As we are used by history when we have a Camaro we also have a SS version. And the 2010 model will be no exception. The Camaro SS will be launched just a few months after the standard version will hit the market. It will be a serious competition for the Ford Mustang Shelby and Dodge Charger SRT8.

2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS

Specifications
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  • Model: 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS
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The new Camaro was announced to resemble a lot to the concept car unveiled in January at NAIAS, the only difference being that the 2010 Camaro won’t be offered in a hardtop version unlike the concept Camaro and the 1969 Camaro. The initial production is said to begin at the end of 2008, and the car is expected to become available in showrooms in the first quarter of 2009.

The concept car was 186.2 inches long and used a 110.5-inch wheelbase. The wheels were concept car size reaching 21s at the front and 22s at the rear and where shod with huge 275/30 front and 305/30 rear tires, but they won’t make it to production. The power plant under the bonnet was a 400 bhp LS2 6.0-liter V-8 engine mated with a six-speed manual transmission.

Initially there were rumors saying that the Camaro SS will be powered by a LS6 engine. But the LS6 only produce 405 in the Corvette and the most powerful Camaro will have a maximum power of 500 hp. This let us believe that the Camaro SS will be powered by a LS7 engine with an output of 505 hp. The engine will be matted with a six-speed automatic transmission.

Market analysts anticipate that most of the Camaro buyers will be enthusiasts, people who owned one when they were younger. Unfortunately, the market preferences are changing a lot faster than many vehicle manufacturers can predict. The fuel efficiency is these days one of the top three buyer priorities, and this tendency is most likely to affect muscle car sales. This makes hard to schedule a car for launch two to three years from now and make it resonating with the consumers.

A possible answer to this issue is the use of Active Fuel Management that shuts off the cylinders not required for highway cruising. Chevy anticipates that the modern Camaro could achieve a 30 miles per gallon fuel efficiency in such circumstances, without compromising the muscle-power that made these cars popular in the first place.

By mixing a dramatic design and true performance, the next Chevrolet Camaro is entitled to regain the spirit of one of the most admired muscle cars of all time and also to attract new generations of fans.

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History

The first Camaro was introduced as a 1967 model and was Chevy’s answer to the Ford Mustang. The model was stopped at its fourth generation in 2002 model, after about 4.8 million units were produced.

The 1967 Camaro was built on GM's F-body platform and was available as a 2-door, 2+2 seating, coupe or convertible with a choice of inline-6 and V8 powerplants.

The SS (Super Sport) package included many performance and aesthetic upgrades. It was powered by a 5.7 liter eight-cylinder engine with a 6.5 liter big-block offered as optional equipment in 1968. On the grille, horn button, and gas cap were SS badging. Non-functional air-inlets adorned the front hood. The SS-350 model also offered a new 350-cubic-inch small-block V8 rated at 295 horsepower — Chevy's first 350.

The second generation Camaro was unveiled in 1970. Most of the engine and drivetrain components were carried over from 1969 with the exception of the 3.8 liter six cylinder — the base engine was now the 4.1 liter six rated at 155 hp. The top performing motor was a L-78 6.5 liter V8 rated at 375 hp (used in the SS).

Because the sales went done (only 1000 SS units were sold in 1972), Chevrolet decided to drop the model starting next year.

The third generation Camaro was unveiled in 1982. The 1982 model introduced the first Camaros with factory fuel injection, four-speed automatic transmissions (three-speed on the earlier models), five-speed manual transmissions (four-speed manual transmissions in 1982, and some 1983 to 1984 models), 15- or 16-inch (381- or 406-mm) rims, hatchback body style, and even a four-cylinder engine (due to concerns over fuel economy in the wake of the 1979 energy crisis).

The Fourth generation Camaro was unveiled in 1993. The 1993 Camaro also featured the LT1 V8 engine that had been introduced in the Corvette one year earlier, as well as an optional six-speed manual transmission when ordered with the V8.

In 1996 GM re-introduced the SS package. With an output of 305 hp, the SS was the first factory Camaro to break the 300 horsepower barrier since 1971.

The 2001 SS models received the intake manifold from the LS6 (the engine used in the fifth-generation Corvette Z06.) The horsepower rating was increased to 325 hp. The final Camaro was built on August 27, 2002.

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Competitors

 

Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

A modern interpretation of the Shelby Mustang of the 1960s, the Ford Shelby GT500 uses advanced engineering to attain the performance that made the original GT500 the king of the road.

The Ford Shelby GT500’s supercharged 5.4-liter, 32-valve V-8 evolves from Ford’s experience with tuning its modular, or MOD, engines. Output is a brawny 475 horsepower.

The engine is force-fed an air-and-fuel mixture via a "Roots-type" supercharger providing 8.5 pounds per square inch of boost. The GT500 uses a cast-iron engine block. It borrows from the Ford GT program aluminum, four-valve cylinder heads, piston rings and bearings, adding a high level of performance durability to the drivetrain. "Powered by SVT" camshaft covers add the finishing touch to the engine.

Just as the big-block GT500 from 1968 was a step up from the GT350, the 2007 Ford Shelby GT500’s 475 horsepower, 5.4-liter V-8 is a step up from the 4.6-liter V-8 used in yesterday’s SVT Mustang Cobra. Not coincidentally, the 2007 Shelby GT500 sports the largest displacement engine installed in a volume version of the Mustang since 1973.

Dodge Charger SRT8

The 425-hp Dodge Charger SRT8 is a rockin’ muscle car. It would be easy to dismiss it as yet another twin to the Chrysler 300C SRT8 and the Dodge Magnum SRT8, but the Charger establishes itself as the sportiest of its brethren with the firmest suspension calibration of the bunch and look-at-me spoilers and scoops.

Just as the very first Charger-the original 1964 "Charger by Dodge" concept car-sported a HEMI V-8, the all-new 2006 Dodge Charger SRT8 gets its motivation from a HEMI, too. In this case, it’s a big-bore, SRT-engineered version producing 425 horsepower (317 kW) and 420 lb.-ft. (569 Nom) of torque.

Several features of the new 6.1-liter SRT HEMI recall the legendary HEMI engines of previous decades, including the namesake hemispherical combustion chambers that provide power and efficiency, orange-painted cylinder block, black valve covers, and the horsepower rating (with less displacement, the 6.1-liter HEMI’s 69.8 horsepower-per-liter rating exceeds that of the legendary Street HEMI of the 1960s and ’70s).

To create the 6.1-liter version of the Chrysler Group’s HEMI, SRT powertrain engineers applied tried-and-true engine-building techniques honed by generations of American hot-rodders. SRT engineers who developed the Dodge Charger SRT8’s engine achieved more horsepower by adding more cubic inches, increasing the compression ratio, and redesigning the cylinder head, intake and exhaust systems for better flow and increased engine speed.