With the 6th-generation Camaro right around the corner, there has been speculation both good and bad from the enthusiast forums in regards to how the final product will actually turn out. One thing that isn’t official, but widely regarded, is that Camaro-6 will ride on some variant of the ATS/CTS Alpha platform. Being some two hundred pounds lighter than the current car’s Zeta architecture, it only makes sense that the weight difference will translate into a lighter Camaro for 2016.
Something else we can expect; a more powerful entry-level V8 version. If the bread and butter sixth-generation Camaro V8 car will remain under the “SS” trim level, you can expect the L99/LS3 to be replaced by the Gen-V LT1. Inevitably, more powerful, higher-priced examples are guaranteed to follow as the years progress. Lighter weight and more power can only mean a leaner, meaner, and an overall more fun to drive Camaro than the current car.
In a recent interview with Motor Trend, Mark Reuss reveals, “Every car and truck we’re putting out here, I think, is an example of how good our engineers really are… The next-gen Camaro… is not going to be heavier. There is some physics here. Look at what some of the competition did on their next-gen [Mustang] — it’s heavier; it doesn’t quite perform as well as the last one. I can tell you that.”
He continued, “If you think about Z/28 and ZL1, SS — think about the satisfaction that a ZL1 offers you today off of current Zeta. Think about that satisfaction moved down from an accessibility and model-range standpoint. Think about that. If you like the ZL1 today, you’re going to love the SS tomorrow. Think about that from a philosophical standpoint.”
This just weeks after the current Camaro (SS) 1LE outpaced its Ford counterpart, the Mustang GT Performance Pack, around a road course in Southern California. If that’s not firing a shot at Ford, while displaying complete confidence in the upcoming Camaro, we don’t know what is.
Rick Seitz is the owner and founder of GMEFI Magazine, and has a true love and passion for all vehicles. When he isn’t tuning, testing, or competing with the brand’s current crop of project vehicles, he’s busy tinkering and planning the next modifications for his own cars.
