2009 Chevrolet Camaro Preview

Few cars have been anticipated as much as the 2009 Chevrolet Camaro. After all, this isn’t just a next-gen follow-up to the waning years of the beloved pony car. No, this is a return to the glory years of muscle cardom, and a modern day interpretation of the Camaro at its best. The 2009 Camaro takes the best styling cues from the 1969 summer of love model and merges them with modern day technology bringing us a Mustang racer that is not only “far out,” but also “bangin’ hot.”

The Camaro was last produced in 2002, and some might argue that Chevy’s answer to the Mustang died years before that. Since then, pony car fans have had to switch loyalties to the Blue Oval to get their affordable rear-wheel drive V-8 American coupe fix. Ford’s Mustang has had the solo spotlight for five long years, and gearheads are in a frenzy for anything non-Mustang. The Dodge Challenger will be first to hit the streets and pre-orders have been phenomenal, but our bet is that the 2009 Chevrolet Camaro will be the real challenger that sends Ford’s pony back to the stable.

No powertrain has been confirmed for the 2009 Chevrolet Camaro yet, but the rumor mill has most people guessing that there will be three to four engines available: two V-6 choices and at least one if not two V-8s. As to which engines will actually end up in the Bowtie wearing pony, we’ll have to wait and see, however there is much speculation that there will be a 450-500 horsepower SS version, the only option if Chevrolet is really looking to give the Mustang a run for its money.

Plain and simple, the 2009 Chevrolet Camaro looks like an updated version of the 1969 Chevrolet Camaro. It’s almost like Chevy stopped production in 1969 and is finally bringing their original pony car back, allowing enthusiasts to forget about some of those leaner years where the Camaro lacked power, style and in some cases both.

We’re no different than most of the other auto enthusiasts scouring the net for anything new on the 2009 Chevrolet Camaro, and we can’t wait to get our hands on one. Ford’s weekly “special edition” Mustangs over the last year has given us our fill of ‘Stangs and like everyone else, we crave a taste of something new, not just a new stripe or limited edition color. Once again pony cars will sell based on performance, not just on hype. Chevy versus Ford, Camaro versus Mustang...just like the 2009 Chevrolet Camaro, it’s 1969 all over again, only better.

Vernon HeywoodMyRide Associate Editor Photo Credit: GM