[dshane]

To those on this forum in "the know", what direction was the Camaro heading before it was killed? When would the 4th gen be due for an updating or redesign?

I love the new Camaro and think its just about what it "should" look like, but am curious if anybody knows what the car would look like if they never stopped building them.

I've seen the drawings by that kid Horton or what ever his name was but would love to see what GM had in mind for the 5'th generation while still building 4th gens.

 

[$¢'s 5th Gen]

The camaro should have been due within a couple years. 2nd gen 12 years, 3rd gen 11 years and 4th 10 years. Maybe they decided to stop when it was due for redesign.

 

[OctaneZ28]

GM had nothing in mind for a 5th Gen until about 2004, simply because there was no funding for such a program.

The Camaro & Firebird were essentially killed in 1995 when Ron Zarella (then CEO of GM) and his upper management cronies took away funding for the cars. They were to die off in 1998. Yes, they were to die off without the 1998 redesign and without ever getting an LS1.

However, lower and middle management - the people who actually work on the cars - had other ideas. Somehow they came up with funds and were able to apply them to update the design of the cars in 1998, and lengthen the life of the F-Body until 2000... then 2001... then 2002.

Due to this lack of funding, it was impossible to start up a 5th Generation program. It was impossible to produce 4th Gens any longer than they did because the chassis didn't pass 2003 crash standards, and couldn't be changed enough to pass them. All cars produced after September 1, 2002 had to conform to these 2003 standards and thus the cars ceased production August 27, 2002.

I don't know all the details, but perhaps when Scott Settlemire writes his book we will learn them. He was instrumental in getting the cars to stay alive all the way through 2002.

 

[OverAnxious]

I don't know all the details, but perhaps when Scott Settlemire writes his book we will learn them. He was instrumental in getting the cars to stay alive all the way through 2002.

Interesting, something along the lines of "All Corvettes are Red" about the C5 program?

 

[Chris 96 WS6]

Tim, that's exactly what I had heard too. There simply wasn't any kind of concept in 2002...

Now, I do remember talk of an aborted attempt somewhere in there, perhaps a year before the current concept began being put together.

The other part of the problem was the UAW contract to keep the car at St. Therese. GM couldn't talk about publicly w/o violating the terms of that agreement, because the contract said they had to build a "Camaro" at St. Therese if they built it at all. That contract expired in 2005, and the concept debuted at the very next opportunity to show it, 2006 NAIAS.

 

[OverAnxious]

Anyone remember GM discussing a FWD Camaro :BangHead:

 

[dshane]

Well no wonder I can't find any info, ther isn't any! :thumbsup: sounds like this Ron Zarella needs to be haning out with Satan and Sadam on a South Park episode.:bat:

Camaro and FWD should never be spoken in the same paragraph let alone sentence.atriot:

 

[OctaneZ28]

Yeah, actually there were 2 aborted attempts at a 5th Gen before the one we know about came to life.

 

[Terrell]

Camaro and FWD should never be spoken in the same paragraph let alone sentence.atriot:

With the exception of saying that a Camaro should never be FWD.

 

[brandonppr]

I seen an illustration a few years ago of a Camaro that had the chrome bar across the front somewhat like the trucks. It looked like a contiuation of the 4th gen to 5th gen, but it was no show stopper for sure.

 

[$¢'s 5th Gen]

Anyone remember GM discussing a FWD Camaro :BangHead:

Maybe if the "F" stood for FOUR wheel drive aka awd

 

[Z28 Autobot]

Anyone remember GM discussing a FWD Camaro :BangHead:

Your banned...:lol:

 

[OctaneZ28]

Yeah, the FWD GM-80 program back in the early 90s.
(I think that's what it was called.)
Gah, I'm glad they killed that one.

 

[Jak]

Ewwwwww, a FWD Camaro??? :bat:

 

[PUREAUDIO]

thanks God for lower and middle management

 

[brandonppr]

I came across these today. not the ones I was looking for and I don't know who made them, but they are contiuation of the 4th gen to 5th gen. I hate them

here is the arcticle from MT: http://www.motortrend.com/future/spied_vehicles/112_0109_chevrolet_camaro/

 

[brandonppr]

here are a couple more:

http://www.marshu.com/collection-pictures-cars-chevrolet-chevy-concepts-camaro-concept.php

 

[brandonppr]

and another:

 

[Chuggernaut]

It's good to see they took a break and started with a clean slate... :lol:

 

[OctaneZ28]

Yeah, barf at all those drawings, nasty stuff.

I'm glad we got what we got!