The new Chevy Camaro ZL1 is full of surprises. GM is now promoting its newly-improved TapShift technology that the American automaker is claiming “performance car enthusiasts will experience the hands-on driving satisfaction of a ‘stick’ with the ease of an automatic transmission.”

“The faster you can get to the next gear, the better, and from the sound of it, the ZL1 automatic’s performance is going to make paddle shifting more exhilarating and satisfying for drivers of all skill sets,” said Eric Fedewa , director of Global Powertrain Forecasting at IHS Automotive. “We’re seeing a trend toward more manual-mode-capable, fun-to-drive automatic transmissions across all vehicle segments, and GM’s technology is leading the pack.”

Chevy is claiming that the 2012 ZL1 six-speed automatic can deliver a 0-60 time of 3.9 seconds, which is a tenth of a second faster than the manual transmission-equipped ZL1. For 2012, GM powertrain engineers have implemented a patent-pending software algorithm that improves “tap response time by 60-percent compared to the previous system.”

The new ZL1 Coupe will go on sale in spring as a 2012 model with the Convertible following in the summer as a 2013 model. Chevrolet is expecting that half of the ZL1 vehicles sold will be with an automatic transmission.

GALLERY: Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

A classic American icon, the Chevrolet Camaro, is going on sale in England and will be showing up the dealer showrooms in late spring.

The British Camaro will be pack only one engine option, the 6.2-litre V8 that makes 426 hp when outfitted with the manual transmission and 399 hp with the automatic. The manual coupe will make the 0-62 mph sprint in 5.2 seconds while the automatic will do it in 5.6 seconds.

The coupe will be sold for £34,995 (USD $55,016) and the more expensive convertible option will go for £39,995 (USD $62,877). The 45th Anniversary Edition Camaro will also go on sale for a limited time, offering British customers a highly stylized version of the car complete with racing stripes, 20-inch alloy wheels and a leather interior finished with red, white and blue stitching. The special edition coupe will sell for £36,495 (US $57,375), and the convertible will go for £41,495 (US $65,235).

In case you were wondering, the 6.2-liter Camaro gets a starting MSRP of $32,830 in the U.S. Though the added cost is probably due in large part to shipping costs, it’s hard to imagine Brits buying the Chevrolet legend at anywhere near the rates they’ve sold stateside, even if you exclude the V6 version.

All models will come with a six speed manual gearbox as standard equipment, and offer the upgrade to an automatic for £1,500 (USD $2,358). Interested parties may place orders at select dealerships as soon as they like.

Rick Hendrick, owner of four NASCAR teams under Hendrick Motorsports, picked up the first Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in person at GM’s Oshawa Assembly Plant yesterday as production of the 580-hp, 556 lb-ft of torque American sports car kicked off.

Hendrick is clearly a die-hard Camaro enthusiast, having purchased the first 2010 Camaro Coupe, the first 2011 Camaro Convertible and now the first Camaro ZL1 available for public sale all through Barrett-Jackson auctions. Even better, all three of his purchases had all proceeds benefiting local charities.

The first ZL1 to ever leave the production line features a black exterior with the optional Exposed Carbon Fiber Weaved Hood Insert and power Sunroof. The interior was packed with black leather with suede microfiber inserts on the seat and dash and also on the steering wheel and shift knob.

“Through a disciplined approach and a relentless focus on execution, the Oshawa team has worked efficiently to ensure a successful, high-quality launch of the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1,” stated Dan Hermer, plant manager at the Oshawa Assembly Plant.

The Chevy Camaro ZL1 starts at $58,000.

GALLERY: Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Who says you can’t have your cake and eat it too? This custom classic Chevy Camaro combines vintage good looks with cutting-edge technology, allowing it to accelerate, turn and stop better than the majority of cars on the road today.

This frame-up built Camaro Pro Touring features an LS3 V8 powerplant under the hood and could be yours for the price of $129,900. It only sports 409-miles on the odometer, and its House of Kolor Galaxy Gray exterior is subtle yet classy.

The car originated from Pennsylvania, but was shipped over to The Installation Center out in Cleveland, Georgia where it began its impressive rebuild process. The majority of panels were replaced with high-quality restoration pieces before the vehicle made its way to Classic Cars Southeast in Lebanon, Tennessee where the body was fine-tuned to showroom fit and finish. The Galaxy Gray was then meticulously sprayed onto the vehicle while a set of House of Kolor Laser Red stripes contrasts the otherwise subtle exterior.

Under the hood however is a pristine 480-hp GM Performance Parts LS376/480 Hot Cam V8 powerplant. Cooling on the V8 has been upgraded with a Griffin polished aluminum radiator, an electric fan and fresh new hoses. Ceramic long-tube headers and a true  dual stainless steel exhaust system expels out all the fumes.

The suspension on this retro resale has been overhauled with products from Hotchkis, Chris Alston’s Chassisworks, and Varishock while the brakes are courtesy of G-street. On each of the four corners are 17-inch Foose Nitrous Chrome Legend wheels sporting Fuzion ZR1 rubber. The interior is traditional ’68 Camaro but has received some custom accents from M&M Hot Rod Interiors and Marquez Design. There is even some good ‘ol Kenwood speakers with Alpine amplifiers to give the Camaro a more sonorous cabin when you’re not enjoying the tone of the exhaust.

GALLERY: 1968 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible

[Source: RK Motors]

GM has announced “Chevy Happy Grad” as the winner of their Route 66 Super Bowl Ad contest, created by 26-year old Zach Borst of Long Island. The winning ad will be aired during Super Bowl XLVI and had already received over 32-million views between December 22 and January 14.

