2009 Chevrolet Camaro

2009 CHEVROLET CAMARO

Chevy's nostalgic pony musclecar will leave the starting line well after its rival Dodge-Camaro coupe production starts in February 2009, with a ragtop likely to follow in December. But maybe they're running a bracket race, with each car achieving similar sales at the finish line. Chevy envisions 65,000-70,000 initial sales, blooming to 100,000 when a V-6 comes online; Dodge totals are expected to be half that. Like the Challenger, the Camaro gets a proper B-pillar for crash-worthiness and a toned-down interior. Engine choices are likely to be cribbed from its Pontiac G8 platformmate, including a 6.0-liter LS2 V-8 (perhaps juiced to 400 horses) with a range-topping 500-horse V-8 rumored to follow. The base engine should be a 3.6-liter V-6, but don't expect it to mimic 1969's rock-bottom pricing.

SUM UP: As always, Camaro will likely outperform and undersell archrival Mustang.