Heads were turning the other morning outside the Hard Rock Hotel in downtown San Diego. A camouflaged 2010 Camaro pulled to the curb and a mini scuffle broke out among the paparazzi.

A Chevrolet engineering team had been based at the hotel while conducting final tuning and calibrations to the new Camaro, which goes into production Feb. 16.

A product planner for the Camaro had given me a quiet invitation to join the team for breakfast and a drive. There were four camouflaged black-and-white Camaros at the hotel. I felt like a thief taking photographs, even with the approval of Global Chief Engineer Doug Houlihan.

The engineers call these their 99-percent cars. One percent more of testing and the car gets the green light for production.

Houlihan's team was on a deadline to finalize everything by mid-September. At this point, there are few secrets about the Camaro and Chevrolet was ready for some critical feedback — and some buzz.

But where there are camouflaged cars, special invitations and automotive journalists, there is bound to be drama.

An automotive enthusiast's website, which had not been invited, got word of the engineering drive and planned its own event by association.

I had gone out on a half-hour ride with Houlihan. Pulling up at the hotel, I pointed out a new Dodge Challenger sitting in traffic — the first I'd seen on the street — and then a Mustang GT pulled up behind.

Stopping at the curb, the Challenger pulled alongside, the Mustang GT behind and a videographer began shooting.

Minutes later the traffic jam was over and the photos were soon online with the headline: "Muscle Car Wars Are On!"

Wars are highly unlikely, but it was good theater to drive enthusiast traffic to the website.

While spirited competition in the pony-car class is likely, Chevrolet wants to downplay the V-8 performance of its top-of-the-line, 400-plus-horsepower Camaro SS. Instead, it wantsâ media coverage of its sophisticated V-6 engine and six-speed automatic, which will be the car's most popular power train choice.

And with a standard 325-hp V-6 that will do 0-60 mph in 6.1 seconds, how many drivers will need a V-8?

Houlihan expects the V-6 to earn EPA fuel economy ratings of 17 mpg city, 27 highway on 87 octane. The car is getting a high-26-mpg reading in Chevrolet's testing now and he is pushing his engineers to squeeze out another tenth.

A six-speed manual transmission is standard. The optional six-speed automatic has a Sport mode with steering-wheel paddle shifters.

The base car will come with 18-inch tires and wheels, but tire sizes range to 21 inches, including a 21-inch snow tire.

Camaro is a prime example of GM sourcing a "global" car. It is based on a completely reworked, rear-wheel-drive platform from GM's Holden division in Australia, and half of the engineering team is from Down Under. The final product will be built in Canada, with right-hand-drive cars for Europe and elsewhere.

The test cars are warhorses. Built in the last quarter of 2007, they have undergone cold-weather testing in Sweden, Canada and elsewhere, and then they were subjected to hot-weather testing, wind-tunnel tests and track driving. The cars were rough cosmetically, scuffed and scraped, cut and taped. Parts had been swapped as new and improved pieces were fabricated. Each of these cars is a priceless storehouse of data.

I went out in a base Camaro V-6 with six-speed automatic and FE2 sport suspension. It was sitting in a laboratory where Houlihan and many others had spent countless hours with laptop computers recording every electronic tick.

Gripping the console shifter, I reminded myself, "Don't wreck it."

The long hood and low, wide windshield accentuate a sinister view out the front. Over-the-shoulder views could be an issue, but there is a port window that should help some when backing.

The dash looks similar to that in the concept car, including four small floor-console gauges to recall the vintage Camaro style.

In just a block down the street, I could sense a solid foundation under the car. The ride was smooth and unexpectedly quiet. I would have forgiven a few squeaks and rattles.

It's the rigidity of the unibody chassis, Houlihan said. The welding and attachment points are stronger than ever.

But it's more than that, too. Camaro could be the first of a new effort at General Motors Corp. to do it right the first time. If the final product is anything like these test cars, it would appear that GM has put money into the development of Camaro instead of taking out as much as possible.

Instead of spending half as much as needed and then "improving" the car over the next four years with fixes, recalls and expensive warranty work, the Camaro could debut as a complete, sophisticated car.

And that could win this battle for GM, if not the war.

Mark Maynard is driving in cyberspace at mark.maynard@uniontrib.com.

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