The 2010 Chevrolet Camaro has been in U.S. dealerships for over a year now, and demand for Chevy’s newest pony car has been strong from the get-go. And though the Camaro is based off the Australian Zeta platform and built in Oshawa, Canada, it still rocks a Bowtie badge and carries a 6.2-liter small block V8 under the hood. That makes the Camaro an American pony car in our book; one that will (finally) officially go on sale in England early next year.

But before our allies to the east get a chance to pick up a Camaro of their own, Fifth Gear host Jason Plato took the reins of a Bumblebee-flavored Camaro out on the track. Hit the jump to watch Plato show no mercy to the 3,860-pound coupe. In typical UK-reviewer-on-American-car-ese, we definitely hear words like “lazy” and “heavy,” but Plato still looks like a very happy man behind the wheel. If you like smoking tires, oversteer and burnouts you’ll definitely like this video.

Thanks to Brandi Hodge for contributing.

Check out the story from AutoBlog here. 

At some point in history, the notion of having a wood-lined automobile went from the pinnacle of awesome to the depths of loathsome. We’re guessing that demarcation falls at about the same point in time when automakers stopped using real wood and started gluing vinyl recreations to the sides of vehicles that were an affront to cool to begin with. If you need proof, please direct your attention to any number of woody Chrysler PT Cruiser models or, if you’re of stouter stomach, the self-proclaimed Chevrolet Spark Woody Wagon art car pictured above. 

Chevrolet UK decided to wrap one of the company’s diminutive people movers in wood-grained Di-Nocto harken back to the company’s American, youthful roots – or at least that’s what the press release says. If that’s not enough to send your head spinning, take a good close look at those tires. Yup, they’re wide whitewalls. 

The company has rolled out a few different one-off art Sparks so far, and plans to keep it up with a new British Touring Car Championship inspired version set for an unveil later this month. We’re guessing that one will strike our fancy a bit more than the trans-generational pastiche above. Hit the jump for the press release.

Thanks to Brandi Hodge for contributing.

Which one is your favorite? 

Thanks to Brandi Hodge for contributing.

If so, what did you do? 

It looks like someone spent a lot of money on some post-its for this prank. I just wondered what you would do to someone’s car if you were going to prank them. 

As many of you may or may not know we are somewhat of some pranksters around here at Classic Chevrolet. Hey what can we say? We like to have fun! 

Check out one of our latest pranks! 

Thanks to Brandi Hodge for contributing.

A brazen thief made off with a brand new 2010 Camaro as a truckdriver unloaded it from his transport vehicle.  The transport driver was delivering new merchandise to aChrysler JeepDealership in Tigard, Oregon and as a result had to unload the Camaro to get other vehicles off.  When the transport driver left the new 2010 Camaro unattended for a minute the thief jumped in the drivers seat and took off.  The transport driver chased after the Camaro on foot and eventually grabbed and held on to the drivers door as he sped away.  The transport driver held on for about a quarter-mile at speeds of around 45 mph until he was tossed when the thief drove through some grassy areas.

 What the car thief did not realize is the new 2010 Camaro was outfitted with OnStar so the police were contacted who than contacted OnStar to find the location of the vehicle.  The police located the stolen Camaro and a pursuit ensued with the thief doing some fancy driving to avoid being captured but in the end one of the Camaros tires was spiked by police and as a result the Camaro crashed right after.  The thief exited the Camaro only to be met by two police officers and they thought he might run so they tased him.  The thief was arrested on multiple charges including auto theft and evading arrest.  Sadly the new Camaro met a grim fate.

Thanks to Brandi Hodge for contributing.

Many malfunctions in the sunroof system fall into 2 categories that can often be related to each-other. Water leak issues and electrical problems. Sometimes wiring or switch corrosion can be caused by the water leaks. 

A power sunroof can slide the roof panel open or closed. You can also tilt the roof panel up in the back to allow fresh air into the passenger compartment. When driving down the road this can also pull a vacuum and remove stale air from the interior cabin.

In most cases power sunroofs are not that much different than electrically operated power window systems found in most automobiles. Many common parts are shared such as system relays, a master control switch and the motor assembly to perform the movement. 

