According to Friends of the National Automotive History Collection, out of all the 2010 model cars and trucks on our roads today, the one most likely to draw collector interest 25 years from now is (drum roll please) the Chevrolet Camaro.

Charles Hyde, chairman of the NAHC Board of Trustees, stated that the NAHC collectible vehicle of the future award “is unique among all the ‘Vehicle of the Year’ awards, because it is selected by ‘car buffs’ who know what future collectors will value. We asked our members to predict which of this year’s new vehicles will turn heads in the Woodward Cruise of 2035.”

And according to said members, which arrived at their decision from analyzing 13 all or significantly new vehicles for the 2010 model year, the Camaro received top honors. It probably isn’t surprising. The current Camaro has been one of the most hyped cars in recent memory, with a long gestation period and high media profile, starring in numerous movies and TV shows. It also delivers a great blend of acceleration, handling, braking, customizing potential and cool factor for a reasonable price, ingredients that many experts say bode well for future collectibility.

But getting back to the NAHC awards, what is interesting is that past winners, even those cars built within the last 15 years, are already starting to draw collector interest. Those include the 1995 Buick Riviera and Oldsmobile Aurora, 2004 Chrysler 300, the 2005 Ford Mustang and 2008 Dodge Challenger.

It will also be interesting to see, that come 2035, the amount of current generation Camaros will still be on the road in relation to ’69 models, which still rank as one of the most popular enthusiast cars of all time.

[Source: Carscoop]

The Chevrolet Camaro won the World Car Design of the Year award at the New York Auto Show, beating the other two finalists, the Kia Soul and the Citroen C3 Picasso.

The finalists were chosen by an international panel of five design experts and a jury of 59 automotive journalists selected the Camaro above the others.

The award ceremony avoided a potentially embarrassing situation which would have occurred had the Citroen C3 Picasso won. Unlike the other finalists in any of the four awards handed out, the Citroen was not present at the Javits Center. Apparently, it was being held up in customs.

Gallery: Chevrolet Camaro

The month of November marks six consecutive months that the Chevrolet Camaro has outsold the Ford Mustang, but the Camaro’s sales success reaches beyond the realm of sports cars. In fact, the Camaro seems to be gaining a lot of fans among mainstream buyers as the muscle car’s numbers surpass those of entire automakers and even push past some of GM’s popular products.

In November, Chevy sold 6,827 Camaros, bringing the cars sales tally to 54,100 units. In comparison, Ford managed to sell just 3,627 Mustangs and Dodge moved just 2,040 Challengers. Chevy is even making big profits on the car as roughly two-thirds of all Camaros sold are the pricier V8-powered SS models, which Chevy says cost about the same to produce as their V6 brethren.

What comes as a shock is that in the month of November, Chevy sold more Camaros than Cobalts - a vehicle that should be one of the brand’s highest volume models, but moved just 5,112 units.

More impressive yet is that in November Camaro sales topped the entire lineup of vehicles sold from companies like Audi, Mitsubishi, Lincoln, Volvo, Porsche, Smart, as well as those from GM rejects Hummer, Saab and Saturn.

The data seems to suggest that the car has plenty of mainstream appeal, although there are some worries at GM that the ride is already over. The impressive sale of 6,827 units in November is down 17 percent from the 8,082 Camaros sold in October. Winter weather is also likely to be a big factor in reducing sales of the RWD sports car.

[Source: GoodCarBadCar and CamaroBlog and GM]

Ford has had it easy in the Pony car segment ever since 2002 when Chevrolet stopped selling the Camaro, but the iconic Chevy is back and making its presence felt. For the fist time since 1993 the Camaro out-sold the Mustang for a whole month.

The numbers weren’t even close as the new Camaro sold 9,320 units compared to the Mustang’s 7,362 units.

Chevy is actually having a tough time keeping up with demand for its new Pony Car and the Oshawa, Canada facility where the Camaro is built is running extra shifts and delaying workers’ holidays in order to keep up with demand.

The new Camaro is also one of the few silver linings to GM’s otherwise gray cloud as the automaker is currently in chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization and has suffered drastic sales decreases over last year.

Mark LaNeve, GM’s VP of vehicle sales said that the Camaro was selling at double the expected volume and that the automaker currently only has a 6 day supply of vehicles, compared to an industry average of 67 days. Demand is so high that some customers are actually paying over the suggested retail price, something unheard of for a GM product.

While the Camaro is in the lead for the month off June, the Mustang is still ahead overall, but it could be a tight race come December. The last time the Camaro came out on top for a year was back in 1985.

[Source: Automotive News]

Chevrolet has just released boat-loads of information on the new 2010 Camaro, but one of the most surprising revelations is that the base-model V6 sportscar will get 29 mpg on the highway.

As for city driving, the V6-powered LS and LT models will get 18 mpg with the automatic transmission and 17 mpg with the manual transmission. Also impressive is the fact that both the 6.2-liter V8 engines that come in the SS (the L99 making 400 hp and 410 ft-lbs of torque and the LS3 making 426hp and  420 ft-lbs of torque) get a rating of 16/25 mpg with the auto. and 16/24 mpg with the manual.

This is important because it means no Camaro offered is subject tot he federal gas guzzler tax.

All this fuel economy might sound great you’re saying to yourself, but what about the power. The good news is that the LS and LT models not only get great mileage but they make 304hp at 5900 rpm and 273 ft-lbs of torque at 5200 rpm. The engine is a cast aluminum 3.6-liter V6 with direct injection and even with a compression ratio of 11.3:1 it uses regular pump gas.

