camaro generations - camaro club of san diego...the mission bay to gaslamp cruise was an absolute...

Camaro

April 2012

Camaro Club of San Diego Monthly Newsletter

Generations

Contents 1 Title Contents 3 Officers, Club Info, Meeting Info 4 President’s Message 5-7 Recent Events: Mission Bay to

13-35 2012 Annual Borrego Springs Desert Run

36 Camaro Pic 37-38 Message From GM: Scott Settlemire 39-41 GM Press Release 42 Camaro Pic 43 Camaro Lexicon 44 Events Calendar

Page 2

8 Camaro Quote 9-12 My Camaro: Cal Montgomery

Gaslamp Cruise

CCSD 2012 Officers President: Jody Vacala Vice President: Ken Garcia Secretary: April Moyer Treasurer: Teresa Meyer Activities Director: Curtis Darnell Car Club Council Rep: Cal Montgomery Newsletter Editor: Rob Quisenberry Webmaster: Kari Raley

www.camaroclubofsandiego.org

Sponsored by:

Next CCSD Club Meeting: When: Wednesday, April 04, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. Where: Courtesy Chevrolet in Mission Valley 750 Camino del Rio North

Note: You do not need to own or drive a Camaro to belong to the club. Anyone who loves Camaros and is interested in these iconic automobiles is welcome. You can always get a ride with one of the members.

Camaro Club of San Diego P.O. Box 421164 San Diego, CA. 92142-1164

President’s Message

Hello CCSD Members, Our newly designed website is up and running and looks great! Kudos to Kari for all her work to make our website more up-to-date. In the meantime, if you notice something "wonky" going on, please send the Webmaster a quick note describing what you're experiencing (screenshots are helpful - she prefers .jpeg or .gif images). Thank you Kari! This is the third of our new newsletter, thanks to Rob. We are really starting to look more professional. Rob puts a lot of effort into the newsletters and it is fun to see what he has in store for us each month. If you missed the March meeting, you missed Cal and Val talking about their Camaro. It looked beautiful sitting on the showroom floor at Courtesy Chevrolet, and from what I’ve heard it drew people in when they saw it from the freeway. Thank you Cal and Val, for sharing your car with us and telling us your story. For those who missed it, it’s included in this month’s newsletter. Phyllis Mazaika’s Berlinetta will be on the showroom floor for the April meeting, so come out to hear her story! I particularly want to thank Tanya and the folks at Courtesy for sponsoring us, letting us hold our meetings at the Dealership and for letting us bring our cars in. What a treat for our members. If you want your car featured, come to a meeting and submit your name into the drawing. At each meeting, those who are present can put their name in to see who brings their car to the next meeting. We just did the Borrego Run with the El Cajon Chapter of the Harley Owners Group, the Corvette Club of San Diego and the Gen 5s. I was behind the first group of motorcycles but I’ll bet it was a spirited run for the first cars going down. We all went to the Visitor Center and enjoyed our picnic lunches. Some made their way to Christmas Circle for the art show (which had been rescheduled from the week before due to rain) before heading home. Thank you to all who participated. Be sure to check out the calendar on the website for upcoming events. I hope to see you at the next meeting. Jody

mailto:[email protected]?subject=CCSD Website going wonky

The Mission Bay to Gaslamp Cruise was an absolute blast. It was organized in

short order due to a cancellation of the Fred’s Cruise. The event began at 4:30 PM on Saturday March 3rd. Five Camaros met at the Mission Bay Visitors Center on a perfect, warm San Diego evening. Rolling along Mission Bay, a number of families with kids were thrilled to hear us roar by. Cruising down Garnet Street in Pacific Beach to the ocean, crowds of onlookers on the sidewalks smiled and flashed us thumbs up. Even a Prius driver had to check us out. The sun was beginning to settle down in the west and the air had that unique So Cal smell to it, a combination of sea spray and coconut sun tan oil. Along the way Curtis curiously took us down one of the narrowest (and smelliest) alleys in the city. We slowly avoided the massive pot holes, eased past the rusty dumpsters full of reeking fish entrails and rotten meat and then carefully negotiated the extremely tight left turn onto yet another dark and smelly alley which eventually led us back to civilization again. Curtis later tried to convince us that this was part of the cruise, but we all understood that he just waited too long to get into the left turn lane for Mission Bay Drive.

