| Camaro Z/28 substitute Coming |
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| Written by Administrator |
| Thursday, 02 July 2009 17:52 |
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GM is hardly in a position to expand the Camaro range with tyre-melting performance variants, post-bankruptcy restructuring and all. Fortunately some Texan ingenuity should appease fans yearning for a new Z/28. Johns Hennessey might have cut his teeth on Chrysler performance products, yet the entrepreneurial Godfather of the North American tuning scene has no qualms marketing some bowtie muscle. From his Hennessey Performance Engineering (HPE) base outside Houston, John’s team has bolted a supercharger atop the Camaro’s 6.2l V8. {mosimage} With a Magnuson blower operating at just below half a bar of pressure, HPE’s Camaro 550 unleashes 420kW – an improvement of over 100kW from the stock car. Sporting a large capacity V8 architecture, new injectors and forced induction, the rotational force peak of 755Nm is hardly surprising. Custom shaped stainless steel exhausts, dovetailing with carefully recalibrated engine management parameters, ensure an authentic Z/28 beat. Dynamically the HPE 550 package is fully validated with a set of 20-inch alloy wheels and adjustable coil-over suspension at each wheel corner. {mosimage} Visually HPE’s 550 Camaro does not strike as forbidding a presence as Z/28’s of yore, yet the rear lip spoiler, complemented by a new front splitter and side rocker panels does distinguish it from GM’s factory line offerings. Interior embellishments include HPE550 embroidery on the seat headrests, new floor mats and a serial-numbered vehicle plaque in place on both dash and engine cover. Hennessey is glad to confirm the HPE550 Camaro can dash from 0-100km/h in under four seconds, and pass a quarter mile in only 12.1 sec, which should give the developers of the Mustang GT500 plenty to think about. {mosimage} |
| Last Updated on Wednesday, 07 October 2009 10:51 |