Lingenfelter Performance Engineeering (LPE) — perhaps best known for its tire-shredding Lingenfelter Corvettes — has announced that it will be producing a line of body components for the 2010 Camaro. According to a post on the LPE website, the following components will be available for purchase by Q3 2009:

• Front Fascia & Rocker Extension
• Front Splitter
• Grille Bar Insert with Wire Mesh Texture
• Hood with Air Extractors
• Rear Deck Lip Spoiler
• Rear Fascia Extension with Exhaust Tips
• Rear Tail Lamp Panel

Pricing and additional details have yet to be revealed, but LPE promises to release that info soon.

If you’re already saving your pennies (or contemplating taking a hammer to your piggy bank) to buy Lingenfelter’s 800 HP Intercooled Twin Turbo Package for the 2010 Camaro SS, these new body components may fit the bill.

Pontiac R.I.P.

General Motors announced the details of its updated Viability Plan on Monday. In a statement announcing the news, GM said that this plan will “speed the reinvention of GM’s U.S. operations into a leaner, more customer-focused, and more cost-competitive automaker.” That reinvention has resulted in the elimination of the storied Pontiac nameplate, which will be phased out in 2010.

GM will move forward with only four core card brands in the U.S., including Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC. Saab, Hummer, and Saturn are also being shown the door, with the fate of all three slated to be sorted by the end of 2009.

Other aspects of the viability plan include a significant restructuring of GM’s dealer network, with the General going from 6,246 GM dealers in 2008 to an estimated 3,605 by the end of 2010.

“We are taking tough but necessary actions that are critical to GM’s long-term viability,” said Fritz Henderson, GM president and CEO. “Our responsibility is clear – to secure GM’s future – and we intend to succeed. At the same time, we also understand the impact these actions will have on our employees, dealers, unions, suppliers, shareholders, bondholders, and communities, and we will do whatever we can to mitigate the effects on the extended GM team.”

GM recently announced that a 2009 Corvette ZR1 — driven by GM Development Engineer Jim Mero — managed to compete a lap of the famed Nürburgring race track in Germany in an astonishing 7:26.4 seconds. That’s well into supercar territory, and once again demonstrates that the Corvette engineering team is one of the best things the General has going for it.

Maybe GM should put Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge J. Juechter and his team to work on the Chevy Volt? I’m sure a Volt tweaked by the Corvette squad would be blowing Toyota’s vaunted Prius into the weeds, and get better mileage in the process.

Related:

• The Corvette Z06 is a Success. Is the ‘Blue Devil’ Next?

_{(Source: GMnext Blog) [- Jeff James]}

^{photo: © Calvin Cheng}

A nice comparison article over at Wheel Talk pits a C6 Z51 Corvette against a Porsche Cayman S. The comparison is written by Calvin Cheng, and does an admirable job of summarizing the strengths and weaknesses of both vehicles in a location that they were cleary optimized for: the racetrack.

Here’s an excerpt:

One thing that struck me was how much the engine sticks out more in the Corvette. While the Cayman’s engine has a glorious sounding note at idle, it fades into being a supporting cast, albeit a significant one, when the driving gets underway. With the Corvette, you are always conscious of the engine. It is the heart and soul of the car. That’s the quintessential muscle car experience.

The author provides lots of in-depth opinion and information about his track experience with both vehicles on the track. The post was dated late last year, but it’s well-worth a look — be sure to check out the author’s earlier post also, which includes lap times and additional photos.

(Source: Wheel Talk) [- Jeff James]

Internet search behemoth Google unveiled a new initiative last week designed to raise awareness of plug-in hybrids and “vehicle-to-grid” technology. The currrent program involves a number of conventional hybrids (specifically 4 Toyota Priuses and 2 Ford Escapes) that have been modified by electric-car specialist Hymotion to plug-in hybrid status. Google’s stated goal is to eventually have “…over 100 plug-in hybrids in its corporate fleet as demand grows and cars become commercially available.” The Prius image and infographic above is taken from the Google.org RechargeIt site, and shows what sort of improvements the plug-in hybrids in Google’s initiative offer.

In addition to the plug-in hybrid modifications, the other significant part of the initiative is the ability of vehicles to share their excess electric charge with the electricity grid. This RechargeIt video explains the process in a bit more detail. (Don’t miss the bit towards the end with former CIA Director James Woolsey talking about a new convergence between “tree-huggers…evangelicals…mom and pop drivers and Willie Nelson.”)

While it’s doubtful that the RechargeIt initiative will impact fuel consumption on a large scale — after all, we’re talking about 6 vehicles at the outset here — it does show that interest in plug-in hybrids and alternative fuel sources is growing significantly. Perhaps initiatives like this could help push companies like General Motors into developing vehicles like the Chevy Volt? (Source: Google.org) – [Jeff James]

With the flurry of new product introductions and concept vehicles being unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show this year, standing out from the crowd can take something special. I came across that something special in my first 30 minutes of walking the show floor: the Holden Efijy concept.

Developed by a team of engineers and designers at Holden (a GM subsidiary in Australia), the Efijy rides on a Corvette chassis and is powered by a supercharged 6.0 liter V8. The design screams old school, but I don’t care — this beauty is a sight to behold.

GM and Holden have already said that the Efijy would never see the light of day as a production vehicle, and that the effort was a “passionate side project” by Holden engineers who worked on the vehicle in their spare time. Despite the long list of concept vehicles unveiled in COBO Hall — from the Toyota FT-HS to the Chrysler Nassau and Ford Interceptor — I have to admit that the Efijy was my favorite concept of the show.

Funny thing about having a passion for something: it tends to produce breathtaking vehicles like this one. Here’s hoping that the obvious talent of these Holden designers and engineers is put to good use with the new 2009 Chevy Camaro, which is being developed on a Holden-engineered RWD platform. – [Jeff James]