2010 Chevy Camaro unveiled at Gretter Autoland

    After years of waiting, Tom Silvers got the chance to sit in a new 2010 Chevy Camaro that was unveiled at Gretter Autoland Inc. in Washington, Thursday afternoon.

    There was an air of celebration as about 300 people came into the dealership for the unveiling. As Silvers examined the interior of the fifth-generation Camaro ? the latest in the long line of muscle cars that was first released in September 1966 ? he recalled the silver 1976 Camaro he owned when he was in high school. Over the years he has owned about 10 Camaros. His last Camaro ? a 1967 convertible 327 ? he sold about a year ago.

    ?It?s awesome,? Silvers said. ?It would be sweeter if it was an SS ? a V-8 with a little more horsepower. I?ve been waiting three years for this car to come out. I?m definitely going to have one.?

    John Gretter, owner of Gretter Autoland, said the V-6 RS model that was being displayed had 304 horsepower ? more than the original V-8 Camaro ? while getting 29 mpg. He said an SS, which boasts 426 horsepower, would arrive at the car dealership next week. Three more Camaros are in the process of being built and shipped to Washington, including one in the Washington school colors of black and orange.

    The new Camaros went into production in March. Gretter said each dealership had gotten one model of the vehicle to unveil Thursday as part of the national introduction of the vehicle. He said when he pulled back the cover to reveal the vehicle, it brought back memories of unveiling ceremonies that were common when his father and grandfather ran the business.

For the full story, see the May 8 edition of The Washington Evening Journal