jmurray87

iTrader: (1)

April fools joke, or is it?


This scoop spy pic of a short Camaro testing at GM Holden’s Lang Lang facility outside of Melbourne broke on overseas auto blogs and sites this weekend and now we have the scoop story from an unnamed insider to go with it broken by the LEHMANN organization 30 March 2008.

Known internally as the Camaro Monza this is the Turbo Ecotec 4 cylinder powered Camaro referenced recently by Bob Lutz. To follow the Camaro V6 and V8 launch by 18 months the Camaro Monza comes in two packages. The base 260hp Turbo Ecotec and the Camaro Monza GT, which has a strengthened version of the same engine that incorporates timed over-boost and recovery electronic programming. This allows 310hp over-boost for up to half a minute before detuning back to 260hp and a seven minute recovery period after which the over-boost can be used again.

The recovery time is proportional, so if only 15 seconds of over boost were used or only half the extra powered were used for the 30 seconds then only 3.5 minutes recovery would be needed. The recovery time is needed to dissipate the high and potentially damaging thermal loads produced by the over-boost, which also explains the test vehicle having extra engine compartment venting behind the front wheels.

But the real news comes concerning weight. The parts bin has been raided from Volt to Alpha to Zeta Cadillac’s. Things like lightweight windscreen wipers to mp3 sound systems with only in-headrest small speakers. And the modularity of Zeta has allowed the attachment of a lighter rear end designed originally as an entry-level live rear axle for the Alpha platform. But this is not your father’s live axle F-body set-up.

According to the source the axle case is alloy and has novel in-board brakes either side of the differential and uses plastic leaf spring technology, as developed for Corvette, giving low unsprung weight at the smaller very lightweight wheels and tires. It is claimed this makes it as responsive as IRS over rough roads, yet it tracks straighter from launch over the quarter mile.

Even more hi-tech plastic is used with the rear frameless hatch being scratch resistant acrylic with a thin outer glass laminate and a body color plastic tailpiece. And the large doors are also made of body color impregnated plastic, with the side quarter windows also acrylic. But such use of color plastic body parts limits colors to solids, meaning no metallic colors for the Camaro Monza, at least not with the current technology. At the front some alloy Zeta suspension components developed for Cadillac have also been incorporated (Note: some sport models of the V8 Camaro may also use these light doors and suspension components).

The good news of all this is that the base Camaro Monza comes in under 3400 lb and the GT, which among a few other things ditches the rear seat for a flat load area and uses racing style seats, comes in under 3,300 lb. This gives the base Camaro Monza a decent 13 pounds weight per hp and the GT under 11 pounds per hp, which betters the Pontiac Solstice GXP Roadster.

Apparently Bob Lutz was so upset by CAFÉ that he launched the program immediately to raid this future tech from other programs just to show that GM can still make compliant performance vehicles even with one hand tied behind their back by federal regulators. We look forward to driving these explosive turbo fours.

http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/f...-caught-62669/

BalzOnYer4Head

Thats a bad chop. And clearly April Fools joke

OctaneZ28

iTrader: (6)

Over-boost
In-board Brakes
Plastic leaf springs

nssane

iTrader: (8)

two seat camaro with a flat loading area? right.

WECIV

I love the idea. Hell, if the price and fuel economy were right it would be a fun ride.

W

WECIV

Oh, I love the shorter rear and would like that in an LS3 M@ro!!!

W

udlose99ta

iTrader: (18)

lol over-boost

Semper91-RS

I can't tell if it's an April fools joke, or GM being poorly worded with their source.

WhosNXT

To bad you have to have a 7 minute recovery period after you go into overboost...that sucks...lol

Definitely a April fools gig!

WECIV

Obviously the 310HP is an april fools...but the 260HP idea sounds really fun...maybe a 1LE type thing.

W

Z Fury

iTrader: (1)

Sounds like a ricer excuse, doesn't it? "My over-boost hadn't recovered yet. We'll run 'em again once it recovers and it'll be a different result."

Mystic 98 TA

iTrader: (4)

Maybe April fools, but maybe its so seemingly ridiculous and far out there that if/when it comes out, we'll all be surprised. Looks like time will tell.

JD_AMG

I'll believe it when I see it.
I doubt a Corvette-like leaf setup will fit on the Zeta's IRS, its designed for coils and will most likely screw up the geometry.
Also I doubt they will a "track oriented" 4 cylinder version of the Camaro. The Ecotec + intercooler and turbo will be heavier than a LSx V8.

Kevano26

the camaro will never house a 4 banger.

SS#1531

iTrader: (4)

It has before, early 3rd gens were available with them. They had a whopping 92hp! I wouldn't be surprised if a 4 banger was available again someday. Especially with the new CAFE standards coming. A new 4 cyl would probably come with a turbo though.

WECIV

260hp ecotech would be a good base engine on the M@ro.

W

PowershifterNC

Listen to yourselves...4cyl in a Camaro what is this site coming to?

eddielb

my feelings exactly

Hydramatic

Apparantly only a handful of you have even driven a RWD turbo four before, or for that matter ever thought about the advantages entitled to such a car.

V6's are ******* boring as hell, I'm sorry! Why buy a comprimise motor? To hell with that!

V8's are awesome(I own a screamer...) We all know this. I think too little thought is put into the smaller engined-models by people like you. Just because it is a base model does not mean it can't at least be interesting and a little bit quirky...

Heaven forbid Chevrolet become known for putting turbocharged engines in their base models, regardless of how much power they actually put out...

...but that would be breaking the coveted(read:ignorant) 4th-gen design mold and by god that isn't acceptable around here...

Kevano26

see also: Cobalt SS

I know its not RWD, but that is a more fitting platform for a turbo 4.
-Also see
-Pontiac soltice
-Saturn Sky

while the turbo is not the base model, they are RWD models available from GM, why should they have a turbo 4 in a car that is larger then the aformentioned models? wouldn't that be competing sales, in which most people argue why they shouldn't bring back the firebird? I see no need to put a 4 cylinder engine in the camaro. again I say, it won't happen.

p.s. this was not meant to confront the person in who I quoted, just a small rant I've been meaning to post.