From another C6 enthusiast ...

Quote:

"Our local dealer gave a little talk on what he saw at the GM revealing of the C6. He said he liked it and it has a retro look with some sharp lines similar to the shark. He said the roof is like the T top which comes out as two pieces rather then one. He also said the new interior is very rich and looks like the a high priced interior. We asked if he felt the price would go up and he said he had no indication that it would. He also said all the GM cars would be getting and upgrade on their interiors without a big upgrade in price. They also unveiled a new SS Trailblazer with an LS2 6.0 liter V8 of about 400 hp. They called it a detuned Corvette engine. When asked what the C6 engine HP would be, they smiled but wouldn't reveal it. I know this is not much new info, but it does wet our apetite a bit. He didn't say if the two piece top left a bar in the middle like a real T-top or just came apart as two pieces. They were just told it was in two pieces. I hope it still leaves a full open space like the present top does."

Interesting points:
1. T top - Don't think the viewer got it right. Techno step backwards. MOre hassel to remove.
2. Rich interior - YEAH!!
3. No price increatse - YEAH!!!
4 SS Trailblazer. Like a spoiler on a Camry, or F1 Goodyears on a Civic. This is NOT the Chevy I loved growing up with.
5. LS detuned to 400 HP! ... so should be well over that for the C6 (415?, 425, 435?, maybe 450?!!!).

[LMN8R]

Seems like more good information to me. Seems like the stuff on the top may not be 100% correct.

I don't get your drift on the Trailblazer. You don't like them?

-Greg

[Brett]

No, I think he just means he doesn't think a Trailblazer is the type of vehicle that should get "SS" treatment. I tend to agree with him--they are two separate concepts. However, comparing it to a Camry with a spoiler, or F1's on a Civic isn't that great of a comparison, because a 400 hp LS2 WILL make the Trailblazer faster.

Cool info, LT. Thanks.


Brett

[LMN8R]

Got it. I've been a little slow all day. Unbeleivable.

The Trailblazer / Envoy is a great family 4 door SUV. Yes, I view the "SS" badge with a degree of reverence and I am disappointed to see it used on an SUV. SS brings Camaros, Chevelles, Novas and Impalas to mind, not Trailblazers. Your point is well made, however, that they are putting some significant power into this SS version. But it remains an SUV.

I just hate to see a front wheel drive, 240HP Impala SS pretender in the same lineup with a 400HP Trailblazer. I'm a vette guy first, and a car guy second, El Caminos are OK, but trucks, in my mind are beasts of burden. Chevy is ignoring their cars IMO. Maybe I'm just too much out of sync with today's market, certainly BMW and Porsche think so.

[Brett]

I wasn't making that point against you, LT. I totally agree with you, I think that does nothing but dilute the super-sport image.
Just a stab at ricer's who put everything BUT performance enhancements on their cars, and then think they have a hot rod. There are few things that annoy me more. At least the SS Trailblazer won't be a poser.


Brett

True enough. At 400HP the TB will be more of a straight line performer than some of the anemic, smogged 70's offerings we had to suffer through.

When the kids started fixing up the ricers, I was glad to see some of that generation taking SOME interest in cars. For a while I thought our (car guys) ranks were to become extinct. Certainly these cars are show cars and trailer queens with VERY few offering any performance. But at least they are showing interest in cars. Besides, one thing leads to another. Most of them will start with a K&N addition, then NOX and then they are hooked. Someday they may graduate to enter the V8 college of torque.

[Brett]

I was glad to see some of that generation taking SOME interest in cars. Someday they may graduate to enter the V8 college of torque.

I agree, but there is still a long way to go. It's just too bad there is so much false anti-propoganda about V8's and American cars.
Also, back in your day, it was all about performance. Now you get kids sprucing up their vehicles with nothing to back it up. Which is fine, if looks is what you are going for. But there are a lot of kids out there that talk smack when they put a cold-air intake and Kinex wing on the back, simply because they have an "Import". Being 22, and right in the middle of this age group, I get tired of it. It's also hard to build interest in a new generation in American cars when they don't have any to buy! Monte Carlo's with 200 horsepower? Yeah right. It truly is sad they killed off the F-bodies.


Brett

Yes, Brett we are of a mind here. I have raised my 14 year old on V8 power, and now it will bite me in the butt. He's not the slightest interested in anything less than a Z-28 or an older Chevelle SS FOR HIS FIRST CAR!! If he gets the grades (part of our deal) my insurance costs will be astronomical.

Appologies to all for digressing from C6 info here.

[budweisert]

For a lot of the kids my age, when we don't exactly have much money, we pretty much have to work with what we got.
Yes, you do see Honda's and Toyota's with neon-underglo's, aluminum "race" wings, beasty exhaust tips, and every styling accesory that APC makes. But, when you think of it, wasn't that pretty much the same thing those roudy, greaser-gang, teenagers were doing back in the Fifty's with thier parent's Buicks and Chevrolets???

You see, we are ALL hot-rodders. It doesn't matter what we drive or how it looks. The one common trait we all share is a passion for the automobile.

Do you want to know what I drive???
I got my parent's 1982 Volvo 4-door.
Not exactly what you would call a "B-itchin" car. However, Me being a True Hot-Rodder at heart, I am currently in the middle of a complete tear-down and Re-engineering Build-up which has spanned almost two long years and is still in progress. Trust me, when I get this finished, which should be in about 2-3 months, this thing is going to be incredible.
Ya know, they don't make too much 'aftermakerket components' for Volvo's and Guess What??? I don't exactly have $10,000 to blow on custom-built parts either. Instead I use what I do have: Time; Enginuity; Diligence; and supportive parents who are allowing me to do this. I'm trying to prove to everybody that it can be done.

. . . .Gotta' love those vette', though. . .

[Hib Halverson]

You might laugh at the first thought of a TrailBlazer SS but that is only one of the vehicles that GM's Performance Division has been developing, in-part at Nurburgring in Germany. The Performance Division's Chief Engineer is John Heinricy so you can bet that whatever form the TB SS takes, it's going to perform pretty well. Also, if the engine in the TrailBlazer SS is to be the LS2, at 400hp, it's not detuned. 400hp is believed by many to be the rating of that engine in C6. We'll know for sure in less than a month as GM Powertrain is set to introduce the LS2 to media on 10/28.

As for the Supercharged Impala SS....yeah, it's a front driver and that brings some weaknesses but, don't completely write-off front drive performance cars until you go see what's going on with sports compact cars in drag racing. Also, know that, although the Supercharged Impala has 20 less hp than did the B-car version, the new Impala weighs 900 pounds less than the old one. Because the new SS has a better power-to-weight ratio than the old one and virtually the same axle ratio, even though it's a front driver, it might not be the slouch some here think it will be.

Second the motion, Hib, our GTP is no slouch for sure. Ask some of the local V8 Rustangs and ricers!