Chevrolet Camaro: Spotted

The latest (very good) Camaro in the UK with a manual, a V8 and a £40K price - tempted?

There has been enough time now with decent American cars for a pattern to appear: the car is well received in the US, well enough in fact for many to be convinced it might work here, only for the exchange rate or something else to bump the price up for prospective UK customers. What might be an interesting curio, something different to the usual German offerings, suddenly becomes priced out of contention. See the Dodge Charger Hellcat; a family man with an imagination might be tempted by a 700hp alternative to an M5, but not at £135K.

MOVE

Which is where this Hyper Blue Camaro comes in. While it would be easy to dismiss this sixth-generation car (because it looks so similar to the previous one), the reports so far have been overwhelmingly positive. When Mike Duff drove it for PH he returned full of praise, while one of the US outlets suggested it was better than an M4. Really.

And here's one in the UK, in a very desirable spec featuring eight cylinders, six manual gears and magnetically controlled dampers. It's brand new, gleaming in the Surrey sunshine with a price of £39,400. Forty grand! Let alone the M4, this has just pitched itself against the M2.

This Camaro actually undercuts the cheapest M2s now available, even those cars with 15,000 miles. Moreover, the manual, rear-wheel drive coupe with a big engine isn't a recipe familiar to Mercedes or Audi either. Not really familiar to anybody in 2017, to be honest.

Well, apart from Ford of course. Who knows what the waiting list is at the moment, but in theory there's nothing to stop you paying £36,345 for a manual V8 Mustang right now. If you needed a car immediately there's a glut available at less than £40K in desirable specs and, of course, in right-hand drive.

Because who doesn't love V8, RWD manuals?

Does the availability of Mustangs undermine the Camaro's appeal? It does and it doesn't. Of course right-hand drive appeals with the Ford, particularly with the Chevy's notoriously poor visibility. But where the Mustang used to be the niche muscle car option, buyers able to show their dedication by sitting on the wrong side, that's no longer the case. Arguably only something like a Camaro now shows off your commitment. But then that being said, muscle car loyalties run deep; you may only want a Mustang, you may only want a Camaro... See what we mean?!

What's guaranteed with this Camaro is exclusivity, with just 18 build slots allocated to Ian Allan Motors. You could pay an awful lot more money for a much more common car, if that's a key criteria. It looks like nothing else on the road (alright, apart from maybe an old Camaro), goes very fast and probably handles far better than you might expect. Like pretty much all of this latest breed of muscle cars, it's a fast American V8 that you no longer have to make excuses for. Never know, you might actually like it...

CHEVROLET CAMARO
Engine: 6,162cc, V8
Transmission: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 453@5,700rpm
Torque (lb ft): 455@4,600rpm
MPG: 22.1
CO2: 292g/km
Recorded mileage: N/A
Year registered: 2017
Price new: £37,020
Price now: £39,400