevrolet is now looking to win the war. Stay tuned for more details! 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 ’69 Carbon Flash’ Edition
Auction houses like Barrett Jackson are the perfect places to find special edition vehicles. All you need is steely determination, glass full of patience, and pockets full of cash - in some cases, more than that. Recently, a special edition Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was auctioned off at Barrett Jackson in Las Vegas, raking in an estimated $250,000 from some deep-pocketed bidder who you might have heard of: NASCAR Sprint Cup team owner Rick Hendricks. This particular Camaro is noted for being the first production Camaro ZL1 to find an owner - good job, Mr. Hendricks! - and while it’s being touted as such, it’s actually the 69th ZL to be produced by General Motors. So why is it a special edition? For one, it’s being advertised as an anniversary model of the 1969 Camaro ZL1, hence the 69th model designation. It’s also the only Camaro ZL1 to be dressed in a Carbon Flash Metallic exterior paint finish, making it a true one-of-a-kind. The only downside is that General Motors decided against tweaking the muscle car’s outstanding 6.2-liter V8 engine producing 580 horsepower and over 550 lb/ft of torque. But even without the engine upgrade, the ZL1’s numbers are still mighty, mighty impressive. Hendricks shelling out around a quarter-of-a-million might be a little too steep given the circumstances, but the NASCAR team owner and car dealership mogul should be comforted in knowing that proceeds from the sale of the ZL1 ’69 Carbon Flash’ will go directly to the YMCA of Southern Nevada. | featured reviews:Chevrolet Camaro tuning: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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