There’s always a point at which you see your first unglamorous example of a newer generation of vehicle that you had seen up to that time in only good-to-great condition. It was utterly jarring the first time I had seen a current, tenth-generation (2014+) Chevrolet Impala with a busted front bumper cover that was attached, haphazardly, to the front of the car with what I had presumed to be automotive adhesive tape. (Thank goodness the color of the tape matched the car’s black finish closely enough.) Still, I was aghast. In my mind, this car seemed far too nice and new for its owner to have resorted to the kind of third-rate repair solution on display, which looked semi-permanent.
Eating breakfast at Tom’s Coney Cafe in Flint, Michigan, watching the news as it was announced that GM had emerged from bankruptcy protection. July 2009.
With all of that said, I had attended the 2010 Chicago Auto Show at McCormick Place Convention Center with a bunch of friends, back in February (Sunday the 14th) of that year. There were too many of us (two carfuls) to all try to stick together as we wandered around, sat in the vehicles and collected brochures, but I remember wanting to go to the General Motors section toward the beginning of our time there. Just seven months earlier, in July of 2009, I was sitting in a diner in my old neighborhood in Flint, watching in real-time on television the historic moment when it was announced that GM had successfully emerged from bankruptcy protection. Being home in the birthplace city of General Motors to witness this gave me goosebumps, as I wolfed that hearty breakfast.
2010 Chevrolet Camaro in Synergy Green, as photographed at the Chicago Auto Show at McCormick Place Convention Center. Sunday, February 14, 2010.
The return of the Camaro to Chevrolet’s product portfolio for model year 2010 was huge, and in my mind, the fifth generation cars still look new-ish designs to me. Subsequent models have looked like evolutionary takes on the 2010’s rebirth (which resembled a modernized take on the ’69). I was a huge fan of the redesigned 2005 Mustang (still am) which had no direct, domestic competitors at the time of its debut. However, it’s no fun to be the best at something with no challengers. (How else would you know you were the best?) The reborn Dodge Challenger would arrive for model year ’09. Still, I had lamented the demise of the beautiful, fourth-generation Camaro after 2002 (even if I would not want to be a passenger in one), and was thrilled to see this model’s return, albeit in a totally different shape than what had directly preceded it.
The above example at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show was an absolute stunner in its Synergy Green metallic paint, and the standing queue to sit in it was long. I suppose that if I had been by myself and not with friends who weren’t quite as gung-ho over GM as I was, I might have waited in that line, but I didn’t. It was even trickier to get a clear photograph of this car, as it was swarmed (and probably covered with fingerprints), but I did manage this one shot of one of its nicer angles with my point-and-shoot.
Fast forward to 2019, and I recently saw this example of a same-generation Camaro near Wrigley Field with dent-free body panels, but with a paint job that could have been from a used-up, fifteen-year-old ’77 Cutlass in my high school parking lot. I’ve seen a few of these 2010 – ’15 Camaros in less than pristine condition, but this was the first example of one that legitimately looked on its way to beater-dom. It was then that it came to the forefront of my mind that neither I, nor the earliest examples of this generation of Camaro, are spring chickens. Or, perhaps, could this be a kind of “beater tribute”, with a paint job like this one deliberately applied to intentionally un-prettify its looks? Whatever the case may be, I do hope this Camaro and its owner live long lives – and can eventually decide on one exterior color.
Lakeview, Chicago, Illinois.
Sunday, July 28, 2019.
Sobering and depressing. Has it really already been 9 years since the new Camaro? Hard to believe.
And, we were teased with it’s introduction for 4 years prior to that.
And over 11 years since the Challenger was revived! The Challenger’s design has held up the best of the three original revived retro muscle cars – I’m glad they’ve kept it around with improvements where it counts.
MT, I’m so glad you pointed this out. I had to amend my text to reflect that the Dodge Challenger did, in fact, predate the reborn Camaro by one model year.
Hey, it’s sobering and depressing to think that only 27 years ago I was 31:)
Sobering and depressing that I’m 9 years older since the debut of the 2010 Camaro. But it beats the alternative.
LOL
I will play the optimist and ask if this could possibly be a deteriorating white wrap? But a really close look shows what looks like rust holes in the rocker panels.
This is one of those examples of cars that will probably come in only two kinds going forward – clapped out beaters and pristine garage queens, with nothing in between. 2000s Buicks seem to come that way in my area – they are either owned by their elderly original owners who keep them spotless or by folks with month left over at the end of the money.
I think the white is the actual paint color, the front of the car appears to have a vinyl wrap. Looks like the owner started removing it and gave up or took a break part of the way through. Probably after seeing how much residue was left behind and deciding to let a professional shop handle it.
I think it’s the other way around–partial, bad removal job of the matte, color changing blue/purple/whatever wrap. Looks like they went at it with a paint scraper!
Yeah its Plasitdip that wasn’t applied thick enough to easily peel and apparently they weren’t interested in spending the money on the dip dissolver.
The paint job could be the best Anti-Theft Deterrent device for a Camaro.
Like the Chameleon!
https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/chameleon/2859849
Much better than the VATS ignition system on third and fourth-generation Camaros, that’s for sure. At least it won’t leave you stranded.
Possibly something done for film or TV?
No bondo or grey primer, not impressed yet.
I’m not a Camaro guy at all, JD, but your first sentence really captivated me—so true!
Conversely, I remember my ’67 Chevy hand-me-down in its ninth year, with serious rusty fringe around all the lower margins, and already me doing what I could with Bondo©—nowadays on cars with all the lower plastic cladding it’s not the same thing.