Curtis starting his car with a screwdriver on the starter. Some sort of racer’s trick.

We made our way through heavy traffic to the Sports Arena area and feasted on gourmet burgers. The plan was to eat at Big Daddy’s, but it had been replaced by trendy BGR. After a leisurely dinner discussing cars, movies and music we drove past the airport to downtown. Continuing past Horton Plaza we slowly made our way through the Gaslamp District. The louder cars engaged in a high decibel exhaust dialogue at the many red lights and stop signs, to the great amusement of the crowds on the sidewalks. Curtis, as the lead car, set off all car alarms along the street with his loud second Gen Camaro. Our car was at the rear of the pack, so we retriggered the same alarms as we passed by. Great fun!

Club Event: Mission Bay to Gaslamp Cruise

At one traffic light we were stopped next to a van full of Japanese teenage guys. They rolled down their windows to hear our car and began calling out. I assumed they wanted some more noise so I ran up the rpms a few times to entertain them. They were laughing and cheering and high-fiving each other. It occurred to us that seeing and hearing a convoy of obnoxiously loud Camaros isn’t something that happens very often in Japan. We were glad we could share a part of American automotive culture with them. This encounter got me pondering why Camaros are as generally popular as they are. Other more expensive sports cars don’t always elicit such positive responses from people on the street. Maybe the expense and exclusivity of those cars prevents average folks from expressing their delight or admiration. They are unattainable for most of us. Camaros, on the other hand, are accessible to the average driver. Unlike Corvettes, Porsches and Lamborghinis, anyone can own a Camaro if they want to. There is a wide range of cars available in large quantities for any budget, from old fixer-uppers to the new top of the line ZL-1. There are few barriers to the Camaro lifestyle. Camaros are truly the affordable Super Cars.

We ended the cruise in front of the Automotive Museum in Balboa Park. It was too bad the evening had to end. There’s nothing better than being part of a Camaro convoy, with the noise echoing off the tall buildings. The only way to improve the evening would have been to have many more Camaros to ride along with us. Next time, let’s try to have fifty cars. Or even more. The Editor

Club Event: Mission Bay to Gaslamp Cruise

“The Camaro Z28 isn’t the poor man’s Corvette --- it’s the thinking man’s Corvette.” Motor Trend magazine, August 1994

My Camaro: Cal Montgomery


The club recently initiated a new program whereby CCSD

members may publicly display their cars in a unique way. Names are thrown into a hat for a draw and the winner brings their car into the Courtesy Chevrolet showroom for the CCSD monthly meeting. The cars are parked inside the morning of the meeting and the owners show their car to the club that evening. Sometimes the stories can be very interesting…..

Cal Montgomery got to show his incredible

1968 Rally Sport at the February meeting. Painted in Corvette Bronze, a new color for ‘68, the car looked as if it had just rolled off the assembly line. Built in the Van Nuys plant and purchased used in 1970, it served as Val’s (Cal’s wife) daily driver for 21 years. Val even used it for carpooling, although she took care to park it at the far end of the lot, away from the door dingers. Carefully maintained and lovingly restored, this RS actually pulled people in off the nearby I-8 freeway to see it. Numerous purchase offers were made, but this car is currently not for sale.

Cal and Val presenting their car

Original interior with Hounds-tooth upholstery


The car came with a 327 ci V8 and a 2 barrel carb. Rebuilt and tuned by local speed shop JBA in 1992, it now features a Holley 650 4-barrel carb, Edelbrock intake, Holley short tube headers and Magnaflow exhaust. It dynos at 315 HP and sounds great. Cal also pointed out the cast metal plaque prominently displayed in the rear window. With a scimitar below the word “San Diego Nomads”, this sign would tell other drivers Cal’s car club affiliation in those early days. Originally suspended from the rear bumper, this was known as “dragging a plaque.” Cal apparently engaged in quite a lot of Chula Vista street racing and other less-than-legal hot rod activities in his youth. We won’t print any of them here. Our advice is “don’t mess with Cal”, especially if you see him wearing his black leather jacket. The editor

Original wheels!

Old school engine bay with orange block & intake


Beautiful from any angle. Check out the original black and gold California plates.

