mbm88

i like the idea of the top model being extremely performance oriented... like only m6 hardtop... no vert options. either way, i hope they do the top of the line one right, and dont water it down.

warpwr

I'm sitting here looking at the brochure from my new 1973 Camaro.

Chevy offered a Camaro Sport Coupe, an LT (Luxury Touring), a Rally Sport and the Z28.

Five engines.
Turbo Thrift 250 six.
Turbo-Fire 307 V8
Turbo-Fire 350-2 V8 (145HP)
Turbo-Fire 350-4 V8 (175HP)
Turbo-Fire Special 350-4 V8 (Z28 only) (245HP).

No where to be found were two S's slapped together.

I vote Z28 even though I have an SS now. Only one car ever wore Z28 on it. If I tell people I own an SS it could be almost anything.

If I tell them I own a Z28, they know exactly what I'm talkin' about.

68 RS/SS Ragtop

Good point, but I always tell everyone that asks, "I own a 68 RS/SS Camaro Convertible". I never get tired of saying it, I never feel it is too long, and I never feel like I waste my breath. Calling it Z28 so you don't have to conjure up the energy to say "Camaro SS", you might as well be arguing to call it a "camaro".

warpwr

Yeah. Bone-camaro.

In '73 you could not call it a Camaro SS.
Well maybe you could but they didn't make one.

Grave

iTrader: (4)

As long as it's not called a "camaro", I don't care what its called. Although ZL-1 does have a nice ring to it.

9sec Saleen

The reason they did'nt make a SS in '73 was because chevy did'nt make a camaro worthy of the SS name at the time. I've read that GM dropped the SS in all its cars back then because it did'nt want the SS name to get watered down with low performance cars.
They do use the SS name on which seems like all models nowadays but if you think about it. The SS is the top of the line of that model.
In the camaros first generation which the concept resembles the SS was the top dog of the regular production camaros with the L-78 396cid 375hp with the L89 aluminum heads that was optional but the only engine in the Z-28 was a 290hp 302. The only reason the Z28 was ever made was to get the package legal for the trans am series which made it a great handling car at the time but not a street brawler that could compete with the Hemi's ,428CJ's,440 6 pack cars of the era. To compete with them in a camaro you needed a SS L-78 396.
After '72 perfromance started to decrease big time in ALL musclecars.And you started to see alot of musclecars fade away,'Cuda,challenger,GTX,chevelle,GTO, and others were all gone by the mid 70's.Besides the '73-'74 SD T/A's there was'nt a fast car made from '73 through the rest of the seventies. Even mid to late seventies Vettes had 350's that made 175-185hp which was the fastest cars made then which is SAD.
If I was running the show. This is how I'd do it.

Camaro - base, V6
Z-28 - 5.3 LS4 with hp upped to 350,6 speed only,IRS and a killer brake package
SS- 6.0 LS2,With hp upped to the 425hp range with a live rear and standard brakes
Then, if there is a need for a special model.
ZL-1 -LS7 engine, 6 speed only and a killer brake package

And if they decide to use hideaway headlights make that the RS option like the first gens and make it available on all models.

Jeremiah

iTrader: (5)

The SS has allways been the top dog in performance since the Camaros introduction. I hear a lot of people talking about how the early Z/28 was a stripped down race car. Not exactly, there were a few things that you couldnt get on the Z/28 like A.C. or an automatic but other than that anything could have been ordered.The 375 Hp 396 followed the same guide lines as the Z/28, manditory four speed, no A.C., deep groove pulleys ect.
They were basicly a big block version of the Z/28 with quarter miles times and all out power that would destroy a Z/28 regurdless of options. the 375 Hp SS ran average quarter times in the 12.80s, the 290 Hp Z/28 ran average times in the 14.70 range. I have owned three 69 Z/28's, one of them was a 34,000 original mile car with the off road cam, 410 gears and the very rare headers. I know how they run and its nothing like the fire breathing monsters most have been brain washed into believing.

If the 09 Camaro is going to be retro then it only makes sense to have the SS as the big dog on the option list.

Hydramatic

Don't know if any of ya'll remember, but the SS was replaced with the S3 nameplate for a time...just thought I'd let you guys know.