Yes I completely agree with you. The way JD composed that first sentence was…touching! (I’m 47 btw)
Thanks, guys!
There’s also a c. ’13 Mustang convertible not far from where I live that already looks like it has had a hard (short, so far) life. My conundrum in wanting to write it up is so as not to seem like I’m passing judgement on its owner / driver. What to do sometimes. 🙂
I’ll go with the blue wrap option for $200, Alex. The more I look at the pictures, the more I perversely like it and I say as a non-fan of the reborn Camaro. I’m sure if I got closer it would probably look really horrible but from here the color shift/bits/blend works in a rat-ish kind of way. Lose the driver side inside door panel and he’s well ahead of the curve, having already been featured here after nine short years.
Jim, “perversely like it” is exactly how I felt about this Camaro! Nicely stated.
Is is just me or has that white, at least on the bottom, been applied with a paint brush?
It does, actually, look like this. I had thought about getting a few close-up shots, but I was on my way somewhere after my church service and figured, meh (to use Sam’s great word, below), just get one or two good profile shots of it. 🙂
Meh. They cranked out a million and a half of these cars, none more special than the last.
At least this one is interesting to look at vs. the homogenous yellow/chrome rims…
Its hard for me to tell what’s going on there.
It does seem like a white wrap being removed.
But is that how it’s done? I’ve never seen a wrap in person, or one being removed.
Could it be a bad white paint job, done with a roller and very thick, and then regretted?
Someone’s first time painting, or using thick industrial tank paint like they paint those giant liquid chemical tanks with?
I just don’t get it. But it’s a good picture. And a mystery.
Another interesting piece, Joseph.
The sidebar to this article is when you see an example of your “newer” car sitting in the junkyard not due to accident, but just because they are worn out. I’m always surprised by how new some of the cars in junkyard that are there because they are worn out/high mileage, or failure of a part (i.e. CVT) that makes them uneconomical to repair.
My first thought was that the front fender got bashed in, and someone took a Sawzall and cut off the damaged section, maybe to easily reach parts underneath. But then I remembered just how far the plastic bumper cover and lamp modules wrap around the fenders and hood on newer cars.
I’m surprised to see the odd scruffy Golf VI, Focus II and E90 3-series around here. Given the age of the early ones it makes sense though, they’re not new anymore. They don’t look worn out though unlike even 10 years ago, just neglect.
One of the big German automotive magazines started a very long-term test with a Golf VII 1.4 TSI and a W176 A-Class 1.6 petrol in 2013, with the intention of using them up completely. The Golf’s engine recently gave up the ghost at 280k km: one of the pistons had disintegrated. It still looked good otherwise. A lot of distance can be covered in relatively few years.
(That Golf will probably live on, sent to be fixed up in eastern Europe where labour costs are lower)
Plastidip Ocean Blue Pearl. https://www.dipyourcar.com/collections/dip-pearls/products/ocean-blue?variant=5631630532 that wasn’t applied thick enough to peel. The wheels are dipped too and you can see it is starting to fail around the edges too.
Yeah this mirrors all my experiences with plastidip. It doesn’t hurt the underlying finish they said. It peels right off when you’re ready to they said.
Well to peel easily you have to put it on thick enough.
Hmmm, something seems wrong here.
The complete quote is
“Live fast, die young, and leave a beautiful corpse“
Attributed to James Dean
Lokki, what’s interesting is that in writing this piece, I had researched this phrase and came up with more than a few variations and sources (in both word quotes and song lyrics)! I didn’t see the James Dean quote, but I did find one that was similarly morbid. LOL. I wasn’t trying to have readers thinking about actual corpses on a Monday morning! 🙂
Maybe the beater Camaro is trying to emulate the paint job (yes, paint) on this Bug..
Now, that’s whatcha call genuine “Rustoleum.”
Dan, this may quite possible be the perfect patina.
“On it’s way to beaterdom?”
This baby has ARRIVED ! 😉
Hilarious!
Never liked these Camaros but this look works. I’ve never taken a second glance at one with Z28 stripes and metallic finishes, they look like cheap plastic toys scaled up to 1:1, but wear and tear actually gives me the impression of it being an actual car for a change. Funny enough it even seems to highlight some of the good lines I don’t really look at normally.
I remember seeing the Camaro Concept at the 2006 Chicago Auto Show, then the 2007 convertible concept, I think Chevy gave a Hot Wheel Concept replica one year, by the time a production model was available in 2010, it was meh – who cares? That was a strange new model rollout, I imagine GM’s bankruptcy was the reason for the long delay? Meanwhile the Mustang seemed to be getting better, and while being too large the Dodge Challenger held it’s own. I’ve never been a fan of the tiny chopped-looking greenhouse, which gives the Chrysler 300, Challenger and Camaro a cartoonish appearance (IMHO).
Seeing this Camaro on its way to being a beater seems natural & is not a big surprise.
Great find, photos and write-up Joe! When I was growing up beater Camaros were all over the place, but this is the first modern one I have seen. I agree that this car appeared to have a wrap that’s been poorly removed.
Live fast, die young is what I used to say about Bimmers back in the late 80s.
I had never heard of Plasti Dip until this post. Now I suspect that a number of late model BMWs, Mercedes, Jaguars, etc. seen around Houston with flat/non glossy finishes have received a Plasti Dip treatment. Perhaps this also the case for some with exotic colors too.
It sure would be nice if one of the excellent writers here who knows something about the subject would give us a full writeup.
Went through same feeling a month ago when a hooptie 6 cyl 2006 Mustang pulled in next to me at the convenience store. Even took a picture of it to lament to my brother “I’m not ready for this…”.