skorpion317

Ford has been the first through the gate with the GT500. Assuming our timetables our correct, the Camaro and Challenger will be arriving in 2008 with their own high-performance models. Rumors of a 6.6L Hemi are swirling in the Challenger camp, with over 500 HP. Over here, we're kicking around the idea of the 6.2L supercharged LS9. we all love to speculate, so in Camaro trim, what do you think the LS9 is going to put out?

LandonElf

501 hp, just to make Mr. Shelby mad.

dream '94 Z28

If you really want to **** him off, put a slightly less powerful motor in a significantly lighter car that'll run circles around his clunky looking, bloated nose heavy pig.

JakeRobb

Are we claiming somehow that the Viper, Ford GT, and Z06 aren't participating in the horsepower wars? What about BMW's M cars, or AMGs?

GT500 may be the cheapest one yet... but the horsepower wars have been going on for a while now, and it is hardly the "first out of the gate".

I'm pegging the LS9 at 550bhp.

guionM

Well....
that "pig" can seriously outhandle your 94 Z, and that "pig" can outaccelerate anything else currently made in the US short of a Z06.

It may be a pig to ya, but it's one $#@*&%! hot pig.



As for the original question, I'm not sure it's going to be called the "LS9". That's probally reserved for the next expensive Z06 super engine.

Regarding output, I think the 500 number is probally in the ballpark. But we are still talking about an engine that's still 3 years from hitting the streets (it would be a 2nd year Camaro engine) so GM has enough time to even change directions and still certify an engine.

Compare 3 years away for Camaro to Chrysler's super Hemi that's less than 18 months away and the GT500 engine TODAY that has at least 100 extra horsepower safely built in without needing to modify a single internal part.

By the way things seem to be shaping up, I'm suspecting that the Shelby GT500 is going to have it's claim to fame in drag racing, the Challenger SRT is going to be a old style street muscle car (big, roomy, well riding, and pretty unbeatable in the "stop light grand prix"), and the Camaro Z28 is going to be a high powered race course car.

Top speed it probally going to run Challenger (SRT doesn't tend artificially govern their speeds.... SRT Magnums run over 170, and the super Hemi is going to have over 100 horses more!), Camaro Z28, and Shelby GT350 (SVT has been limiting their Mustangs to a Germany-like 155 mph for a decade, and probally won't change).

v8pwrdz28

chevy needs to get off their *** and get the camaro back into it now, not let the ford and dodge boys have all their fun. im beggining to believe the camaro will fail, since the challenger and gt500 are beating out, how many people u think will give up waiting for a camaro and get one of those fast cars now?

guionM

We're talking about cars that's going to be a very very small percentage of sales.

The GT500 is limited to about 10,000 models out of 160,000+ Mustangs.
The SRT Challenger will probally run a thousand out of 20,000 or so Challengers.
The Z28 is going to be a Z06 like car this round, meaning it's not exactly going to be everywhere.

Camaro ain't gonna fail because others have higher horsepower fringe cars out 1st. Camaro's going to make it in the marketplace based on it's own merits.

It's going to be a mean looking, hot handling, sports coupe that's going to be well made. I think it'll do very well.

v8pwrdz28

so the top dog is gonna be the Z28? i hope thats what u mean, since chevy killed the SS title by putting it on everything.

skorpion317

when I said "horsepower wars" I was referring to the arms race in the pony car class. If it's a general statement, than nearly every manufacturer is putting out cars with escalating power levels. I just meant our own little part of that world.

That being said, I'm not so sure if I agree with the characterization of the Camaro being a road course car. I'm sure it will be MUCH better suited for that kind of racing, but I think the majority of people are going to be taking it to the dragstrip. It will, however, be a good all-around car, where the other two will be more suited for straight-line action.

poSSum

Tell that to the guys mopping up F-Stock with the new Mustang.

jg95z28

Preach on brother Guy, preach on!

jg95z28

There's still going to be a Camaro SS. It's just there will also be a Z06-like Camaro as well.

RussStang

Are we talking about domestic cars here, because a Viper could still very well bring down a GT500.



The only Cobras I have known that have been speed limited to 155mph are the 03 and 04s. There are guys with full bolt on Cobras and gears that have gone quite over the 155mph (and in most cases, it has been remarked the speedo was corrected for the gears).

That pig also has almost twice the hp of his 12 year old car, better tires, better dampers, springs, and since it is new, is likely in better running order. I have no doubt a GT500 would bury any fbody made on a road course, but I would imagine much of that is contributed to it's raw brutish power. Much in the same way LS1 Camaro SSs were known to lap some road courses faster than the better handling S2000s.

skorpion317

my point is that the Camaro will have better handling, and the intended use for most of these cars (Camaros included) will be the 1/4 mile. I'm not saying they can't go out on a road or autoX course and do some damage. it's what the majority of people are going to be doing with these cars that i'm focusing on.

v8pwrdz28

i understood that, i just hope the Z28 is higher up then the SS.