The 2012 Annual Borrego Springs Desert Run

Saturday, March 24, 2012

10:00 am Half a dozen CCSD Camaros invade the Poway Sabre Springs AAA parking lot. We meet, grab some coffee, switch on the radar detectors and roll out. Meanwhile more Camaros, Corvettes and Harleys leave from two other locations to converge at Dudley’s.

Bit chin’… Ca… ma… ro’s…

The main route to Borrego Springs: from Poway through Ramona to Dudley’s Bakery in Santa Ysabel to meet the others. From there it’s all down hill to the desert floor.

Piercing the morning mist, the convoy of Camaros thunders through Ramona and the surrounding countryside. I run behind Phyllis and Mike Mazaika’s 3rd Gen Berlinetta much of the way to Dudley’s. Mike expertly negotiates the curves with only occasional applications of the brakes. I assume he’s downshifting and working the gearbox, but later find out that he’s driving an automatic. Now that takes skill. Good throttle control…

Note to file: if you want to drive fast go to the back of the pack. With all the stop lights and other slow drivers interrupting the formation, the last car really has to hustle to keep up.

Today must have been Slow Toyota Day. Every time our pack gets split up it’s because of a very, very slow Toyota. First a Camry, and then a couple of Corollas, and then some other clunker. Eventually they go away, or we blast past them. Why don’t they just park and walk? They’d get there faster.

11:00 am +/- Meeting up at Dudley’s Bakery in Santa Ysabel. Waiting for the El Cajon HOGs (Harley Owners Group) and the other C5 Camaros to arrive. Time to stock up on fresh bread and pastries.

The HOGs arrive, too many to count. You hear them before you see them.

The Corvette Club of San Diego is well represented. They will follow the Camaros down the mountainside.

Chrome, chrome and more chrome. A photographer’s paradise!

Makes you wonder how much time it takes to get chrome to shine like that.

Curtis gathers everyone together for a Driver’s Meeting. Fast Camaros will lead the pack, slower cars in the middle and then the Harleys. Don’t run off the cliff. Cool? Here we go.

On the Montezuma Valley Road. Of course, all local and federal speed limits are observed at all times. No speeding tickets are reported by any of the participants.

Downshifting to attack the apexes, the Camaro onslaught descends into the desert. The sounds of snarling V8s combined with the smell of exhaust and hot tires create the impression of a road race like the Italian Mille Miglia, except that we have a sheer cliff face on one side. How far down is it again? Doesn’t matter, concentrate on the line.

Tim Nealon’s beastly 600+ HP Hennessey Camaro is in front of me all the way down the mountain. Sounds like a race car. Gee Tim, shouldn’t that plate read “IB FAST?”

Curtis, in the lead car, occasionally slows the pack to allow the sluggish vehicles ahead of us to pull away. This gives us more room to properly attack the curves. Passing on these tight curves and switchbacks is almost impossible (and mostly illegal).

We finally run out of mountain and arrive at the Borrego Springs Park Visitor Center. The Christmas Circle is occupied by an art show so this is our back-up meeting spot. Plenty of room to park. We need some 1st Gens here! The cars and bikes are arranged for the photo shoots. The weather is perfect; not too hot and not too cold.

12:20 pm

It’s surprising how much some spirited driving can stimulate the appetite. A picnic lunch in the desert sand is just the ticket. Mike and Phyllis share their homemade cookies with everyone.

A visit to the Visitor Center to watch the park movie.

The bikers enjoy taunting the Camaro drivers. At least they feel like we are worthy to share the road with them. They probably don’t run with the Prius Club.

1:30 pm

We leave the park foliage behind and make our way south across the desert and up the Banner Grade to Julian. Once in the mountains and back on more sinuous roads our group becomes intermingled with a different group of Harley riders. What an experience to hear them roaring along with us.

Out of the desert and driving through the Cleveland National Forest on the Sunrise Highway. Snow patches are now visible in places. What a strange thing to see when we were in the arid Anza Borrego desert just a short time ago.

Lost track of the time…

More snow along both sides of the Sunrise Highway. Some areas near Mount Laguna have enough snow for families to enjoy some sledding. Luckily the roadways are dry and clear. Only four cars remain.

