2008 Chevrolet Camaro GS Racecar Concept

(from General Motors Press Release)  One of the most iconic cars of the legendary Trans Am road racing series was the distinctive blue-and-yellow Camaro of Mark Donohue. He was a dominant racer in the series and drove his #6 1969 model to the series championship that year.

The GS Camaro shown at SEMA was designed, engineered, fabricated, and developed by the folks in the GM High Performance Vehicle Operations at the GM Proving Grounds, in Milford, Michigan.  GM’s High Performance Vehicle Operations re-created the look and feel of that standout racecar with a tribute that looks, sounds and drives like it’s ready to do battle with its contemporary pony car competitors. In fact, the heritage-inspired racer is more than concept. It is an early prototype for the Grand Am Koni Challenge GS racing class. Racecars like the GS Concept are offered and manufactured by Riley Technologies for the 2009 Grand-Am season.

The GS Concept features the race-ready suspension, reinforced chassis and drivetrain conform to the specifications required of racecars certified for the series. In fact, this racecar has already logged many hours on the racetrack as team members worked to dial-in the chassis and powertrain. Additional features include:

-- Seam-welded production Camaro body-in-white
-- Carbon fiber hood, trunk lid, doors and fenders
-- Production LS3 V-8 engine (used with solid engine mounts)
-- Tremec 6060 six-speed manual transmission with close-ratio gearing
-- Three-inch exhaust system with Coast Fab mufflers
-- C&R racing aluminum radiator
-- Upgraded engine oil cooler
-- Transmission and differential coolers

The GS Racecar Concept is shown at SEMA just as it was last driven off the track, with the grime, brake dust and body imperfections commensurate with a day’s worth of racing. Indeed, it isn’t a car that spent hundreds of hours in a body shop in a quest of sheet metal perfection. It displays the bruises of competition and wears them as badges of honor.

Like Donohue’s ’69 Camaro racecar, the GS Racecar Concept wears a deep blue paint scheme that is accented with yellow graphics, a yellow-painted interior and yellow racing wheels.