Chevrolet Camaro stocks street-legal RS package of hardware
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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Take a racy sports hatchback primed with power, add a night's worth of hard driving, several flashlights and a stopwatch, plus a slew of California highway maps and 530 miles of circuitous roads stretched from the Pacific shore at Malibu to desert sands of Las Vegas, and what do you get?
You get 12 dark hours of rallye racing in Chevrolet's new Camaro RS.
For those unfamiliar with the RS nomenclature attached to Camaro's hatchback, Chevy installs a package of sporty external gear -- fascia fore and aft, rocker panel moldings, foglamps and unique tail spoiler.
In addition, the RS label includes deluxe comfort features such as electronic speed control, power windows and door locks, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and remote keyless entry and theft deterrent alarm system.
Camaro RS looks mean and racy, like powerful Z28.
That distinctive shell, shaped with dent-resistant Space Age polymers and conformed to resemble a bubble-top jet fighter, makes quite an aggressive statement for this street-legal supercar.
But the badge up front says it all: Camaro.
Since the fall of 1966 when the first Camaro coupe and convertible rolled off Chevrolet's assembly line, America's youth and sport-minded adults have been captivated by the long hood and that low-slung shape.
The fourth generational edition, emerging in 1993, created the bubble top with 68-degree slanted windshield. It harmonizes with a dropped hoodline and elevated tail capped by sweeping spoiler. From side view, a fluid circle of lines rings the cockpit.
Camaro RS stresses value -- as my rallye RS listed for $20,807, a figure which already included a 4-speed automatic transmission and fancy Delco-Bose music system with CD deck.
Considering the good looks and sporty action which come with Camaro RS, that bottom line adds up to a bargain.
It looks like it could outpace a hurricane, but where Camaro continues to surprise centers on its uncanny ability to tackle a tough set of curves.
Personally, I'm enchanted by the car -- its design, power package and mechanical details.
It wasn't always that way. Before Chevrolet recast Camaro in 1993, this was a muscular hunk best aimed in a straight line. But new editions carry aggressive handling systems such as power-assisted rack and pinion steering and a lively independent suspension rigged with gas-charged shocks and stabilizer bar in front and rear.
How good is it in curves?
My hair-raising introduction to Camaro's improved agility occurred at Florida's Moroso Motor Speedway near West Palm Beach during a driving lesson from 4-time Indy 500 winner Rick Mears. Charging down a straightaway at 135 mph, he stood on the brake pedal to slow the Z28 to 95 mph as we entered a savage hairpin curve.
Then Mears let the rear end drift as Camaro powered through that turn, G-forces so strong we had to grab whatever handles we could to remain seated.
More recently during the rallye which began in the Santa Monica Mountains above Malibu, I steered Camaro RS through some of the most demanding turn sets on the continent -- and it responded to each with a nimbleness not found in other muscle cars.
The RS package builds upon Camaro's base edition with iron-block 3.8-liter V6 engine which for 1996 earns more power -- now achieving 200 hp with excellent torque spread across the range of gears.
Fuel economy figures also seem satisfying, considering the power output. Camaro's EPA numbers rise to 30 mpg for highway cruising.
You'll always extract more lively action from a manual 5-speed transmission, and Camaro's Borg-Warner stick feels fun and functional.
Yet an optional Hydra-matic 4-speed automatic, the same equipment found in Corvette -- provides a reasonable compromise without sacrificing noticeable horsepower.
Throughout the rallye night in my tester Camaro RS, over multiple sets of mountains and endless stretches of deserts, the automatic shifter served as a welcomed asset with effortless action and quiet operation.
And more than enough power was always at hand, or foot, when called upon by the beefy V6.
Still, there's even more deep-throated juice available with Camaro's Z28 upgrade outfitted with the LT1 Corvette's 5.7-liter V8.
Horsepower scales the ladder to 285. And that torque: It tops out at 325 lbs/ft.
To corral this monster, Chevrolet's designers specified a magical high-torque Borg-Warner manual shifter featuring six forward gears that meld crisply, thanks to an advanced internal synchronizer.
Fifth and sixth overdrive gears in Z28 lower engine speed at highway pace to conserve fuel. Bottom gears with tight-fisted ratios mean heady action at street speed.
What kind of performance can you expect?
Those lower gear ratios kick in fast off the line, so Z28's 'Vette-like phantom flies down a chute. Full bore, it reaches 60 mph in less than six seconds, then takes the quarter-mile flag in 14 flat.
At this point, Z28's speed will be crossing the 100 mph mark. Past 120 mph, the fifth gear performs exceedingly well, allowing Chevy's wingless jet to top out a few digits over the 150 mph limit of sixth gear.
Such speed you may never need, or reach, unless you're on a bona fide drag strip. But it's there, latent, with only a growl from raucous pipes telling the tale.
The interesting angle to Camaro RS with added aero effects and spoiler is that it looks remarkably similar to mighty Z28 -- I must scope it with a keen eye to figure out differences between the two.
So with RS you can end up with the racy good looks of Z28 without encountering a higher price tag.
Camaro's range of figures runs from $15,500 to $26,000.
1996 CHEVROLET CAMARO
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| 1996 CHEVROLET CAMARO VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS |
| Description: |
Compact hatchback, convertible |
| Model Options: |
Compact hatchback, convertible |
| Wheelbase: |
101.1 inches |
| Overall Length: |
193.2 inches
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| Engine Size: |
OHV 3.8-L V6
OHV 5.7-L V8
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| Transmission: |
V6: Manual/5, Auto/4
V8: Manual/6, Auto/4 |
| Drive: |
Rear |
| Braking: |
V6: Power disc/drum/ABS
V8: Power 4-disc/ABS |
| Airbags: |
2 |
| Gas Mileage: |
V6: 19/30 mpg
V8: 16/27 mpg |
| MSRP Price: |
$ 15,500 to $ 26,000 |
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