LT1wannabe

iTrader: (2)

Not enough hugs at home?

Getting on topic, the SS badge has been tarnished. I would say use it ONLY if they lifted the badge off all the undeserving cars. Since they won't do that, I say go with Z/28. As for the people who disagree with limited production....limited production is a good thing. Nobody wants a car that everybody else has. When I was 16, almost nobody else around town had a bird. The main reason I didn't want a Mustang (other than they're built horribly) was because everybody else had one, and I'm not a bandwagon kind of guy. So, I went for the bird and couldn't be happier. I'd love to see my f-body brothers have justice done with the badging. IMO, the ONLY badge a Camaro should share with a Cobalt is the manufacturer's badge.

LT1wannabe

iTrader: (2)

The Camaro needs 450/425 on their high end to compete with Japan these days.

Rescue Ranger

iTrader: (10)

so true.. and a lot of people still think the vette has a WAYYYY different engine than the camaro

Hydramatic

Aka the guys who were there the day Rochester fuel injection was a Corvette exclusive...

The fact is, the Corvette is like the Camaro's older brother. The eldest gets all the new toys and then passes them to the Camaro when he gets bored with em...very rarely does the younger brother F-body get it's own "toy" before the Vette....

spoiled bastard...lol

9sec Saleen

Funny you should say that. The mustang guys around here say the would buy a 4 gen f body but the feel that F-bodies are built horribly.
I've owned 8 mustangs and 2 4th gen T/A's and currently have 1 of each. The build quality seems about the same which I would rate average. They both have a few issues but nothing major. Never had any problems with either engines though.
I'll be in the market for another car this fall. I can't make up my mind if i want another Fox body Saleen or a '01-'02 Camaro SS to park next to my T/A.
Decisions,decisions.

NHRAMAN

iTrader: (1)

ABSOLUTELY.

Jay Vicious

SS is fine with me

NW00SS

iTrader: (1)

GM made the SS a hotdog in a hallway (if you get what I mean ) by slapping it on all their vehicles. Don't get me wrong, it might be the performance version of that vehicle, but most of them don't deserve the SS hertiage it use to stand for. If this question would have been asked a few years ago, I think the outcome would have been vastly different if GM wouldn't have killed the F-body Maybe they'll realize that sticking the SS badge on doesn't make it the best when it doesn't have the options to go along with it.....

ZR1 DREAMING

iTrader: (27)

Options like what? Clarify your dissapproval

GM slapped the SS on the TBSS and it has pretty much everything I'd put in a TB. 4.10s, coilovers, big brakes, leather, moon roof, 20s, and oh yeah an LS2. GM also slapped the SS on the Silverado, it's no Lightning killer stock but is a great start; iron 6L, 4.10s f&r, etc. options were plentiful. Now it's on the Cobalt (something I'd never buy ) supercharged yet gets decent mileage too.

So weather your talking performance options or creature comforts what is it that you'd like to see? Without raising the cost of the vehicle to a rediculous amount of course.

Don't get me wrong now, I'm not saying every GM prduct is gold Even the C6 Z06 has the flaw of not have the fixed roof

gallardo259

Deep down inside, I think we all know that GM will have to use the SS badge for the top of the line Camaro. It's the basis of their whole marketing strategy. Just like the upcoming 'blue devil' Vette will most likely get the SS badge. If you were a regular guy going to buy a Trailblazer, and you saw that you could get an Trailblazer SS just like an Camaro SS or Corvette SS, would't you feel like you were being cool and sporty by going with the SS version? GM doesn't care what a few Camaro guys feel would do justice to the Camaros of old. IT'S ALL ABOUT MARKETING!!!

BTW, I voted for Z/28...

Tamatt27

iTrader: (4)

The LS4 is a FWD engine that's in the Impala and Monte Carlo SS. I think the L76, that's going in the G8 GT (362 HP, 391 TQ) would best 'smaller V8', with the LS3 in the SS. I don't see the 'super Camaro' getting an LS7, unless the new GTO gets a Judge variant.
BTW, the SS is being watered down, as the '08 HHR will have an turbocharged SS variant.

ls1owner4life

iTrader: (17)

Z28 top of the line? hahaha yea right. Maybe if you cant afford and an SS