I'll buy that for a dollar...

Well, more correctly...

$70,000...

Anyway, a 335i is clocking in at what? 3600 lbs.? 260 lbs. lighter than the F5?

Just eyeballing the two cars, the 335i sure looks smaller than the F5.

 

The new for 2008 Cadillac CTS is rated at 3,960 pounds, so it doesn't seem to be lighter.

 

My 1987 Lincoln Mark VII weighs 3817

this camaro has twice the horsepower, and probably 5x the handling. Weight scares me none, bring it on!

 

335i: 3600
535i: 3750

The 335i is about 10 inches shorter. Somewhat narrower.

It's a better match for the V6 Camaro in horsepower and torque. So I'd say that the 335i is roughly 150 pounds lighter than the F5. The standard V8 versions of BMWs (i.e. heavier 4.8l engine) add about 200 pounds to the weight. So about 3950 for a 550i.

The only V8 you can get in the 3-series is the miniature 4.0 in the M3. But if BMW decided to build a 350i coupe would probably weigh in pretty close to a F5 Camaro SS by the time you added in the structure to support such an engine.

If you look at the Lexus line, and the difference between the ISF (which is a pretty good match to the new Camaro SS in size, hp, tq) and the IS350 (which matches up to the Camaro LT), you'll see a similar difference ... about 200 pounds (maybe 250 in that case).

So while I'd like a lighter Camaro (who wouldn't?), I have to admit that it's competitive in that department. And based on what the competition offers, I just don't see how you get to 3500, without GM knowing something that everyone else doesn't.

If anything, 150 pounds may overstate the benefit from a smaller platform, since the V8 engine and need for four seats and a trunk will drive the size. It can't get much narrower, and it can't get much shorter, no matter what you do, especially once you take into account side impact standards, pedestrian impact standards, etc., ad nauseum.

Lightweight materials can be used on any size, as can time spent optimizing every aspect of the car. (Miata vs Solstice)

 

i could care less if it beats everything on the road,if i was worried about that ide get the ZR1

 

Or a regular Z06 and take it to Hennessey.

http://www.hennesseyperformance.com/...ctionReq=Where

He's got Camaro on his web page now, btw; fairly generic

http://www.hennesseyperformance.com/...ctionReq=Where

 

WAYYYY too many bad stories about Henessey. I wouldn't touch his product (even if I could afford it) with a 10 foot pole.

 

IRS vs SRA
14"f & 14.4"r rotors vs 12.4"f & 11.8"r rotors
4 piston calipers all around vs dual front and single rear
20" wheels with 275mm tires vs 18" with 255mm tires

That's at least 150 lbs there and I bet there's another 50+ in the interior.

 

I've been saying this for years, but if GM had been SMART about this, they would have developed Kappa as a versatile platform onto which Solstice/Sky, Camaro, and a 1-series fighting Cadillac could have been built, instead of rushing the Solstice/Sky to market on a dedicated single-car platform.
Despite signs of increasing oil prices, and despite being DANGEROUSLY reliant on very low mpg vehicles, GM chose to go with a very large and very heavy sedan platform. Where does that leave them now that fuel mileage is a big factor in people's purchasing decision? Screwed is where it leaves them. Where does that leave those of us who wanted a REAL "new Camaro"? With an HUGELY outsized and overweight 2-door sedan.

It didn't have to be this way. It's a shame that the people at the wheel at GM had their blinders on regarding the company's susceptibility to higher gas prices (which a LOT of people saw coming 5years and more back). Now they're in BIG trouble, and the new Camaro which COULD have benefited them in the current situation by being a lot smaller and lighter is instead a liability for them and undesirable for a lot of us.

A real shame...

 

Screw that... go to Lingenfelter if you want that kind of thing.

 

I sit corrected!