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www.ADandP.media wheels on the SS are 0.5-in. wider—and six ounces lighter than the Gen Five wheels. The roof is attached to the body side with laser brazing instead of conventional welding. Not only does this provide a more aerodynamic surface (there are no ditch channels), but the brazing in place of welding and then inserting trim saves about 1.1 lb. In the suspension, it is a mixed material situation, with aluminum in the front and steel with lightening holes in the rear and even some composite pieces; they were able to reduce the mass by 21% compared with the previous steel-intensive setup. And while on the subject of things structural, it should be noted that one of the engineering tasks was to create a modular structure for the four versions of the car such that there could be component sharing wherever it made sense. That is, there are four variants: LT Coupe, LT Convertible, SS Coupe, and SS Convertible. So, for example, while the tie bar to bumper A-brace is shared by all four, the underbody A-brace is used only by the convertible versions, the rear cradle to rocker with close-out is used only by the SS versions and the rear cradle to rocker without close-out is used by the LTs, the front shear panel is used by all but the LT coupe, and so on. The engine oferings are, of course, important; this is, after all, a muscle car. The standard engine for the LT is a 2.0-liter turbo (oddly enough, the standard engine is launching after the optional V6 and the standard SS engine). The turbo engine produces 275 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque, with the 90% of the torque available at from 2,100 to 3,000 rpm and maximum torque from 3,000 to 4,500 rpm. (Here's an engine fun fact: Gen Three Camaros were available with a four-cylinder engine, too. This engine was ofered from 1982 (frst year of that generation) until 1986 (the generation ran until 1992). It was a 2.5-liter engine that produced either 88 or 92 hp, depending on whether it had a carburetor or an electronically controlled fuel injection system.) The 3.6-liter V6 produces 335 hp and 284 lb-ft of torque. As is the case with all of the engines in the lineup, it has a cast aluminum block with cast-in-place iron cylinder liners and aluminum heads. The V6 features direct injection, variable valve timing, and cylinder deactivation. The transmissions for the turbo and the V6 are a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic, an all-new Hydra-Matic 8L45. The Camaro SS borrows something from its big brother in the Chevy lineup: the 6.2-liter LT1 V8 that was launched on the Corvette Stingray. However, the engine has been modifed for this application, with, for example, tubular tri-Y-type exhaust manifolds. Overall, about 20% of the engine components are Camaro-specifc. This engine produces 455 hp and 455 lb-ft of torque. The standard transmission is a six-speed manual with the option automatic being an eight-speed Hydra-Matic 8L90, which is what the automatic for the other two engines is based on. The 2016 Camaro is being produced at the GM Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant in Lansing, Michigan. General Motors made a $175-million investment in the plant for tooling and equipment. The Cadillac CTS and ATS models are also produced in the plant, which shows that the Camaro is in good company. They took a modular approach to the vehicle architecture so that they'd be able to tailor the chassis to each model (LT, LT Convertible, SS, SS Convertible) while having commonality of components where possible. *It's interesting to see how the Camaro generations have proceeded, which may say something about the cadence of product development at GM. The following are model year dates: • Generation One: 1967-69 • Generation Four: 1993-2002 • Generation Two: 1970-81 • Generation Five: 2010-15 • Generation Three: 1982-92 • Generation Six: 2016- 43 AD&P; ∕ JANUARY 2016 CAMARO