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COMMUNITYNEWSPAPERS.COM
January 2012
Chevy Camaro — a car for kids from 8 to 80 Grant Miller Car Corner Wow! What a car, the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro convertible; everyone looks at it as you drive down the street. The first thing I did when I took it out for a spin was to put the top down. It only took about 20 seconds, and off I went. The first stop was my son’s baseball practice and when he saw the car, he whipped out his cell phone and texted all his friends. “This car is unbelievable,” he said. All of the parents at practice came over to take a look at the Camaro. Most of them had to take a moment to sit behind the wheel and feel the leather seats or touch the dashboard. Later, after baseball practice was done, one of the players need a ride home. He sat quietly in the passenger seat as I drove him home on the 10-minute ride and he politely said goodbye when I dropped him off at his house. Fifteen minutes later, I got a text from his mother, Maria.
“Thanks Grant,” the text began, “for giving my son a lift home. He was so excited about riding in the car.” It is strange how riding in a shiny new Chevrolet Camaro can have the same effect on a teenager that it has on an adult 40 years older. I guess the love for a timeless automobile has no age limit. And the Camaro is a legendary car. The 2012 version is the fifth generation (it was introduced in 1967 as Chevy’s answer to the hot-selling Ford Mustang) and all indications are that it is the best one yet. It’s available with either V-8 or V-6 power and new this year is an improved version of the 3.6-liter Direct Injection V-6 engine. It delivers 323 hp at 6,800 rpm (11 more horses than 2011) and it’s about 20 pounds lighter and delivers an impressive 30 mpg on the highway. A pair of 6.2-liter V-8 engines are offered for the Camaro SS — the 400 hp L99 for automatic transmission cars and the 426 hp LS3 for cars with a manual gearbox. A six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission with TapShift are available for Camaro. Camaro is again available in three models – LS, LT and SS – and the high-performance Camaro ZL1 will make its debut
2012 Chevy Camaro is the fifth generation of the legendary car. ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
later this year. Advance publicity says it is “the most technologically advanced car ever developed in its segment.” There’s also a 45th anniversary Special Edition package available for the LT and SS models (my test car). It comes standard in Carbon Flash Metallic (black), with red and silver rally stripes on the hood and deck-lid, 45th Anniversary graphics, special fender badges, new 20-inch wheels in deep silver, a rear spoiler, HID headlights,
body-color roof molding and a specialtrimmed interior. Base price on the 45th anniversary Special Edition Camaro with V-6 power and an automatic transmission is $36,910.
Grant Miller is the publisher of Community Newspapers. He may be contacted by calling 305-662-2277 or by addressing email to <Grant@CommunityNewspapers.com>.