By: Corey Mullane
The Camaro is an American Icon. It’s like apple pie and baseball, one of those staples of Americana that is timeless and classic. Timeless has a new name however, and it’s the Camaro Black. Starting off as a project from the GM Performance Division, Tom Peters, Director of Design for General Motors, sought out with a plan of creating a Camaro that had a sinister feel and brought its own level of personality to the Camaro game. Of course, character bleeds from the inside out, so this beast was fitted the brand new 304hp 3.6L Direct-Injected V6 with Variable Valve Timing. This motor brings the nostalgic Camaro into a brand new era of performance and gives tuners the ability to blast the rubber off the rear tires with ease.
“All of us at the Camaro team are really excited about the V6 Camaro and the possibilities it gives to guys that want to make this vehicle to be their own. We started this project with the intent to bring the power that the Camaro has under the hood to the surface and make the Camaro Black the meanest street fighting dog out there,” said Tom Peters, Director of Design for Camaro. “The V6 Camaro has all classic lines and rich heritage of performance that similar imports don’t have and is designed for Americans by Americans. The sinister street look we gave the Camaro Black is just one of the many personalities the V6 Camaro takes on with stride and all the accessories on the Camaro Black can be purchased from a Chevy dealer.”
Peters went to work with his team at GMPD on the exterior of the new Camaro first and attacked it with the methodology of building a Camaro that an enthusiast could reproduce and put their own personal touches on it. The first thing that was added was a GM Accessory ground effects package that adds some bark to the Camaro’s bite. This kit is a subtle yet aggressive styling option that will be available directly from GM Accessories. However, that’s not all the fun that is to be had on the outside, as a GM Accessories rear blade spoiler finishes the top of the rear deck lid off with some low-key fashion. To top it off, Peters and his team developed a piece that gives the Camaro a supercar feel, a rear diffuser panel. This performance accessory not only looks awesome but also will add some downforce to keep the rear tires planted firmly on the road. Connecting those tires to the road is done by an awesome set of 21-inch machined aluminum wheels from GM Accessories that help show what the Camaro Black is all about to any passerby.
The passion for performance that drips off of the Camaro’s exterior continues into the cockpit with special parts that can also be acquired from the GM Accessory catalog. Upon ingress, a set of black chrome GM Accessory door sill’s invite you into the cockpit of the Camaro Black. While sitting in the driver’s seat, the most noticeable modification is the red ambient lighting package that envelopes the driver in the Camaro experience and helps give any daily drive a kick of flavor. Silver accent stitching, color stitching is a factory option, is added to the leather-appointed seats which gives a nice bounce off the bold white-faced and chrome-trimmed gauges. In front of the shifter, an accessory gauge pack is found. This is one option that most oil-blooded Camaro drivers won’t be able to keep their eyes off of that allows hot-rodders of the 304hp V6 to keep an eye on oil pressure and temperature, volts and transmission fluid temperature. To top it off, the Camaro Black is fitted with a sporty set of GM Accessory pedals to help you put the power down with style.
The Camaro Black is the all-around package for the tuner enthusiast. It has the perfect mixture of form and function that can help you set yourself off from the pack cruising down the strip or laying down a strip of rubber. Starting at $22,995, it isn’t just the best bang for the buck but it’s the best bang period. With Three Hundred and Four horses of classic American muscle parading off of the rear wheels at a moment’s notice, for the price of a front wheel drive import, GM has practically made the decision for you. So what’s it going to be? Are you going to go get stuck in some bland silver econobox, or are you going to be driving Back in Black.
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