April Moyer proves that she can hang with any of the fast cars in her blue 2nd Gen Camaro. Even though the narrow front tires look better suited for drag strips, she can carve canyon roads with the best of them.

your calendar

What an outstanding run. This is what Camaros are for. I’m ready for a tall cold one when I get home. If you missed the Desert Run this year, definitely mark your calendar for the next one and be there. And bring cookies…..

Text & photos by the editor. In car photos were shot through the windshield with a portable camera in one hand. Will try to get a Go Pro next time.

All good things must eventually come to an end. On westbound I-8 just east of Pine Valley. An easy freeway cruise back to San Diego.

Message from GM: Scott Settlemire

Good morning, Camaro Comrades, Firebird Friends, and Corvette Cousins! Let's take a walk back in time to 2001, shall we? In August of that year, I was asked to help craft a press release that would upset a lot of people. That Press Release announced to the world that, indeed, we would discontinue the production of the Chevrolet Camaro (and Pontiac Firebird) by August of 2002. We put a word in that press release (...that got a few of us within GM into a bit of trouble internally......) - and that word was "hiatus." A few hours after that Press Release hit the wires, I sent a note out to the Camaro/Firebird Enthusiast community at large -- and in that note, I begged you to please "Keep the Faith." I wanted you to know that one day the Camaro would once again return to the American and Canadian Market. None of us within the company knew for sure WHEN that would happen......or, for that matter, that it WOULD happen. I simply knew that this legendary automobile was beloved by so many Enthusiasts --- the very people who put other GM and Chevrolet cars and trucks in their garages. And - as many of you have heard me say over and over: "Everyone - EVERYONE - has a Camaro in their past......." After reading that Press Release in the summer of 2001 -- You could have said "....OK.....that's it.....I'm done with GM....." .........but you didn't. You could have said "........fine - I'll buy a Mustang and get rid of my Camaro and all of my Camaro stuff.....the HECK with GM....." ..........but you didn't. Many of you could have said "....well....what's the use in even having a Camaro Club? - let's just close it up and move on......." .........but you didn't.

In fact, most of you continued to grow your clubs - and gather many times a year to celebrate these great automobiles. You could have sent me many nasty-grams and told me "where to get off".......... .........but you didn't. No - you didn't. Rather: --you trusted GM - --and you trusted me - --and you "kept the faith" -- --and you kept gathering with like-minded individuals to preserve 'All things Camaro.'......... --and together, we (that's you and me...) watched as the Camaro roared back into the market-place. By any measure, it's been a resounding success. It continues to win awards......it continues to win accolades. And 'whoda thunk' that we'd be offering a Camaro -- straight off the showroom floor - with 580hp? So - I share this next Press Release with you -- and we have YOU to thank for our success. Without you and your enthusiasm and your 'faith' -- none of this would be possible. So - Thank you - thank you - THANK YOU! It IS INDEED - a GREAT time to be a Camaro enthusiast! Your Camaro Comrade - Scott

Message from GM: Scott Settlemire

For Immediate Release: Monday, Feb. 27, 2012

Chevrolet the Top Performance Brand in the U.S. Corvette and Camaro accounted for one in three sports car sales in 2011 DETROIT – Chevrolet is America’s favorite performance brand, with Camaro and Corvette accounting for one out of every three sports cars sold in the United States in 2011. In 2011, Chevrolet accounted for 37 percent of the sports-car segment with the sale of 88,249 Camaros, surpassing its nearest competitor, the Ford Mustang, by more than 18,000 units. That lead is expected to increase when the new Camaro ZL1 goes on sale this month. Chevrolet accounted for 27 percent of the luxury-sports-car segment in 2011, with a total of 13,164 Corvettes sold. Corvette – currently the only domestic car in the segment – more than doubled the sales of its nearest competitor, the Porsche 911.

