Autoblog

Papa John's selling recovered Camaro diecast, free pizza and charity involved

Michael Harley — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:58:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Etc., Chevrolet, Toys/Games

We're suckers for a happy ending - especially when it involves cars, kids, and hot pizza. Recall, if you will, this past summer when John Schnatter, founder of Papa John's Pizza, was on a nationwide quest to find his beloved 1971 1/2 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 - a car he sold in the mid-Eighties to fund his first store. John found his car in Kentucky, paid out more than a quarter of a million dollars in finder's fees, and then generously gave free pizzas from its 2,600 nationwide locations to all Camaro owners on August 26th.

Still feeling more than a bit elated with the return of his Z28, and intent on providing hope and inspiration to less fortunate children, Schnatter has now created a nifty little 1:64 scale diecast replica of his car. The metal cars sell for $4.99 apiece and each one comes with a coupon for a free medium cheese pizza ($1 from each car purchased will be donated to the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation). In addition to selling the cars online, Papa John's is donating 5,000 mini Camaros directly to Toys for Tots. All told, Papa John's is contributing more than $155,000 to the Marine program and touching countless lives in the process. Go ahead and order a couple... we did. Full press release after the jump.

[Source: Papa John's]

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Papa John's selling recovered Camaro diecast, free pizza and charity involved originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: Supercharged Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 cometh? Again? For real?

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:57:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Chevrolet, Rumormill

Not the real Camaro Z/28 - Click above for high-res image gallery

To build or not to build... that is the question. The subject is the Camaro, in this case in the long-rumored Z/28 guise. We've heard over the last few months that the automaker would pass on the opportunity to drop a supercharger atop the Camaro's optional V8 powerplant due to fuel economy, emissions and price concerns. However, Inside Line is reporting that GM Veep Ed Welburn says the Z/28 program is back in full effect and is headed for production.

Underneath a new bulge in the hood will sit a version of the excellent 6.2-liter LS-A from the Cadillac CTS-V that should be good for about 550 horsepower and mated up to either an automatic or manual transmission with six forward ratios. If these newest rumblings are to be believed, the Z/28 will hit the market in about a year. All that's left, says Welburn, is to finalize the tuning of the powertrain and suspension bits. Sounds good to us - we'll take ours in classic Hugger Orange with white stripes, please.

Gallery: Camaro Z28 Renderings

[Source: Inside Line]

REPORT: Supercharged Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 cometh? Again? For real? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wink, Wink: GM officials reportedly coyly confirms Camaro Z28... but it isn't coming soon

Chris Paukert — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:29:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Chevrolet, GM, Rumormill

According to the well-connected boys over at Camaro5, General Motors will indeed produce a Chevrolet Camaro Z28 after all... and they've even scored some details on the hi-po offering.

According to Camaro5 user Hiney1 who attended a special question and answer session at the Carlisle Nationals this weekend (seen above), a Z28 will arrive after the Camaro Convertible, itself expected in the spring of 2011.

The Z28 will reportedly make use of some sort of high-output LS-based engine (C'mon, guys! You're killing us!), and it will incorporate a hood similar to that of the Bumblebee edition, along with a unique grille, the usual spate of graphics and emblems, and perhaps even a tweaked rear-end. Thanks for the tip, Jay!

[Source: Camaro5]

Wink, Wink: GM officials reportedly coyly confirms Camaro Z28... but it isn't coming soon originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: Chevrolet's Camaro convertible delayed, Z28 facing cancellation

Chris Paukert — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 09:55:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Performance, Plants/Manufacturing, Chevrolet, GM, Rumormill

Chevrolet Camaro Convertible Concept - Click above for a high-res gallery

The crew at the freshly-minted Detroit Bureau is reporting that while the Chevrolet Camaro has started rolling off off production lines, there are some serious hitches with future model plans that could result in a substantial delay - or outright cancellation - of two hotly-anticipated models.

According to Paul Eisenstein (veteran auto journalist and founder of TheCarConnection), the Camaro convertible and Z28 are both in jeopardy. As the story goes, budget crunches for both General Motors and its suppliers could grenade products that were seen as foregone conclusions.

At the moment, TDB says that saving the droptop is the most pressing issue, as the German supplier responsible for the convertible top is having money problems. GM is seeking alternate suppliers, but that process is likely to take six months or more, meaning that the model will likely miss most of the 2010 convertible's prime selling seasons (Spring and Summer).

The high-performance Z28 is a different story, however, with GM's own costs reportedly being the culprit. TDB quotes Gene Stefanyshyn, the car's Vehicle Line Executive, as saying that as it sits, the model "would cost too much" - about $50 million. Thus, the Z28 could either come to market carrying a prohibitively expensive price tag or face some "creative engineering," and it's likely to do the latter - if it can be saved at all. For now, TDB is calling the Z28 "cancelled" with a potential resurrection still in the cards.

