2010 Camaro SS performance numbers and production launch date-

What's most interesting is the 400hp L99 engined automatic SS is faster than the 422hp LS3 engined stick shit SS..... Much shorter gearing on the auto box no doubt.

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, California — GM engineers at today's official 2010 Chevrolet Camaro unveil were all too willing to provide performance numbers for their hot, new muscle car, including quarter-mile and 0-60-mph times.

Al Oppenheiser, chief engineer for GM's North American rear-wheel-drive platform and owner of a first-generation Camaro convertible, was pleased to run through his baby's accomplishments.

According to Oppenheiser, the new 300-horsepower 3.6-liter V6-equipped Camaro will run from zero to 60 mph in 6.1 seconds regardless of transmission choice. The V6 coupe will cover the quarter-mile in 14.5 seconds with an auto and 14.7 seconds with a manual, both at 97 mph. The brakes don't sound quite as impressive, though, as Oppenheiser said the base Camaro stops from 60 to zero mph in 132 feet.

Not surprisingly, the V8-equipped Camaro SS delivers better numbers across the board. Chevy's Camaro SS outfitted with the 422-hp 6.2-liter LS3 V8 six-speed manual hits 60 mph in 4.9 seconds and runs a 13.4-second quarter-mile at 108 mph according to Oppenheiser. Strangely enough, Oppenheiser also claims that the automatic-equipped SS Camaro, which is rated at 400 hp, runs from zero to 60 mph in just 4.6 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 13.3 seconds. "We optimized the shift points," he said.

Both versions of the V8 Camaro SS pull a maximum 0.90 g on the skid pad. Four-piston Brembo brakes help stop the Camaro SS in 117 feet.

What this means to you: If Chevrolet's numbers pan out, the Camaro SS will be every bit as fast as the Dodge Challenger SRT8 for a lot less money. — Kelly Toepke, News Editor

It is, at least if you're talking about the 2010 model-year Chevrolet Camaro. Although we've given you full details on the car already, the official unveil of the V6-powered cars was this afternoon, at which time the production launch was revealed.

The Camaro's arrival at dealerships is closer than you might have expected. Production of both V6 and V8 models begins February 16, 2009 at the Oshawa, Ontario, Canada plant. Deliveries to dealers should be sometime in the middle of March. The Camaro Convertible should arrive about a year after that as a 2011 model.

The Camaro will be available with either a 3.6-liter V6 engine making about 305 horsepower or a V8 making around 425 hp. Either engine can be had with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic.

Chevy won't announce a price for the car. But Cheryl Pilcher, product manager for the Camaro, says, "We know where Mustang is and we're going to be competitive." A Mustang V6 starts at $20,530 and a GT is $27,220. We'd be shocked if the more powerful, more efficient and plain newer Camaro can match those prices — but maybe not as shocked as Ford would be.

What this means to you: There will be plenty of time for you to work on your burnout technique before next summer's laying-epic-rubber-in-front-of-the-Dairy-Queen season begins.