Tuesday 27th October 2009

Aussie Company Converts Camaro to RHD

Performax will make the impossible possible, but at a price...

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For the first time ever, it is possible to buy a brand new Chevy Camaro in right hand drive. Unfortunately this is not the result of a surprise moment of clear sight from GM, who canned plans to produce the Camaro in RHD earlier this year, but instead the latest offering from an Australian company specialising in converting US cars.

Performax International will convert a wrong-hand drive Camaro SS at their Queensland base for the paltry sum of $139,000 Australian dollars (£77,848 today). Considering that a Camaro SS costs the equivalent of just over £20k in the US, this does seem rather steep - but you have to admire the pioneering Aussie spirit!

Performax will apparently release other Camaro variants in RHD with time, but we feel compelled to take this moment to remind GM: it's not too late...

[CypherP]

God i'd love one of these... Even moreso in RHD.

[illmonkey]

I bought a right handed version and swapped it back, it just wasnt the same.

[the_lone_wolf]

STREWTH!!!

[Neil G60]

I think I'd rather learn to change gear with my right hand and pocket the difference!

[nouze]

78k to put the steering wheel on the wrong side? Are they 'aving a larf?

[davegreg]

Does that price include the cost of the car in the first place, or is that the price purely for the conversion? Can't see many people shelling out the price of a Porsche just to convert their Camaro to RHD!

[Belfast Boy]

Why??? I maybe can understand over here with narrow roads fairly wide car, but wide roads, wide car, grid road network, I fail to see the purpose of this in Oz?

[Neomagic]

Belfast Boy said:

Why??? I maybe can understand over here with narrow roads fairly wide car, but wide roads, wide car, grid road network, I fail to see the purpose of this in Oz?

Don't quote me on this but "I Think" some states in Oz don't permit left hookers.

[VladD]

I was told by a GM representive that RHD Camaro's will be in the UK in 2012.

[Streetrod]

Neomagic said:

Belfast Boy said:

Why??? I maybe can understand over here with narrow roads fairly wide car, but wide roads, wide car, grid road network, I fail to see the purpose of this in Oz?

Don't quote me on this but "I Think" some states in Oz don't permit left hookers.

Your right, but its not just some states, it’s the whole of Australia as its illegal to drive a left hand drive car in Aus. Also I think a large part of the cost is taken up by the huge taxes the Aussies have to pay on imported cars. I'm not sure of the percentage but I know it is big.

Can any Aussies give me the full details on this?

[V88Dicky]

To any high ranking GM executives on here; Please please please, with cherries on top, make this car available in RHD and export it to the UK! How much extra is it going to cost to fabricate RHD dashboards, steering racks and exhaust headers/manifolds? Not that much in the grand scheme of things, surely? Especially as they're based around a modified Holden VE platform. You could even get Holden to assemble them on the old Monaro assembly line in Elizabeth. There must be a market for RHD Camaros in the 25% of the world who drive on the correct side of the road. Let me know what you think

[JumpinJack]

How much?!?! Might be cheaper to ask Chevy to do it for you!!!

[Viper]

new cars in Aus and NZ have to be right hand drive, even imports have to be converted to right hand drive

but if your moving from the UK you can take x1 left hooker with you and leave it as it is

Edited by Viper on Tuesday 27th October 13:18

[BigMacca]

Love the idea, but the price is far to expensive!

Interesting name for a company though, Performax sounds more like it should come in little foil packets, rather than modifying cars!

[bazking69]

The fact is that when GM offer RHD models to the UK market, which they will at some point, they will be nowhere near the 20k price tag that they should be at. They would be a great car at 20k, they won't at heading towards 40k given the competition...

[briSk]

surely a lot of that Aussie$77k is down to ehir daft import taxes. the ones that make an holden astra cost the same as a commodore (well almost)...

[VladD]

V88Dicky said:

To any high ranking GM executives on here; Please please please, with cherries on top, make this car available in RHD and export it to the UK! How much extra is it going to cost to fabricate RHD dashboards, steering racks and exhaust headers/manifolds? Not that much in the grand scheme of things, surely? Especially as they're based around a modified Holden VE platform. You could even get Holden to assemble them on the old Monaro assembly line in Elizabeth. There must be a market for RHD Camaros in the 25% of the world who drive on the correct side of the road. Let me know what you think

They are going to in 2012.

Edited by VladD on Tuesday 27th October 14:24

[mackie1]

I believe there is still a plan to sell them officially in the UK but I think RHD has been scrapped. They will probably be £35k though, same as the VXR8 (which is actually available for a lot less).

I'd have one like a shot if I had my current income and lived in the states. Over here though the (higher spec) VXR8 is massively better value and still looks bloody mean, especially in black, lowered and on the optional 20" wheels (also in black of course).

[Bladedancer]

77k? Give it to a good Polish workshop, they'll do it for fraction of the price.

[VladD]

mackie1 said:

I believe there is still a plan to sell them officially in the UK but I think RHD has been scrapped. They will probably be £35k though, same as the VXR8 (which is actually available for a lot less).

I'd have one like a shot if I had my current income and lived in the states. Over here though the (higher spec) VXR8 is massively better value and still looks bloody mean, especially in black, lowered and on the optional 20" wheels (also in black of course).

RHD, officially on sale in 2012. I was told this in September, so it could have changed.