Assuming these revelations are true, Bowtie faithful, if you were planning on holding on to your purse-strings for a while longer, you may just want to get in line now for an RS or SS hardtop and consult the aftermarket. Us? We're going to hold out hope and drop a few dimes on our sources at The General just in case.

Gallery: Chevy Camaro Convertible Concept

[Source: The Detroit Bureau]

REPORT: Chevrolet's Camaro convertible delayed, Z28 facing cancellation originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 Mar 2009 09:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Camaro TV spots through the years -- some more bitchin' than others

Alex Nunez — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 19:15:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Performance, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Chevrolet, GM

Well, all the Camaro buildup is finally set to amount to something this Monday, when the real, final car is unveiled. Frankly, it was getting anti-climactic before the official photos leaked onto the web on Friday afternoon, but we'll look forward to hopefully seeing the SS car in the metal. That one's been conspicuously absent from all the photos that crammed the internet as soon as the dam burst. Anyway, whether you go for an RS with that punchy DI V6, or the SS with its LS3 power, chances are you'll be a happy camper.

So, to celebrate, we've gone and collected all the Camaro television commercials (and one 1980s promo video) we could find and packed them up into our handy new video player. When you're done watching one, pick another from the scrolling list under the main window and enjoy. We don't know how Chevy's gonna market the new car, but we're hoping for something more in line with the cool and dramatic 'Volcano" spot for the first-gen. It's a nostalgia overload, from the '70 "Super Hugger" spots to the cringe-fest 80s-era ads, right up to the 90s cars that spelled the end of the line. Until now.

Now, please excuse us while we hit the weekend classified pages. We've got a sudden craving for some IROC-Z garage candy. After all, this mid-summer weather is just perfect for T-Tops.

VIDEO: Camaro TV spots through the years -- some more bitchin' than others originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 19 Jul 2008 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Camaro nut reports from inside second focus group

Chris Shunk — Wed, 21 May 2008 11:27:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Chevrolet, GM, First Drive

With the 2010 Camaro just a couple months from being unveiled in production trim, GM is conducting focus groups with fanatics that it aims to please. Forum poster OctaneZ28 from 5thGen was on-site at the General's Milford Proving Grounds recently for the second such focus group and is now telling the world as much as he can about the soon-to-be-released bow-tie pony car. So far he's as giddy as a school boy. Since OctaneZ28 is a true die-hard Camaro fan, it's hard to consider his opinions objective, but he's posted some things from the focus group that we find interesting.

First off, he mentions driving both the V6 and V8 models, and he calls the 3.6L version a real sleeper. Does that mean the base engine could be direct-inject version with more horsepower? OctaneZ28 also mentions the production convertible, which is said to keep the form of the coupe and is the most researched drop-top in the history of GM. That's weighty stuff. Lastly, the six- and eight-cylinder models will be heavily differentiated, and there will be 10 colors available for the car. It may seem like forever and a day since the first Camaro concept bowed in Detroit, but now that we're in the home stretch, all that waiting looks to be paying off.

Gallery: 2010 Camaro Spy Pics Black and White

[Source: 5thGen]

Camaro nut reports from inside second focus group originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 May 2008 11:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eBay Find of the Day: General Zee Camaro not even John Schneider could love

Dan Roth — Sat, 19 May 2007 13:42:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Performance, Auctions, Chevrolet

Look away, look away, look away, Dixie Land!

Some things are just unnatural, and should never be attempted. Does the paint job give this car any pop-culture cred via osmosis? Yes, yes, calling it the "General Zee" displays a modicum of wit, but we can't condone trying to splice in cool with a paint job. Us Gen-Xers will always have a soft spot for the orange Charger with pushbars out front and "01" emblazoned on its welded-shut doors. Giving that treatment to a 2002 Z-28 does not make it a collector car, even if the abomination has under 40,000 miles on it. There's a "Dixie" horn setup, and enough amateur-grade extra wiring is present in the underhood shots to make us cringe visibly. Our favorite modification has to be the muffler, which "has holes added to enhance the sound quality of the V-8 engine." The dead newspaper tycoon operating the T5-6 is a nice touch, too. Must be a one-off, 'cause that's the first we've heard of a "Hearst" shifter. Reserve is not yet met at a current bid of $7,100. Us, we'd use that cash as a downpayment on a General Lee replica that's at least a Mopar, though an Omni GLH dressed up in this type of drag would be equally repugnant.

Thanks for the tip, Aaron!

[Source: eBay]

Gallery: General Zee - Z28 with Dukes paint

eBay Find of the Day: General Zee Camaro not even John Schneider could love originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 19 May 2007 13:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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