2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS

THE NEW 2010 CHEVROLET CAMARO SS FIRST OF THE 5th-GENERATION. 2010 was the first year of the “New Chevrolet Camaro”, the 5th-Generation Camaro, and it was a total clean-slate design. Of course the last Camaro disappeared in 2002, so any carryover was highly unlikely. In 2006, under the capable leadership of Car Guy Legend and GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz, Chevy stunned audiences with a Camaro Concept Coupe, then in 2007 hit them again with the Convertible version. The acceptance was so good that GM brass approved it for production in late 2006. Production would commence in the Spring of 2009 in GM’s Oshawa, Ontario, Canada assembly line as a 2010 model.

2010 CHEVROLET CAMARO’s AUSSIE ROOTS

GM’s Australian division, Holden, had developed an excellent rear wheel drive (RWD) chassis architecture at a time when GM had converted virtually its entire car line to front wheel drive (FWD). The Zeta platform, as it was called, was used to underpin 2 excellent Pontiacs, the V8-powered G8 sedan and the awesome GTO sport coupe, both with longitudinal front-mounted engines and rear wheel drive. And they were hot! Unfortunately, the Pontiac brand didn’t survive GMs bankruptcy-induced “restructuring”.

5th-GEN CAMARO BUILT ON ZETA PLATFORM

A shortened version of the same Zeta architecture was selected for the Camaro. The talented Aussies at Holden led the final design, engineering and development work on the new Camaro. The first new Camaro coupe rolled off the Ontario, Canada assembly line on March 16, 2009. Right from the start, the full model-range was produced, including V6-powered LS and LT variants, and the V8-powered SS. By this time, even the V6s were ass-kickers. The 3.6 liter V6 made 312 hp and was available with either a 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic with manual shift option. To give some perspective here, the hottest engine you could get in a 3rd-gen Camaro was a ’89 to ’92 5.7 TPI V8 with G92 package (dual cats) at 245 hp (the same as the Corvette in those years). Even the 4th-gen Camaros with the LTI maxed out at 300hp. So, having a V6 in your Camaro isn’t quite the embarrassment that it used to be.

2010 CHEVROLET CAMARO SS GETS AWARD

Well, not just the SS, all the 2010 Chevy Camaros were named the 2010 Design of the Year by the World Car of the Year Awards.

2010 CHEVROLET CAMARO SS SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

While the stunning new 2010 Camaro was already an impressive machine, even with a V6, the SS model added to it and improved it in all the right places. Brembo provided the 4-wheel disk brake system, there was a stainless steel exhaust system, speed sensitive rack & pinion steering, sport suspension with heavier front & rear anti-roll bars, gas-pressurized shocks over coils and a heavy duty 3.34:1 axle ratio limited-slip differential. Electronic driving aids included ABS, “Stabili-Trak” stabilization and traction control that worked via both the ABS system and the driveline. Tires for the Super Sport were P245/45YR20.0 BSW Performance.

2010 CHEVROLET CAMARO SS ENGINE OPTIONS

The 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS was the only V8-powered Camaro for the model year. However, there were actually two Corvette-derived 6.2 liter V8s, depending upon your choice of transmissions. Order a 6-speed manual and you got the LS3 developing 426 hp at 5,900 rpm. Opt for the 6-speed automatic and you got the 400hp L99 V8.

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2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS SPECIFICATIONS