GM Motors sent tongues wagging at the 2006 North American International Motor Show with the unveiling of a Chevrolet Camaro concept car and followed up with a convertible version of the same car at the 2007 North American International Motor Show. And did the tongues wag! Thankfully GM was listening and the concept car is scheduled to go into production late in 2008, virtually as it was seen at the two motor shows. The dealers are expecting to have the first of the new generation cars in the showrooms at the end of the first quarter in 2009.

Although it is a completely new car, 2002 saw the last Camaro come off the assembly line, the new car still pays respect to its older brothers. This can be seen both in the aggressive yet stylish body lines and quite a few interior features are modern interpretations of the features found in the early cars. Looking at the car from all angles you can see where the cars designers have combined the new with the old and there is no doubt left in your mind that this model has its roots firmly implanted back in the late 1960's with the first generation Camaro.

The original cars enjoyed almost iconic status for many years after it was released with almost 4.8 million Camaros produced between 1967 and 2002. At the time it was seen as a car that most people could afford and it was a very versatile vehicle with many doing the rounds of the country's racetracks and just as many seen carrying groceries away from the local shopping mall. To further appreciate the popularity of this car, there is more than 1000 Camaro clubs around the world and it also featured in the top ten searches on America Online for cars in 2005.

As you can see the new car has very big shoes to fill and from initial reports it has been widely applauded and accepted. In a recent press release from General Motors the opinion that the public has of this car was summed up well - "Dear sports car fans, General Motors heard you loud and clear." The reaction of the general public was the driving force behind putting the concept car into production and good on General Motors for reacting to what the people were saying. It would be hard to imagine anything but a positive reaction to the car, with its proven history and the designers doing such a great job of re-creating the original car I think people would have instantly warmed to the idea.

Naturally the driveline and chassis have seen the improvements that 30 years of engineering advancement have to offer and from all indications this will be one very quick and capable sports car. The concept car is fitted with the 6.0 liter LS2 V8 and six speed manual transmission however if a quiet Sunday drive or having to commute in peak hour traffic is your thing then there is always the option of the 3.6 liter V6 and six speed automatic transmission. In a car of this caliber I think though that the latter choice would be like a kid getting a new toy but not being allowed to take it out of the box! Speaking of which, I must get back to writing that letter to Santa so it gets to him in time for the Camaros release! I will be really good next year, I promise.

For more information, specifications and images of the 2009 Camaro please visit 2009 Chevrolet Camaro [1] I know you won't be disappointed! Craig Wilson is a certified (certifiable?) car nut and also the author of Autofix.com.au [2], an online resource for DIY mechanics.