Chevrolet jazzes up Camaro SS with track package
PAHRUMP, Nev. — Tearing through the twisty course of a desert raceway, there's a natural impulse to try to figure out how to make the car go even faster.
One way would be to learn to drive like a professional. Nah. Easier to go the second route: Buy more parts to put a little more pizzazz in the car.
Knowing there are legions of loyal owners who like to upgrade their cars to make them more competitive — or at least look more cool — Chevrolet showed last month how it can add a suite of aftermarket parts that it says can make a difference.
The goal is to put the "ultimate" in the track performance of a Camaro SS, a competent, though not the fastest, Camaro.
"Performance parts are a way of enabling owners to take the performance up several levels," says Jim Campbell, General Motors' U.S. vice president for performance vehicles and motorsports.
After a few hot laps, the point was well taken. A body kit makes the Camaro more aerodynamic. Added suspension parts make the car more stiff and hold flat in corners. It had beefed up brakes, a throatier exhaust and modifications that allow more air to flow into the engine and other upgrades. Some of the parts came from the more expensive ZL1 and Z/28 Camaros.
"It's about traction coming out of the corners and steering feel," says Brandon Vivian, executive director for chassis and performance.
Creating the "Ultimate Track Camaro SS" takes about $12,000, but Chevrolet officials say the package is less than half the cost of buying parts individually for those who opt to make the conversion gradually.
The extra performance also helps breathe new life into an aging model — even though it has held its own just fine against rivals Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger. A new Camaro is rumored to be on the way.