Autoblog

Well, all the Camaro buildup is finally set to amount to something this Monday, when the real, final car is unveiled. Frankly, it was getting anti-climactic before the official photos leaked onto the web on Friday afternoon, but we'll look forward to hopefully seeing the SS car in the metal. That one's been conspicuously absent from all the photos that crammed the internet as soon as the dam burst. Anyway, whether you go for an RS with that punchy DI V6, or the SS with its LS3 power, chances are you'll be a happy camper.

So, to celebrate, we've gone and collected all the Camaro television commercials (and one 1980s promo video) we could find and packed them up into our handy new video player. When you're done watching one, pick another from the scrolling list under the main window and enjoy. We don't know how Chevy's gonna market the new car, but we're hoping for something more in line with the cool and dramatic 'Volcano" spot for the first-gen. It's a nostalgia overload, from the '70 "Super Hugger" spots to the cringe-fest 80s-era ads, right up to the 90s cars that spelled the end of the line. Until now.

Now, please excuse us while we hit the weekend classified pages. We've got a sudden craving for some IROC-Z garage candy. After all, this mid-summer weather is just perfect for T-Tops.

Hot on the heels of yesterday's unofficial unveiling of images of the production 2010 Camaro, photos are now flooding the web. As reported, General plans on giving customers the choice of a 416 hp 6.2L V8 or a 296 hp 3.6L V6 when the highly-anticipated coupe goes on sale, but for now, you get to choose which color to look at. Released are 52 pictures of yellow, red, and silver Camaros on the track, in the studio, and on the inside. All of them appear to be the RS model, though a couple of SS interior shots have now joined the group. Click on the images above or the gallery below to see what's been leaked so far, and look for the motherlode to arrive on Monday afternoon when we deliver plenty of high-res pics and video of the live Camaro unveiling at GM's Warren Technical Center. Thanks to all who sent tips!


[Source: Camaro5]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Foose Coupe.

With the complete and utter collapse of Unique Performance, we were wondering who would be taking over the sales and marketing for the Foose Coupe. Not to worry, because Superformance Distribution of Irvine, CA has picked up the reigns and recently delivered its first car through its Hillbank Motor Corporation dealership. This is just the fourth Foose Coupe produced, after the green and black prototypes at the 2006 SEMA show and the first publicly available car that was auctioned off at Barrett-Jackson's Palm Beach auction last year. The owner opted for the 392ci Hemi V8 pumping out around 500 horsepower, and a custom paint scheme featuring carbon fiber spears surrounded by flames hand painted by Chip Foose himself. Check out all the amazing details of this incredible coupe in our huge photo gallery below.

[Source: Superformance Distribution]

Click above for a hi-res gallery of the 2010 Chevy Camaro

CarTribe has procured a few shots and the initial details of the production Chevrolet Camaro ahead of its official unveiling this Monday. According to their report, the Camaro will come in LS, LT and SS trim, equipped with either a six-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed automatic. Of course, that doesn't account for the very-obviously-marked RS car that is shown in the official photos, so who knows what the whole story is.

Engine choices include either a 296 hp, 3.6-liter V6 or a 416 hp 6.2-liter V8 which will feature cylinder deactivation to boost fuel economy. Underneath the retro sheetmetal is a full independent suspension and StabiliTrak traction control system. Four-pot Brembo brakes are mounted up front on the SS variant, and the 3,700-pound coupe will reportedly have a weight balance of 52/48, front/rear. The neuvo-retro theme is carried inside with a gauge cluster inspired by the 1969 model, along with leather seats and blue LED lighting.

We'll have more specs and images as information becomes available.


[Source: CarTribe]

Click the Challenger for a high res gallery

During the recent What's New event at Chrysler's Chelsea Proving Ground, we had the opportunity to sample the new Dodge Challenger SRT-8. For the 2008 model year, Chrysler is only building SRT-8 versions of the Challenger with a combination of the 6.1L HEMI V8 and a five-speed automatic transmission. We first saw the production version of the Challenger earlier this year at the Chicago Auto Show and while we thought the styling was great with perfect muscle car proportions, it is undoubtedly a big car. The Challenger is built on Chrysler's LX platform shared with the 300 and Charger. Compared to the Mustang it looks huge and it hardly seems like it would actually feel sporty.

