camaro concept picture from Salon Internationnal de Montréal le 26 Janvier 2007

concept camaro

Chevrolet Camaro Concept 2009

So there are a lot of recognizable elements in the Concept Camaro designlifted directly from the '67-'69 Camaro . But the whole car is much sharper edged than the original; the designhas facets much like Cadillac's current sedans. That results in a carthat looks more aggressive than any factory '69 Camaro . "The overallproportions, long hood, and powerful fender forms say this is afront-engined, rear-wheel-drive performance vehicle," says Tom Peters,GM's design director, rear-wheel-drive performance cars.

"Millions of people of all ages fell in love with the Camaro for all theright reasons," says Ed Welburn, GM's vice president, global design,stating the incredibly obvious. " Camaro s were beautiful to look at andoffered performance that could rival expensive European GTs. Yet theywere practical enough to drive every day and priced within the reach ofmany new-car buyers." And if Chevy was going to reignite that loveaffair, it needed to come up with a car that honored the Camaro's heritage, made practical sense for most buyers, and had a look thatwould be attractive to potential buyers who were born in the '80s and'90s. The first thing the company did right was look to the first-gen Camaro for inspiration. "The fact that the Camaro has been out ofproduction for a number of years made it particularly important that the Camaro Concept honor the Camaro heritage in the right way," says BobBoniface, director of GM's Warren Advanced Design Studio.

The Concept Camaro is the best sign yet that GM realizes its mistake inkilling the F-car. However, unlike the Concept Challenger that's builtaround a known vehicle platform, the Concept Camaro is built around ahodge-podge conglomeration of parts from various GM lines. This isn't acar that's a slam-dunk for production like the Challenger is but there'sroom for optimism.

2009 Chevrolet Camaro Concept interior