GM Press Release

Top 5 Sports Cars by 2011 Total Sales and Market Share 1. Chevrolet Camaro 88,249 37% 2. Ford Mustang 70,438 29% 3. Dodge Challenger 39,534 16% 4. Honda CR-Z 11,330 5% 5. Hyundai Veloster 9,284 4%

Top 5 Luxury Sports Cars by 2011 Total Sales and Market Share 1. Chevrolet Corvette 13,164 28% 2. Porsche 911 6,016 13% 3. BMW 6-Series 3,903 8% 4. BMW Z4 3,479 7% 5. Mercedes SLK 3,220 7%

“With the addition of the Camaro ZL1, there are only a handful of brands in the world with two cars that can match the performance, technology, and excitement of Corvette and Camaro,” said General Motors North America President Mark Reuss. “Unlike many competitors’ performance cars, the Corvette ZR1 and Camaro ZL1 are appropriate for both daily drivers and track use from the factory – with standard coolers for brakes and drivetrain.” “And we challenge any company to bring two cars to compete with the Corvette ZR1 and Camaro ZL1, dollar for dollar,” Reuss continued. “They will discover what enthusiasts already know – that Chevrolet Camaro and Corvette are the world’s best performance cars for the money.” To demonstrate the capabilities of the Corvette and Camaro, Chevrolet recently tested both cars on the “Grand

Course” at Virginia International Raceway. The Grand Course configuration is a challenge for production cars because it requires prodigious power, precise handling and tenacious grip to record a fast lap.

The 2012 Corvette ZR1, equipped with new Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires, lapped the Grand Course in 2:45.6 – faster than the published lap time for any production car. The 2012 Camaro ZL1 lapped the Grand Course in 2:52.4 – more than 10 seconds faster than the published lap time of the Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca on the same track.

Car and Driver Magazine, which conducts the annual Lightning Lap shootout at VIR, called the track “the nearest thing to the Nurburgring’s fabled Nordschleife.” “The Grand Course at VIR is an excellent test of all-around vehicle performance,” said Al Oppenheiser, global chief vehicle engineer for Rear Wheel Drive and Performance Cars, General Motors. “Like the Nurburgring, a single lap at VIR tests every aspect of a car, including power, brakes, steering, tire grip and chassis balance. To break a three-minute lap on the four-mile Grand Course is an incredible accomplishment for any car.”

GM Press Release

https://webmail.west.cox.net/do/redirect?url=http://virnow.com/files/2011/11/VIRResortMap2012.jpg

https://webmail.west.cox.net/do/redirect?url=http://www.caranddriver.com/features/lightning-lap-2012-feature

GM Press Release

The Corvette ZR1 is the most powerful vehicle Chevrolet has ever produced, with a supercharged, 6.2L, LS9 V-8 delivering 638 horsepower and 604 pound-feet of torque. Of all mass-production companies, Chevrolet is the leader in carbon fiber use, with the lightweight material used for structural components on the ZR1 including the front fenders, hood, roof, front splitter, rocker panels and floor pans. With a curb weight of 3,353 pounds, the ZR1 features a power-to-weight ratio of just 5.2 pounds per horsepower. As a result, the ZR1 is also the fastest Chevrolet ever produced, capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds, and reaching a top speed of 205 mph. The Corvette ZR1 starts at $112,575, including destination. The Camaro ZL1 is the most powerful Camaro ever produced, with a supercharged, 6.2L, LSA V-8 delivering 580-horsepower, and 556 pound-feet of torque. It is also the most sophisticated Camaro ever, with exclusive performance technologies including Performance Traction Management and Magnetic Ride suspension. Other standard performance features include six-piston Brembo brakes, and coolers for the rear differential, brakes, and transmission. As a result, the ZL1 is also the most capable Camaro ever, accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds, reaching a top speed of 184 mph, and lapping the famed Nurburgring in just 7:41.27. The Camaro ZL1 starts at $54,995, including destination.

Both Corvette and Camaro have also recently been recognized by IntelliChoice as being the best overall value in

their segments – further proof that consumers are getting more performance for their money from Chevrolet.

https://webmail.west.cox.net/do/redirect?url=http://www.intellichoice.com/2-7/best-car-value-awards.html

Camaro: It’s more than a car. It’s an adventure.

A rally stripe that runs only around the top of the nose down to the engine size badge and then back to the rear along the belt line, resembling a handlebar mustache.

Camaro Lexicon: Mustache/Moustache

Events Calendar

Our official Club Mascot, Walter. More about him later. Stay tuned…

camaro generations - camaro club of san diego...the mission bay to gaslamp cruise was an absolute...

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