(airbags not included)

Surprisingly, Chevrolet is not asking for more money in their latest press release; they have announced that they will sell the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro in a “body in white” configuration that will save weekend racers a lot of time and money for their dedicated racecar projects. While manufacturers have offered stripped down packages before such as the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution RS, I’ve never seen anything like this available to the public. What the $7,000 pricetag gets you is the Camaro frame, body panels (which includes the trunk, all fenders, hood, front and rear valences) , floor pan, and chassis rails.

Instead of having to buy a new car at full price,  or wait for prices to come down and grab a used one, those that wish to use the new Camaro for racing purposes can simply buy this package and build on to it instead of having to strip down the paint and remove the interior, drivetrain, and suspension. Those that have created purpose built racecars or show cars will attest to the cost and effort that goes into removing all the factory OEM parts. GM’s wide range of performance parts at their website makes it easy for the buyer to pick and choose which performance parts they want in the new car; I imagine it won’t be too long before we see the complete drivetrain with the supercharged LS9  from the Corvette ZR1 and Cadillac CTS-V to find its way into one of these frames.

Those that wish to build the ultimate streetcar will be in for a dissapointment as this car will not be shipped with a VIN number which means tons of hoops to jump through to get this car on to the street. When a buyer decides to purchase the Camaro “body in white”, it will be similar to walking into the GM parts department and buying a replacement alternator (they will look up the part number in the parts book and order it) instead of purchasing a completed car. This is convenient for those that never wish to take it on the street (avoid registration fees, taxes, etc), it means that you’d have to register it as a homebuilt car or a kit car to be issued a VIN number from the DMV. This isn’t the first time a completed car has been sold as a part; the Dodge Viper Competition Coupe is purchased pretty much the same way (except they won’t even sell you that car unless you have a proven race history!)