This article was written to cover the account
of the Camaro and Firebird ceasing production, what happened after
that and what could happen next.
Part I - The Beginning
of the End...or Not? When General
Motors announced plans to halt production on Camaros and Firebirds,
a very cold shudder swept through the F-body enthusiast community.
After 35 years, it was a crushing blow in the form of something
we all felt was going to happen even though no one wanted to believe
it. It left all of us feeling abandoned and alone, with only
questions ranging from "why did this happen" to "what
do we do now?", all the while Ford
mocked and didn't hide their glory. Many took it somewhat personally,
and vowed to never buy GM again.
After roughly a year of swimming in a huge pool of mass-confusion
and a relative amount of despair, ideas were generated by desperate
enthusiasts in the hopes that from very far away, GM would awaken
to hear the wishes of those who wanted the car to come back the most.
And from very far away, not a sound was heard back from GM.
Remaining hopeful and continuing to hold on to the dream that the
enthusiasts would shape even a small part of the future, our own 5th
Generation and Future Vehicles Discussion forum became one of
the most popular sources for conversation on what will come next...if
anything at all.