Note that most power sunroof systems are protected by a circuit breaker instead of a fuse. This is in case the sunroof begins to bind. It protects the motor by opening the circuit breaker. Often when people have power sunroof problems they will begin to look for the fuse when there is actually none. A circuit breaker will reset automatically when it cools down. 

Power sunroof common problems

Often power sunroofs are a popular option that does not get used very often. When this system sits for months or years without being used often components can develop corrosion that may hinder operation when it is finally desired.

Since a sunroof is part of the exterior surface of the vehicle a complete watertight seal is necessary. If this seal fails or the automatic drain becomes clogged with debris and water sits around the components the corrosion mentioned above will be accelerated. For this reason a very common sunroof problem is water sealing and drainage.

Diagnosing power sunroof problems is pretty straightforward. The first thing to check would be the circuit breaker. Next you would want to verify power at the motor connector. In that case you would be working from the load back towards the battery. If there is no power at the motor you can break out a wiring diagram and do some pinpoint checks at the relay and switch.

To read the full article you can see OnlineAutoRepair.com

Have you ever had issues with your power sunroof? How did you fix it? 

Thanks to Brandi Hodge for contributing.

Well USATODAY.com put together a study and had some pretty interesting pieces of information. Check it out. 

If you want to feel really strange, drive a blindingly bright yellow car. As Drive On found out in the past week, you stand out like a sore banana. But then we spied an upside: who would dare steal a yellow car?

The downside of a driving a yellow car is you become convinced everyone is looking at you. Lose your car in the parking lot? Not a chance. But the Huffington Post pointed out the upside over the weekend: no one would dare steal it. If the police car radio squawked with the report of a just-stolen yellow car, the cops could probably get it back faster than you can say LoJack. Huffpo points to a Dutch study about how pink bicycles rarely get stolen compared to more mundane colors, then tries to draw the comparison to cars. Reasonable enough. We felt like we were finding out first-hand what the study was talking about:

Drive On has been tooling around Los Angeles in the past week in a stunning yellow Audi S4. If it were just another $59,150 sport sedan, it would fit right in with the mish-mash of Mercedes-Benzes and BMWs. But as a yellow car, it basically screamed out the attention — as if its lightning acceleration wasn’t enough.

One expert points out that yellow cars are about the only ticket to distinctiveness in a world filled with bland, earth-colored cars.

“You only see yellow cars in terms of new cars like semi-high performance,” says Tom duPont, publisher of the duPont Registry, a monthly guide of rare cars. “You never see a yellow Buick.”

One good reason: the color is so out of fashion that yellow cars could garner less on resale, the Dutch study points out.

Hey you could be driving around the Bumble Bee Camaro you just scooped up from your local Fort Worth Chevy dealer. Yes you may stick out like a sore thumb but at least you know that everyone is drooling at you as you drive by! 

Thanks to Brandi Hodge for contributing.

It’s hot outside, but even hotter inside a car. On a 90-degree day, the temperature inside a vehicle can quickly rise another 20 degrees in just the first 10 minutes. We all know the deadly consequences of leaving children or pets in a hot car. But in everyday driving, just getting in your car after it’s been parked in the sun for a while can be uncomfortable and has the potential to cause burns. Here are some tips on how to prepare for driving in the summer heat.

When parking, reducing the amount of sunlight coming in through the windows can minimize heat buildup inside the cabin:

• Park in the shade if possible.
• If you need to park in sunlight and you have a sunroof, close the shade.
• Put a sunshade in the windshield and another over the rear seat window, especially if you’ll be carrying children in car seats. Folding-type shades are easy to store while driving.
• If you’re parking in a secure area and there won’t be any rain, lower each window an inch or two. If you have a sunroof, you can leave it in the tilt position to provide extra ventilation.

When getting into your car, be careful not to burn yourself on hot surfaces:

• Open the windows for the first few minutes to let buildup heat escape.
• Bring a towel to sit on if you’re wearing shorts and have leather or vinyl seats.
• Be careful when buckling up to not touch the metal part of the seatbelt as you can burn yourself.
• Keep a light pair of gloves in the car if you find the steering wheel too hot to handle.

