Ford Mustang fighter bows out with black pack; famous nameplate expected to return as an EV
Chevrolet has detailed the Collector’s Edition with which it will farewell the sixth and final generation of its iconic Ford Mustang fighter, the Chevrolet Camaro – but it won’t come to Australia.
But while flagging sales mean production of the Camaro coupe and convertible muscle cars will end in January 2024, General Motors has already confirmed the nameplate will return in the future, although there’s only a very slim chance it will come back with V8 power.
So far there’s no confirmation of what form the reinvented Camaro is going to take, but odds-on it will be battery-powered – and perhaps in the shape of an electric sedan or SUV, which would not be unlike the Ford Mustang Mach-E.
Chevrolet is axing its sixth-generation Camaro just as Ford launches its sixth-generation S650 Mustang, while the Dodge Challenger’s replacement will be fully electric.
North America is also farewelling the Camaro almost four years after the Walkinshaw Automotive Group ended local conversion of the coupe in Australia.
Right-hand drive ‘remanufacturing’ costs meant the Camaro could never compete with the Ford Mustang on price here and it bowed out after less than two years in production between 2018 and 2020.
These days Camaro facsimiles live on in Australia as race cars in the Supercars championship and the burgeoning Trams Am category.
A cornerstone of the Collector’s Edition package is a tribute to the Panther codename the Camaro was first developed under in the 1960s.
A Panther Black Metallic Tintcoat paint will be offered across LT, RS, LT1 and SS versions of the Collector’s Edition, packaged with Satin Black accent stripes, 20-inch Satin Black or optional polished forged wheels and the front splitter from the 1LE package.
Coupes receive the rear spoiler from the ZL1 package.
The supercharged ZL1 flagship will feature Panther Black Matte paint, the front splitter from the ZL1 1LE and the rear wing from ZL1 1LE on coupes. A Black Metallic ZL1 stripe, red brake callipers and black lug nuts complete the exterior look.
Inside, there’s a serialised steering wheel badge representing where that vehicle was built in sequence.
All Camaro Collector’s Editions have front fender script badging that integrates a panther into the ‘R’, and a panther on the steering wheel badge.
They also include special floor mats with a laser-etched aluminium Collector’s Edition logo and unique black interior treatments.
A welcome kit includes two posters commemorating the Camaro generations and the Collector’s Edition.
ZL1 Collector’s Edition owners will also receive a Shinola Canfield Sport 45mm watch with an inscribed serial number matching the number on their vehicle’s steering wheel badge.
The $US88,690 ($A133,000) ZL1 will be limited to 350 units, while production of the other Collector’s Edition models will run until the end. They are priced from $US39,440 ($A59,090) for the LT to $US49,890 ($A74,747) for the SS.
In other final model year changes, the 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine has been dropped from the Camaro line-up, leaving only V6 and V8 choices.
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Keyword: Final Chevrolet Camaro coupe revealed