This past March, we had the opportunity to sit down with the man himself, Lead Camaro Engineer, Al Oppenheiser. While we brought you the biggest portions from our discussion, we decided it would be beneficial to have our readers listen in on our full conversation with Oppenheiser.
So, we present you with 20 full minutes of Camaro banter and chit chat, where yours truly along with esteemed colleague, Manoli Katakis, pick the man behind the sixth-generation Camaro’s brain.
We cover 2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, where the Zeta platform ended up in development of the sixth-generation car, the Camaro’s lineage and portfolio plus much more.
Press play above, and surround yourselves with the sounds of the 2016 New York International Auto Show while we dive deep into our discussion.
Comments
The Camaro is built on a modified Alpha platform which is also used by Cadillac’s ATS and the first thing that pops into my head is that maybe Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen should give Lead Camaro Engineer, Al Oppenheiser a call and ask how Oppenheiser was able to build a convertible with the Alpha based Camaro.
JDN knows how to make a Alpha convertible.
The real issue is they need use the money and man power to make the CTS and ATS sedans the cars that he wants and what they need to be first before we start to worry about a low volume convertible that would only be a Halo car and not a profit center.
I really expect a small sports car roadster first as that would fit the market segment much better and better serve as a halo car first. I expect a Sub Alpha platform and that this car will come from that.
Right now a CTS or ATS convertible would have trouble not only against the Germans but even the present Camaro as it would be nearly as good and cheaper. Cadillac needs to do this different.
If anything JDN has made it clear he wants a 4 door convertible like Cadillac used to do years ago as a touring car. He would like to play on their prime heritage as they used to do many years ago. That was what they were known for when they were the standard of the world.