The speculation has been rampant about the 2012 Camaro Z28 and how it seemed to have a hood vent in the spy photos from numerous sources. Well, as of about a week ago, dealers were confirmed nationally that production on the new "HP Edition" Camaro Z28 will begin on January 1^st, 2012. It will feature the louver/slat design that was seen in the leaked/spied photos over the past couple of months. It was brought to our attention by a couple of members on the camaro5.com forum (Luce MI and macalot) that the hood on the new Camaro bears a very striking resemblance to the hood on the CTS-V race coupe by Cadillac. It seems that there are a few similarities between the two cars that have been noted by Car and Driver- namely the 6.2 liter LSA powerplant, which is rated at 556 hp and 551 lb-ft of torque. Sounds like good stuff to us. The brakes quite possibly are also a close variant of the mammoth stoppers found on the CTS-V. The exterior styling is confirmed by Chevy to have a more aggressive grill and possibly a number of smaller aesthetic touches such as a slightly more sculpted rocker panel, and rear fascia sporting quad exhaust tips. Until the real pictures come out… keep an eye on this guy. It's sure to be a mean one…

Pictures are property of their respective owners and are for informational purposes only. 2012 Camaro Prototype pictures from caranddriver.com and CTS-V Race Coupe pictures from camaro5.com.

(Also, if you're my wife reading this, I already have all of these items, but I would love a new set of Forgeline Wheels for Christmas!)

5. A Set of Lloyd's Mats

If the Camaro suffers in any category at all, it's the interior styling--while functional and streamlined--sometimes lacks a little luster. A great way to give the car a little more visual pop, and to also provide it with a nice new means of keeping it clean and in mint shape, is with a set of new car mats. You could buy the GM produced mats, but when they tend to cost in the $200+ for a set of the front 2, that seems a little ridiculous. Couple that with the fact that the Ultimats by Lloyd's are made with a thicker, higher quality carpet and match the Camaro interior 100% perfectly at a more affordable price, I can't see any reason why anybody would want to order GM standard mats. With SCP's Free Shipping and great prices, you can score a set of embroidered custom floor mats for your Camaro lover's car at right around $100! That is an awesome present that will not break the bank, for certain!

Camaro Lloyd's Floor Mats

4. Camaro Color Anodized Billet Aluminum Racing Pedal Set

Again, this Camaro present focuses on the interior styling of the Camaro, and this is a damn good looking modification piece. This pedal sets are made from high quality billet aluminum, anodized in a highly durable coloring process, and provide an awesome, race-car look and grippy shifting feel for the Camaro Manual Driver in your home. Once again, these pedals come with SCP's free shipping and cost just $129, making them another perfect Christmas gift for a Camaro owner that they'll be certain to love, and so will your wallet. These Camaro Pedal Sets are available in Orange, Blue, Red, and also in various Black and Silver arrangements for a little bit more, elsewhere on the website.

3. Camaro Billet Aluminum Seat Adjuster

Once more in to the breach for interior styling cues! These seat adjusters are subtle for showy, and provide a great little interior touch for the Camaro owner who doesn't like to draw too much attention away from the sound and performance of the car. These adjusters are also more comfortable to use and make shifting the seat's position much easier, so you're thinking of yourself as a passenger a little bit when buying them also. And, when they cost just $40 (!!!) you've got to be certain that they're as affordable and appreciable a Camaro present as there is out there.

Camaro Billet Seat Adjusters

2. Camaro Skip Shift Eliminator

Now, this product doesn't look like much, and the cost is as affordable as they come, but if you have a Camaro driver in your family who loves getting every bit of excitement out of their Camaro, this is an absolute must own. In fact, if you're reading this and DON'T already have one of these, BUY IT FOR YOURSELF NOW! This thing is one of the favorite things I have on Camaro, and it only cost me about $25. Why do I love it so much, do you ask? Do you know the ridiculous 1-4 skip shift you get when you're running your Camaro with some force? Say you're at 5000 RPMs in 1st gear, yeah? The only place you can go from there is 4th gear! That's just ridiculous! This tiny, little, non-descript piece is brilliant in that it easily installs and eliminates that Camaro driving annoyance, quickly. So, at such an affordable price, this is a must have for any and all Camaro owners!

Camaro Skip Shift Eliminator

1. Camaro Sequential Turn Signals

Ok, this product comes as result of a tiny bit of Ford envy, I'll admit it, but it just looks so cool that I couldn't deny it! This Sequential Turn Signal Harness changes the blinkers on the Camaro to function in sequence instead of simultaneous. It's a small modification in theory, I know, but the number of compliments and comments I get as result of having these installed on my Camaro are absolutely amazing! They're also functional, as they increase vehicle visibility while turning, and, in doing so keep your Camaro extra safe against potential rear-endings. And at just $89, this Wiring Harness for the Camaro Lights is a great great great gift that any Camaro owner is certain to love.

