Camaro Prototypes Caught; GM Declares “No More Camo!”
By Chris Haak
01.04.2008
Yesterday, KGP Photography caught a car carrier near the Arctic Circle containing several lightly-disguised Camaro prototypes. The transporter was unaccompanied and the photographer was able to take several detailed interior photos. Copyright restrictions prevent us from sharing those photos in this space, but you can see a nice gallery at Autoblog. The car appears to be remarkably close to the concept, including the design of the interior, which on the concept (pictured) hearkened back to the 1969’s style, while incorporating some futuristic-looking elements as well.
Hours later, on GM’s Fastlane blog, Chevrolet General Manager Ed Peper surprised everyone by showing a completely undisguised Camaro test mule, presumably at a proving ground racetrack. He said that Bob Lutz has ordered that the camo be removed from all pre-production Camaros “so further evaluations could be done for aerodynamics and cooling efficiency.” Sure. But, whatever the reason, it’s nice to see the Camaro in the flesh – at least its backside.
You can see when comparing the photo from the Fastlane Blog with this photo of the silver 2006 Camaro Concept that it has stayed remarkably close to concept. Not surprisingly, the height of the windows has grown to a more practical level, and the B-pillar has appeared, but the car seems to have much the same aura as did the highly-regarded concept.
I really hope for GM’s sake that they aren’t going overboard with the “oopsies” and leaks about the Camaro. I realize they want to keep excitement for this car at a high level, leading up to its production debut and on-sale date, but I really think the car runs a risk of being overexposed. While it already hearkens back to the 1969 model (not as egregiously as Dodge’s Challenger does), GM is taking a risk that the Camaro – which will have been seen for about four years from concept to on-sale date – has the look of a four year old car when it hits dealerships. The exposure in the past summer’s Transformers movie certainly didn’t help with this problem, either. Apparently, GM doesn’t see it as a problem. I’ve never heard of a manufacturer driving undisguised prototypes – without even stripes or disguised paint – in public areas to test aerodynamics and cooling. I believe they have supercomputers and wind tunnels for those reasons.
Whatever the motivation, here’s the Camaro!
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