The best part about this ad is how easy it is to relate to it, considering we’ve all probably received gifts we never wanted, or mistakenly thought a certain gift was ours. The ad was filmed on location out in Long Island near Borst’s home and beat out 400 submitted scripts and 198 films from 32 different countries.

“We asked filmmakers to depict life’s journey and how Chevrolet is there along the way,” said General Motors Global Chief Marketing Officer Joel Ewanick. “When I saw Zach’s spot, I had to laugh, because the situation is something many families can relate to – expectation and reality. ‘Happy Grad’ clearly shows the passion that Chevrolet elicits.”

Borst has been producing films since his childhood and has founded Goat Farm Films, his own production company based out of New York.

Check out the winning ad after the break.

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Sure, it was pretty comical to watch Adolf Hitler get upset over the announcement of Shelby’s GT500 trumping Chevy‘s Camaro ZL1 on paper, but now things have gotten pretty serious with Camaro Chief Engineer Al Oppenheiser predicting that the ZL1 will be quicker to 60-mph than the GT500 and even calls out the GT500′s Nurburgring time.

“We’ve done simulations. We predict that the ZL1 will be quicker to 60 than the [2013] GT500… We ran the Nürburgring and released a time. Ford took the GT500, too, and never released a time. I guess you can draw your own conclusions,” Oppenheiser said openly at an Arizona drive event for the Camaro ZL1.

Now on paper and for those that believe numbers never lie, the Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 with 650-hp and 600 lb-ft of torque in a 3,850-lb body should easily outpace the Camaro ZL1′s 580-hp and 556 lb-ft of torque in a heavier 4,120-lb body. But Oppenheiser has no doubt that the ZL1 would be quicker around Nurburgring than the GT500.

It’s a bold claim surely, but it could be warranted given that the GT500 still features a solid rear-axle while the ZL1 sports all-independent suspension with third-generation Magnetic Ride shocks and a high-tech traction control system borrowed from the Corvette ZR1.

Hopefully it’ll get settled one day, ZL1 versus GT500 on a real track with the same driver. Until then, it’ll remain a war of the words.

GALLERY: Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

[Source: Autoblog]

YACO Racing’s collaboration with Sareni United and Reiter Engineering has come to fruition. We kept our eyes on Sareni United after we previously saw a preview of their new Chevy Camaro GT3 race car, and it appears that the final product is ready for public consumption.

Sareni United, founded and owned by Hans Reiter of Reiter Engineering, got the inspiration for a GT3 Camaro race car when he went to America in 2010. Armed with a team of a dozen people, the new car was developed within one year and the FIA approved the start of the homologation in October of 2010.

Powered by a 7.9L V8 with a newly developed Holinger gear box, with 650-hp and 590 lb-ft of torque. Prototype testing was promising, with the Camaro running similar lap times as Lamborghini‘s Gallardo but the team continued to fine tune the vehicle.

YACO will be campaigning a pair of these race cars at the ADAC GT Masters races and may compete in the GT3 European Championship.

Pricing isn’t cheap, with the Camaro priced at over $250,000 (€195,000) based on today’s conversion rates.

GALLERY: Sareni United Camaro GT

[Source: Sareni United via AutoBlog]

Kelley Blue Book has announced the winners of their 2012 Best Resale Value Awards with Toyota being the best resale value brand and their luxury counterpart, Lexus, topping best resale value luxury brand.

Coming out on top of the list of this year’s top 10 best resale value vehicles however is (In order from first to last): Audi‘s Q7, Chevy‘s Camaro, Honda‘s CR-V, Hyundai‘s Tucson, Infiniti‘s FX, Jeep‘s Wrangler, Lexus’s RX, Nissan‘s Frontier, Toyota’s FJ Cruiser and their Tacoma.

Resale value is always important to those spenders hoping to get the best bang for their buck for their vehicle down the road. But oftentimes these are just estimates and market changes should be taken into consideration as that can impact resale value of vehicles.

[Source: Kelley Blue Book]

Hertz has expanded its Prestige and Adrenaline Collections, now offering the Cadillac CTS, Chevy Camaro SS Convertible and Corvette Convertible for rental in 2012.

In their desire to offer their customers a greater variety of exciting cars that they can rent, Hertz’s Adrenaline Collection will now feature the 6.2L V8 powered Camaro SS and Corvette convertibles. The Camaro SS comes packing 400-hp and a six-speed automatic transmission while the Vette has 430-hp and a six-speed manual. The Adrenaline Collection is available in California, Nevada, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Florida, New York and New Jersey.

The Prestige Collection now adds Cadillac’s CTS to its lineup, featuring a 3.6L V6 with 318-hp, NeverLost GPS, satellite radio and Bluetooth capability. Hertz’s Prestige Collection is available in Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Colorado, Arizona, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Texas, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

We could only imagine what Chevrolet was thinking about the Camaro ZL1 when the specs for the much more powerful Ford GT500 were released. Of course, Chevrolet took the high road of taking credit for inspiring the GT500′s power, but on the Internet, Ford vs. Chevrolet fanatics raged war as each came to the defense of their brand.

And then there’s this video. Quite possibly one of the top 10 best things on YouTube. Some very talented and clearly comedic individual took a clip out of the 2004 film Downfall, laid some cleverly written subtitles on it and Hitler suddenly does a fantastic job playing Chevrolet.

You see, Hitler’s all excited about debuting the Camaro ZL1 at the Los Angeles Auto Show, thinking it’s done a fine job besting the 550-hp GT500. Oh wait, the GT500 has 650-hp? Uh oh. Hilarity ensues and the references to Internet culture are abundant from thread size references to mocking Michael Bay and his Transformers movies. And of course you can’t end any video making fun of Chevrolet without jabbing the Volt.

Watch the hilarious video after the break – warning for subtitle language.

[Source: The Smoking Tire]

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