Fortunately, the dynamic behavior of large cars has made huge strides since the original Challenger went away in the mid-seventies. We first tried out the Challenger on the road at Chelsea before taking it for a hot lap around the evaluation track. The circuit was built back in the early '90s when a certain gentleman named Lutz was still occupying an office on the top floor of Chrysler's headquarters. It's basically a lovely little natural terrain road course, not quite as elaborate as the new road course that Maximum Bob built at the GM Proving Ground, but it's a good way to get a dynamic feel for a car. After lunch we had another opportunity to thrash the Challenger on the autocross course that Chrysler set up on the vehicle dynamics pad. Find out how the Challenger did after the jump, along with some video of our time behind the wheel.


Photos Copyright ©2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

There hasn't been any news on an IS F racecar since we heard rumors that the sedan, unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Salon, was really a reskinned 2004 Opel Vectra DTM. While Lexus might not be supporting a factory-backed motorsports program for the IS-F, that doesn't mean that privateer teams can't develop a car on their own. DRC Motorsports has done just that and has built two IS-F racecars that will compete in the GT class of the SPEED World Challenge. Dubbed the IS GTF, it will be sporting a 4.7-liter V8 putting out 510 horsepower and attached to six-speed sequential transmission. The first car will make its debut this weekend at Mid Ohio with Jeff Altenburg, last year's SWC Touring Car champion, behind the wheel, and the second car, driven by Robb Holland, is scheduled to make its maiden run the following race at Road America. Both cars are scheduled to run the remainder of the race season. If you want to watch the new IS GTF in action, SPEED will be airing the race on Thursday, July 24 at 1:00pm (EDT) following the Touring Car race.

[Source: my.IS]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Cadillac CTS coupe.

News of facility closings and truck and SUV production cuts have been very sobering to GM's plant towns and the union workforce. While GM's live press conference was bad news for many, the General's Lansing Grand River plant had plenty of reason to smile. The facility received word that the CTS Coupe and Sport Wagon were green-lighted for production, giving the plant more variations of the strong-selling CTS. The two-door CTS should provide Cadillac a shot in the arm here in the States, but the Sport Wagon could be a wild card. The sporty family hauler will likely sell well in the wagon-loving Euro market, while also giving US buyers a fashionable alternative to the SUV. The CTS will supposedly receive a 2.9L turbo-diesel powerplant, which will give Cadillac a stronger presence overseas, while giving shoppers States an oil-burning alternative.

One potential downer for the plant is that the SRX will be moving to a front drive platform, meaning that production could potentially move to another plant. The SRX never sold in high volumes and it didn't have a market overseas. The CTS Sport Wagon will arrive in the spring, with the CTS Coupe following during the summer.

[Source: Lansing State Journal]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Porsche 998 911.

Spies posted around the Nurburgring have caught what's likely to be the next generation Porsche 911 undergoing testing. The 998 mule is wearing modified 997 body work, with the addition of blistered wheel arches hinting at a widened track and a makeshift wing providing additional downforce. According to KGP, the quad exhaust tips pulled from the Carrera S aren't fitted as flush as the 997 model, so space is likely tight in the rear, while the roll cage proves that the new platform is still in its infancy. Expect the 998 911 to debut late in 2010.

Click image for photo gallery

This much we know. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen will have some sort of Corvette concept portraying one of the Autobots (well, we assume it's an Autobot). We also now know that there are at least two movie cars, as you can see in the shot above. Do we officially know that these are Corvettes of some sort? No, but the fender shapes, split rear window, and the port aft of the front wheel are familial styling cues that seal the deal. We're dying to know if this is just a movie creation or a concept that's in the pipeline to be revealed publicly at some future time. And if this forecasts what we should expect in terms of a C7, well, we're okay with that, too.

Also snagged in this photo set: the Chevy Beat and Trax, a military-style dune buggy, a pair of Can-Am Spyders, Optimus Prime, and Ratchet. Thanks, Andrew!


[Source: Seibertron]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2008 BMW M3.

The rumormongers at AutoZeitung are reporting that BMW plans to unveil a stripped-out, track-ready M3 at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. The E90-based M3 CSL will use many of the same tricks BMW employed on the E46 model in an effort to shave the coupe's curb weight. Luxuries like air conditioning, stereo and navigation won't be included, while the hood, bumper, trunk and fenders will all be swapped out in favor of carbon fiber pieces.

In addition to keeping the pounds down, BMW will reportedly boost the output of the M3 CSL by an additional 50 horsepower, for a total of 470 bhp. That should allow the E90 CSL run to 60 in around four seconds, on its way to a top speed of around 185 mph.

Production of the 2010 BMW M3 CSL will be limited to 100 units and pricing is estimated at 90,000 euro, or just over $140k.


[Source: AutoZeitung via EGMCarTech]