Driving in hot weather presents unique challenges for passengers and pets:

• If carrying children or pets in the backseat, bring plenty of water and snacks, and plan to stop more often to tend to them.
• Remember that the rear seat and cargo areas in SUVs, wagons, and minivans can be considerably warmer than the front-seat area. If you’re carrying passengers back there, and there are no backseat temperature controls, adjust the front a/c vents so they direct air to the rear.
• If you’re headed to the store, bring a cooler bag to keep frozen items from melting or defrosting before you get home.
• Keep in mind that high temperatures can mean power outages, which means that any gas stations that are affected could be out of service. Filling up in the morning will help you be ready for the unexpected.

For more advice on summer road travel, see our guide.

—Liza Barth

Thanks to Brandi Hodge for contributing.

You want the perfect garage don’t you? It’s the place where you park your baby. It’s the place where you tinker with your toys. It’s your man cave!! Ladies don’t worry it can be your cave too if you love cars like I know most of you do. 

Here’s the thing. You want a perfect garage? There are some things that can help you on your way. If you want to see all the tips check out Jalopnik, but I will share with you a few of my favorites. My garage is my secret getaway and it’s the place I park my Chevy. So I am proud of it. 

10.) Radiant Heated Floors

Suggested By: Eric Irish

Why You Need It: For those cold winter nights when you’ve almost got that last bolt un-siezed and you’re this close to getting the old part out, keep your feet warm with radiant tile. Heck, why stop in the garage? Get the whole house done while you’re at it!

8.) A Lift

Suggested By: Van Sarockin

Why You Need It: Van Sarockin suggests a lift of the hydraulic nature, but really whether it’s hydraulic or electric, having a lift in your garage is a luxury that truly makes it perfect. It’s often the one thing everyone wishes they had in the garage, but few get to the point of actually installing one.

7.) Live-In Shop Assistant

Suggested By: doug-g

Why You Need It: Need a tool from across the room? Forget to bring the part you needed under the car with you? No problem! With a live-in shop assistant, you can stay working under the car and send your assistant off to grab parts, turn up the stereo, and bandage your hand. Also, they’re good for delivering pizza.

6.) A Fridge

Suggested By: snapoversteer

Why You Need It: Snapoversteer says: “There’s something about a garage that makes it perfectly acceptable to drink a beer at 11:00 a.m.” For as long as mankind has toiled away in the garage, there has been beer there to help the process along. And that beer needs to stay cold, yet close at hand. The garage fridge is the perfect solution.

3.) Dry Erase Walls

Suggested By: stoke

Why You Need It: For when you absolutely need to scribble something down, but don’t want to stop to find a pen and paper, these walls are covered in paint that replicates a dry erase board. Diagram out your whole build, get shopping lists together, and draw on the wall the whole time! It’s all erasable, so when you’re done with that list, get a new one going in its place!

Those were just a few of my favs. What do you have to have in your garage? What’s important to you? If you have any questions or need any help getting your garage together give your Texas Chevy dealer a call. They have some pretty good ideas!

Thanks to Brandi Hodge for contributing.

I found this article over on Autoblog.com and I thought it was so interesting that I had to share it with you. This could be a major break through in the world of pollution and emissions. 

Researchers at the Eindhoven University of Technology (EUT) may be on the brink of discovering a breakthrough that will lead to reduced pollution and cleaner air for all. According to the EUT, a roadway made of concrete blended with titanium dioxide can effectively remove up to 45 percent of the nitrogen oxides that it comes in contact with. The titanium dioxide, a photocatalytic material, captures airborne nitrogen oxides and, with the aid of the sun, converts it to nitrates that are harmlessly washed away by the rain.

The EUT conducted real-world studies on a 1,000-square-meter section of repaved road in the Netherlands. Such testing showed that the laced pavement could reduce nitrogen oxides by 25 to 45 percent more than traditional concrete. As Jos Brouwers, professor of building materials at the EUT remarked, “The air-purifying properties of the new paving stones had already been shown in the laboratory, but these results now show that they also work outdoors.” 

Additional testing is still underway and although the pavement laced with titanium dioxide does cost some 50 percent more than regular cement, overall road-building costs only increase by a marginal 10 percent. Costs aside, the advantages of the titanium dioxide are readily apparent, but the implementation of such a product requires repaving our roadways – a time intensive and costly endeavor. 

What are your thoughts on this latest information? Do you think it’s good?

Thanks to Brandi Hodge for contributing.