[geeks] F*n sweet car... has anyone seen this car yet?

[Chris Byrne]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: geeks-admin at sunhelp.org [mailto:geeks-admin at sunhelp.org]On Behalf
> Of David Passmore
> Sent: 11 May 2002 00:55
> To: geeks at sunhelp.org
> Subject: Re: [geeks] F*n sweet car... has anyone seen this car yet?
>
>
> On Sat, May 11, 2002 at 12:01:31AM +0100, Chris Byrne wrote:
>
> > The thing is its clear from GM records that the GTO and the
> Camaro were both
> > concepts well before the mustang launch. And there was also the whole
> > Tempest thing. GM had these concepts around the same time as
> Ford, Ford just
> > brought the ultimate expression of it to market first and best.
>
> The timeline's I've read say Camaro development really began in
> '64. Can you
> provide an online reference?

I can't provide an online refernce offhand but I can talk about what I've
read. GM basically had an internally competitive system where the divisions
would try and screw each other or outdo each other. In about 1960 Pontiac
was really seething about the corvette, the '57 belle aire, and in general
their poor image as an old lady car company. Plus Bunkie Knudson thought
that chryslers 300 series was a nifty idea sales wise. So they started
thinking about what they could do to really put an exciting car on the map,
and hired John DeLorean to do it. This sarted out with taking the relatively
small cars in their existing lineups and stuffing them with the biggest
engines that would fit (against GM corporate policy), thus starting with the
tempest and arriving at the '64 GTO.

Now chevy wasn't exactly in the dark about this and they started doing the
same thing, but they wanted to get ahead of pontiac. Plus they figured it'd
be good to have a lead in to the vette which honestly wasnt selling so great
til the stingray switchover. So some time 'round 62-63 they started thinking
about a from the ground up sports car. Thats the car that eventually became
the Camaro. At first it was jsut going to be another big engine small body
car but the mustang pretty much changed everything and that's when the
camaro really became something special, but it was certainly a gleam in
someones eye in '62-63 long before the Mustangs debut. Anyone who doubts the
GTO is a major inspiration for the Camaro needs to look at the 1966 GTO.

Oh and some of this stuff is at www.musclecarclub.com

>
> I am really looking forward to the new Cobra. I'm going shopping for one
> tommorrow. The SVT team has done a kickass job on this one; Eaton
> supercharger, 6-speed, Bilstein shocks, 13" brakes, better frame bracing.
> It's no Cobra R, but they have basically made a Saleen S-281 without the
> body panels.

I've been very impressed with the recent cobras. That switch to independant
suspension was a really bold move, and the powerplants have been very nice

Chris Byrne