Chevy Camaro Daytona 500 Pace Car unveiled
The Daytona 500 has been paced by Corvettes the last two years in a row, but there's a new breed of performance car in the bowtie barn; thy name is Camaro. This past weekend Chevy's modern muscle car was officially announced as the pace vehicle for the 51st running of the famous Daytona 500, replacing its big bro' and becoming the first Camaro to earn the honor since 1969 and only the third overall. The pace car will be an SS model brandishing a 426-hp 6.2L V8 and special Cyber Grey (and Orange) paint scheme developed by PPG. It will also be outfitted with a fully integrated strobe system to help light the way for dozens of NASCAR cars that will be following its every left turn. Thanks for the tip, Tim!
[Source: Camaro5]
PRESS RELEASE
Chevy Camaro Returns as Official Pace Car for 51st Daytona 500; Iconic 2010 Model Returns to the "Great American Race" After 40-Year Absence
DAYTONA BEACH, FL (Feb. 7, 2009) -- Daytona International Speedway officials announced the return of the Chevy Camaro as the Official Pace Car of the 51st running of the Daytona 500--the first Camaro to pace the field since 1969.
"Chevy has been a great partner of the Daytona 500 for more than 30 years, and the Camaro is an automotive icon,'" said Speedway President Robin Braig. "This 2010 model will set the tone for a 21st century sports car, and that's a perfect fit to lead the pack at the 'Great American Race.''
The 426-horsepower vehicle, powered by the 6.2-liter all-aluminum Chevy V-8, carries a PPG Cyber Grey paint scheme with a bold accent design befitting "The World Center of Racing." A Camaro has paced the field just twice in Dayton 500 history, in 1968 and '69, and this 2010 model is scheduled to hit showroom floors this spring.
Built on GM's new global rear-wheel drive architecture, the Camaro also will be offered in V-6-powered LS and LT models. Additional specs of the 2010 model pace car include:
* All-aluminum 6.2-liter V-8
* 426 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque
* Fully integrated strobe system, including a GM-designed custom light bar utilizing Whelen 500 series linear strobes
* 27-mpg estimated highway fuel economy
* Fuel-saving Tremec 6-speed manual transmission
* Top speed of xxx mph on the test track
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Sea Urchin 11:06AM (2/09/2009)
I have to say that of daily new editions of Mustangs and Camaros, Camaros come out on top.
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zadoc 11:17AM (2/09/2009)
the 2010 gt500 has 540 hp power so i do not see how the came on top ,may want to rethink your response
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pmalloy4391 11:29AM (2/09/2009)
... its a STOCK SS... with a paint job...
So now, what does that GT 500 cost vs a STOCK Comaro SS?
or better yet what does a mustang GT vs Camaro cost.. and which one of those would be on top
What you did was compare a yugo to a bentley
Fanboism at its greatest...
MikeW 11:56AM (2/09/2009)
The GT500 has the worst weight distribution of any rear drive car, 58/42. Contrast against a rear drive 911 38/62
For '09 it has more power and shorter gearing.
The only way this thing is going to, get off the line, is if the supercharger does not engage in 1st gear (and reverse)
AntBee 11:22AM (2/09/2009)
That's one of the ugliest paint jobs I've seen on a pace car, and that's saying a lot since most or all of them have been ugly as hell!
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bigMIKE 12:44PM (2/09/2009)
Agreed. I admit to being a Camaro fanboy (no mullet), but that is fugly.
Stumpy 11:24AM (2/09/2009)
"Hit the Pace Car"!
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Jesse 11:35AM (2/09/2009)
Beautiful shade of gray and I like the way a thin band of the orange paint outlines the top of the grill. Overall it's pretty tasteful for a pace car.
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Shiftright 3:33PM (2/09/2009)
It's tasteful perhaps on planet SEMA or Nopi Tuner. Yuk...Why do pace cars so often have grotesquely hideous paint jobs?
GOT 10:00AM (2/10/2009)
I like the paint job as well. It's got a distressed coolness to it. Also reminds me of those camouflage destroyer-boats from WW2.
Tim 11:56AM (2/09/2009)
Kind of wish it was White w/ Hugger Orange stripes, but that's just the nostalgic side of me showing.
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Pokey 11:56AM (2/09/2009)
yuck
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KC 12:23PM (2/09/2009)
How anyone can be on a car blog and say yuck to that is mind boggling to me.
MoonRover 1:01PM (2/09/2009)
I agree KC , I agree.....
Pokey 3:27PM (2/09/2009)
So, I shouldn't be on a car blog because I think that paint job is hideous? Riiiiiight.
Maybe I should have been a little more specific for the sake of the simple minded among us.
I love the new camaro, and I like NASCAR, but I hate the paint job on this particular Camaro. I like the color combo, I just think the execution is tacky.
In other words, yuck.
There fellas, is that better? Hopefully you are a little less butt-hurt now.
MRX19 12:37PM (2/09/2009)
Here's a thought. Get more of these, throw in some Mustangs and Challengers to fill, out the 44 car field and I might even watch. Use 1 COT for the pace car.
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Stumpy 12:48PM (2/09/2009)
I like the idea, but only if it was on a Road Course.
pmalloy4391 12:58PM (2/09/2009)
...43 car field
Murray 12:43PM (2/09/2009)
Cyber Grey is a great looking color on the Camaro.
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Torrent 12:55PM (2/09/2009)
Cyber gray will definitely be the fastest color. And That doesn't look like the production Rally yellow. Looks more like the Yellow on Bumblebee. hmmmm....
Anyway, I was hoping something like this paint scheme for the new Pace Car:
http://img.motorpasion.com/camaro_concept_pace_car.jpg