Camaro to sign off with Collector's Edition pack
Chevrolet confirms sixth-generation Camaro will end next year but promises that this 'is not the end of the story'
Two final editions in two days – that’s almost a pandemic, and we’ve had enough of those in recent years. Yesterday’s curtain call was the Mini Clubman Final Edition, which, judging by the reaction, is a car that PHers have a certain fondness for.
I'm assuming news that the current Chevrolet Camaro is also on its Collector’s Edition tour will also raise a smattering of respectful applause. It’s not going to invoke as many personal experiences as the Mini on this side of the pond, but the Camaro name is part of automotive folklore, nevertheless.
The outgoing sixth-generation Camaro was also the most advanced yet, and even set a time around the Nürburgring to prove its abilities to the Old World. And before you snigger, it managed a good time, too. The Camaro ZL1 1LE went round in 7:16:04, which if you look at the leader board puts it four-hundredths of a second slower than a Porsche 718 GT4 RS and nearly a second faster than a BMW M4 CSL.
Admittedly, the 1LE was the ultimate example, with a reworked aero courtesy of a different front bumper and larger rear wing, along with stickier Goodyear F1 tyres and a marginal weight saving, but it had no more power than a standard ZL1. I mean, the ZL1 already has 659hp and 650lb ft of torque, so it’s not exactly struggling to begin with, but you know...
So how much power has the Collector's Edition got? We don't know. Aside from shadowy preview pics, we've been told hardly anything about it, actually, other than the new package will be available for 2024 model year RS, SS, and a limited number of ZL1 cars and ‘pays homage to Camaro, resurfacing ties that date back to the development of the first generation Camaro in the 1960s, most notably the program’s initial code name: Panther.’
“As we prepare to say goodbye to the current generation Camaro, it is difficult to overstate our gratitude to every Camaro customer, Camaro assembly line employee and race fan,” said Scott Bell, vice president, Global Chevrolet. “While we are not announcing an immediate successor today, rest assured, this is not the end of Camaro’s story.” We're promised further details are coming 'closer to the start of orders this summer', so watch this space.
Keep positive, loads of ICE stuff still about and will be for decades, will see us all out by and large.
Hopefully if it does come back it's as an ICE coupe and not a hideous electric SUV. I guess dying in your prime has some advantages over becoming a bloated caricature of your former self.
RIP.
I'll be said to see it go and, as mentioned earlier, I suspect I'll be even sadder to see it return as some sort of EV-SUV...
But, the days of fun light cars is already deep into history, way before EV power. Ironically, my friend's Fiat 500E is possibly the closest to an anodyne but fun little hatch I've driven in the last few years.
They're more of an expensive proposition now.
I imagine that GM have watched the Mustang Mach-E with some envy because it really shouldn't have worked at all but shows heritage nameplates count for something ( not to Ford Europe though).
I am sure the Camaro was the big seller in the US but the Firebird always seemed to have a far greater worldwide profile.
The question is what can you put the Camaro nameplate on without killing it and which will sell.
https://youtu.be/Z4YJczMNGkU
There's a Camaro racing in the Le Mans 24 Hours this year. It's a Gen 7 NASCAR, modified with the addition of headlamps etc for night running.
https://www.autoblog.com/2023/02/21/nascar-cup-car...
I'll be said to see it go and, as mentioned earlier, I suspect I'll be even sadder to see it return as some sort of EV-SUV...
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