Camaro Sequential Turn Signals

The T-Top kit, while great looking, is not without its flaws and questions, though. Drop Top Customs removed the reverse Mohawk top of the Camaro, which has become one of its most immediately synonymous features, with this kit. The T-Top is also only being shown in roof continuation styling, and I'd like to see a glass-top option instead. Also, with the $6500 price tag, one has to question what sort of warranty is included. Do they guarantee against leak protection, or offer warranty in case of issue with said leakage, or a locking/clasp mechanism malfunction? Hopefully these, and many other answers, will be answered at this year's SEMA when Drop Top Customs highlights their Camaro T-Top Conversion Kit.

Ground Effects Install Instructions

Features
• Adjustable mass airflow meter housing -allowing you to richen the mixture manually if needed for fine tuning!
• Helmholtz Resonance System designed into the unit- this is used to reflect the sound signature back into the intake manifold to boost mid-range TORQUE and HORSEPOWER by 1.5 - 1.6%.(this is a form of Ram Air tuning)
• Flow capacity from 1400CFM – 2000CFM+
• NO TUNE and TUNE models - SUB FEATURES BELOW
• One piece seamless MAF / filter housings-for smooth laminar airflow
• Guaranteed gains of 3tenths or 3mph through the ¼ mile with the NO TUNE unit,
and 4-5 tenths and 4-5mph with the TUNE models!
• Engineered to produce a broad power curve, not just peak horsepower. We gave up
top end power to produce maximum torque & power under the curve from the air
horn design & resonance tuning.
(See dyno charts)
• True ram affect -reducing intake temperatures inside the intake manifold up to
20 deg "BELOW" ambient temperatures at WOT and -5 deg at cruising speeds!
Data log verified with EFI Live for a 4 - 5% boost in power over static dyno
hp numbers. (See below)
• Quick and easy installation, no cutting or drilling on the car install time is
about 10min!
• NO WATER Issues! – The high mount location ensures safe operation in all weather conditions.
• Construction - Rotary molded and vacuum formed hybrid construction allowing for production to precision machine tolerances.
• The Venturi System creates thrust while reducing unwanted turbulence keeping the MAF readings clean even at speeds of 150mph!
• The air horn is a product of months of work in on-road testing to create the best horn for quick windup from 600RPM to 5800RPM ("Tune Models" use a higher RPM biased horn for more peak flow) Its converging and diverging shapes and sharp angles are the work of the latest in CFD - the end result is an air induction system that will accelerate airflow to the far side of 100% of road speed at the throttle body bell mouth (The exact number is our secret). We have detuned this system three times to tame it for the street.
• The filter - Custom made to VR specs featuring low pressure drop with specific flow rates and filtration that meets OEM requirements. Washable and reusable – with a Green filter cleaning kit!
• Materials –VR High Density material (Reducing unwanted heat soak by 8 - 12% over conventional plastics and up to 100%+ compared to metal.) Military spec ABS featuring a flat black sand blast finish for that muscle car look. Billet aluminum rear hose clamp ring molded into the ABS for extreme strength.
• A Multiple Patent Pending design!
• Guaranteed Power & Performance gains!

"No Tune" Models have seen Gains of 20-32HP / 22-40+ft lbs of Torque through the entire curve on the Dyno! Documented and data logged. Using EFI Live & wideband systems to verify air fuel ratio, "TUNE" models
have reached 35-40HP on dyno with stock cars! Modified cars can produce more power!

This system is not public yet, and wont be released until late March or early April, but a friend with was able to see one in action and linked me to the early press information from VaraRam concerning the system, knowing the interest I would surely take in it. Their write up promises no less than 20 HP gains without a tune on a stock Camaro, apparently going up to as much as 32HP without tune and 40HP in gains on a tuned Camaro. VaraRam has also committed to providing multiple different options for every different level of performance Camaro out there, from stock to those pushing over 1000HP.

Of course, what do these numbers mean in a real-world setting? VaraRam claims a half second, and extra 5mph 1/4 Mile performance just by installing the Ram Air kit. Even if those numbers are on the high end though, a .3 second and 3mph improvement at the cost of a VaraRam system is very impressive. If the Camaro VaraRam Ram Air intake system runs equivalent in price to the other VaraRam systems, (anywhere from $300-400) this may wind up being the single best bang for the buck Camaro upgrade on the market. Definitely worth a look-see, so keep an eye on the Ram Air system as its release date gets closer. Remember, late March to early April.