GM press launch :* New Camaro SS convertible in white with orange stripes and orange leather-trimmed interior evokes classic 1969 Camaro speed car design
* Among the list of 50 Festival Committee cars will be auctioned for charity at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction on Jan. 22
* 2011 may be the 100th anniversary of Chevrolet and the Indianapolis five hundred
DETROIT - A special-edition Chevrolet Camaro Convertible will serve as the official speed vehicle of the 2011 Indianapolis 500. Chevrolet and Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials made the announcement at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale classic automobile auction, in which a bidder may have the chance to buy the initial of 50 Indianapolis five hundred Festival Committee autos.
The 2011 Camaro Convertible is the 22nd Chevrolet decided on to pace “The Best Spectacle In Racing®” and also the seventh Camaro. Including to your rich heritage is the reality that 2011 will mark the 100th anniversary from the very first Indianapolis 500, as well as the centennial yr of Chevrolet.
Chevrolet will donate entire proceeds in the auction to the David Foster Basis, a charity dedicated to supporting households with young children in want of life-saving organ transplants. David Foster, the 15-time Grammy-winning new music producer and songwriter, started the business in his native Canada.
The speed vehicle, in addition to the matching festival autos, functions a Summit White exterior accented with orange stripes and door graphics. The interior is trimmed in orange leather, including front seat headrests embossed with the Indy five hundred logo, as well as white door panels and instrument panel trim. The instrument panel trim capabilities extensions from the orange exterior stripes.
The color mixture is equivalent to the design and style utilized within the 1969 Camaro Indy tempo vehicle - replicas of which are becoming amid essentially the most well-liked Camaros within the collector world.
“It’s an honor for Chevrolet to tempo the 100th anniversary with the Indianapolis 500, particularly throughout this landmark calendar year,” explained Chris Perry, vice president of Chevrolet marketing. “This can be an excellent option for us to create on Camaro’s robust momentum, while supporting an essential charity.”
The auction for that commemorative edition tempo vehicle requires location Saturday evening, Jan. 22, in the course of SPEED’s live coverage in the Barrett-Jackson event. The vehicle carries whole lot number 1284 and bids could be submitted at the auction in particular person or on the web by clicking this hyperlink to get a 2011 absentee bidder registration packet:
“The Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Chevrolet title have lengthy been connected with one another beginning with Arthur, Louis and Gaston Chevrolet’s participation as competitors from the Indianapolis five hundred,” explained Indianapolis Motor Speedway President and CEO Jeff Belskus. “It is fitting in this 100th 12 months for both brands that we reinforce that partnership through this year’s Camaro speed auto, which resembles what a lot of argue is the most renowned pace auto in IMS historical past, the 1969 Camaro. We're seeking forward to seeing this vehicle on target, pacing the best 33 motorists inside the planet on May 29.”
Pace automobile details
Outfitted with a 400-horsepower (298 kW) V-8 engine and six-speed automatic transmission, the true pace automobile for your race calls for no functionality modifications to execute its duty in front from the racing field.
All 50 from the Festival Committees cars will
probably be SS convertible types fitted with the 2SS devices bundle, offering the next common capabilities:
* Four-wheel disc brakes with Brembo four-piston calipers and hydraulic assist
* StabiliTrak digital stability manage
* Competitive/sport mode that enhances on-track overall performance
* Functionality Kick off Control (with the manual transmission) that optimizes hard-acceleration launches for faster, a lot more regular functionality
* Twenty-inch polished aluminum wheels and functionality tires
* Head-up instrument show
* Middle console with auxiliary gauge deal.
As well as the 2SS gear, the cars attribute the RS bundle, which includes HID headlamps and special tail lamps.
Convertible refinement
The Camaro Convertible delivers coupe-like driving dynamics, using the unmatched entertaining of open air driving. The Convertible product consists of an improved framework made to remove the standard compromises of open vehicles, like cowl or steering wheel shake. The goal is actually a convertible that drives much like the coupe. All of the powertrain and suspension elements with the present Camaro Coupe carry above unchanged within the convertible. The very best has a smooth, tailored in shape, with acoustical foam within the headliner that allows provide a peaceful trip using the top rated up.
4 strategic reinforcements improve the already-stiff physique construction to get rid of frequent convertible maladies of cowl and steering wheel shake. They consist of:
* A tower-to-tower brace beneath the hood
* A transmission support reinforcement brace
* Underbody tunnel brace
* Front and rear underbody “V” braces.
The power-folding leading retracts in about 20 seconds. It really is in-built partnership with all the very same company since the Corvette convertible best, and operates within a similar method. That means it folds in a very straightforward “Z” pattern and latches with a solitary, practical handle positioned with the center with the windshield header. Other convertible versions in this particular section nevertheless supply convertible tops with dual latches, forcing drivers into two-hand functions reaching throughout the car.
The regular-production versions of the 2011 Camaro Convertible will commence arriving in Chevrolet dealerships in February, opening a brand new chapter in the Camaro’s ongoing 21st century rebirth. Even before the introduction of the convertible product, Camaro ended 2010 since the sales leader in its class inside the United states for that very first time because 1985.
Chevrolet’s speed vehicle heritage
Louis Chevrolet, who launched the brand with William “Billy” Durant in 1911, was a racer, mechanic and pioneering engineer. He raced in the early years of the Indianapolis 500, which also commenced in 1911, and served a luminary in the occasion in the years following he retired his racing helmet. That incorporated driving the official Indianapolis tempo auto, which was created by Indy 500 founder Carl Fisher, who considered a rolling start off was safer than a standing start. The initial Indianapolis 500 featured a speed vehicle driven by Fisher.