GALLERY: 2010 Chevrolet Camaro

More on the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro after the jump:

2010 CHEVY CAMARO’S PERFORMANCE BLENDS HORSEPOWER WITH EFFICIENCY

DETROIT – When it comes to performance, the 2010 Camaro delivers in unexpected ways. An advanced 3.6L direct-injected V-6 with variable valve timing is standard on LS and LT models. It offers power and efficiency, with 304 horsepower (227 kW) and EPA-rated 29 mpg in highway driving.

The performance-oriented Camaro SS offers a pair of 6.2L V-8s, including one with Active Fuel Management that helps improve fuel economy by shutting down four cylinders during certain light-load driving conditions. That model delivers 25 mpg in EPA-rated highway fuel economy.

Indeed, the surprising fuel economy of the new Camaro enhances the driving experience. LS and LT models are EPA-rated at 18 mpg in the city and 29 on the highway with an automatic transmission; and 17 city and 29 highway with the manual transmission. Camaro SS with an automatic is rated at 16 city and 25 highway; and 16 city/24 highway with the manual transmission. Notably, none of Camaro’s models is subject to federal gas guzzler taxes.

For comparison, the more expensive 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8 offers comparable horsepower to the Camaro SS with the manual transmission – 425 (317 kW) vs. 426 (318 kW) – and is EPA-rated at 14 city and 22 highway. When automatic-equipped models are compared, the Camaro wins again, with the Challenger SRT8 rated at 13 city and 19 highway.

All of Camaro’s engines channel their power to a responsive chassis that features independent front and rear suspensions, large, four-wheel-disc brake systems with standard ABS and GM’s StabiliTrak electronic stability control system.

3.6L direct injection V-6

Camaro’s 3.6L direct injection (DI) V-6 delivers more power through increased efficiency, while maintaining fuel economy and lowering emissions – including a 25-percent drop in cold-start hydrocarbon emissions. Direct injection optimizes fuel delivery to the combustion chamber by introducing fuel closer to the combustion chamber. The fuel injectors are located beneath the intake ports and fuel is injected directly into the cylinder. The result is better efficiency in the combustion process leading to increased fuel efficiency at part and full throttle.

The 3.6L DI engine produces 304 horsepower (227 kW) at 5,900 rpm and 273 lb.-ft. of torque (370 Nm) at 5,200 rpm. Its 60-degree cylinder block and cylinder heads are cast aluminum to help reduce mass. A forged steel crankshaft provides optimal strength in the bottom end. The cylinder heads include four valves per cylinder, with a dual overhead camshaft design incorporating infinitely variable cam phasing.

A full dual exhaust system, with dual catalytic converters, helps reduce back pressure for optimum power. It also helps the engine reach operating temperature quicker to help burn off cold-start emissions. And despite a compression ratio of 11.3:1, the 3.6L DI engine is designed to run on regular gas.

Camaro SS’s 6.2L powertrains

Two 6.2L V-8 engines are offered in the Camaro SS, including the new L99 on automatic-equipped vehicles and the LS3 on manual-equipped models. Both engines are derived from the LS3 that debuted on the 2008 Corvette.

The 90-degree V-8 includes an aluminum block (with cast iron cylinder liners) and aluminum cylinder heads. The bottom end of the engine includes a new structural cast aluminum oil pan, with an oil capacity of 8.9 quarts (8.5 liters), while the two-valve cylinder head design is based on race-proven airflow dynamics. The intake valves measure 2.16 inches (55 mm) and exhaust valves are 1.60 inches (40.5 mm) in diameter.

The 6.2L engines also use a roller lifter-style camshaft with 5-percent greater intake-side valve lift than the Corvette’s LS3. It manages airflow that is channeled through an acoustically tuned intake manifold with a composite design that reduces runner-to-runner variation. The throttle bore diameter is 90 mm.

Horsepower for the L99 is 400 (298 kW) at 5,900 rpm and torque is 410 lb.-ft. (556 Nm) at 4,300 rpm. The LS3 develops 426 horsepower (318 kW) at 5,900 rpm and 420 lb.-ft. (569 Nm) at 4,600 rpm (all numbers are SAE certified). Output on the L99 is lower than the LS3 because of a slighter lower compression ratio (10.4:1 vs. 10.7:1) and design features of the Active Fuel Management System. The L99 is paired exclusively with an automatic transmission.

As with the 3.6L models, the SS models employ a full dual exhaust system, with two catalytic converters to reduce back pressure.

Transmissions

All Camaro models can be equipped with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. The availability of a six-speed automatic transmission is a first for Camaro.

Standard with the 3.6L engine is the Aisin AY6 six-speed manual. It features lower shift effort and shorter throws for easier shifting and “fun-to-drive” characteristics. A hydraulic clutch and self-adjusting mechanism eliminates the need for adjustments throughout the lifespan of the transmission.

The Hydra-Matic 6L50 six-speed automatic is optional with 3.6L-equipped models. It has an aggressive 4.07:1 first gear ratio that delivers strong launches, but also provides tall overdrive ratios that decrease engine rpm and provide better fuel efficiency. The 6L50 also includes driver shift control, with the driver taking control via paddle shifts located on the steering wheel after selecting the “M” mode on the console-mounted shifter.

Performance Algorithm Shifting (PAS) is included with the 6L50. It lets the electronic transmission controller override the automatic gear selection during high lateral acceleration maneuvers.

On SS models, the new Tremec TR 6060 six-speed manual is paired with the LS3. It is designed to handle the high torque characteristics of the engine, while providing shorter throws, smoother gear synchronization and greater overall shift feel with little or no vibration. Its specs include a solid 290 mm flywheel and single-plate clutch. The final drive ratio for LS3 vehicles is 3.45:1.

The highest-capacity automatic ever in a GM passenger car, the Hydra-Matic 6L80 six-speed automatic, is matched with the L99 engine. Like the 6L50 transmission, it features driver shift control and PAS. The final drive ratio on all automatic-equipped Camaro models is 3.27:1.