In this country, Chevrolet means different things to different people. Doubtless most still see the brand as offering a fairly cheap means of transport, a hangover from the Daewoo days. For some others, Chevrolet has the allure of Americana, conveniently ignoring (or being ignorant of) the fact that the cars sold in Europe are made in Korea. To motor racing fans, the main association is the marque’s continued competitiveness in the British and World Touring Car Championships.
The Camaro’s arrival will add yet another, albeit small, group to the mix: those who crave muscle car horsepower, and plenty of it. They certainly won’t be disappointed, because all UK cars will be equipped with the 6.2 litre LS3 V8 engine, coupled to a six-speed manual transmission. With 426 bhp (317 kW / 432 PS) and 569 Nm of torque, Chevrolet claims it’ll be good for a sub-five second 0-60 mph time, and have a electronically-limited top speed of 155 mph.
Strangely, given the this country’s extortionate fuel prices, the marginally more economical 3.6 litre V6 versions won’t be coming here. Not that there’s much in it though, even according to Chevrolet’s figures: the V8 does 24 mpg according to the EPA Highway measure, while the V6 manages 29 mpg. Of course, those figures are based on US gallons, the slightly better looking imperial equivalents being 28.8 mpg (9.8 l/100km) and 34.8 mpg (8.1 l/100 km) respectively.
Sales are due to begin during the first half of 2011, and it will be interesting to see how many customers Chevrolet can find. A big part of the challenge should be in how the Camaro copes with UK roads. Fortunately it does have a modern chassis, featuring independent rear suspension, electronic stability control and traction control. Even so, our generally poor surfaces and numerous bends aren’t the car’s usual environment. And it’s a big car, too - over 15’ 10” (4.8 m) long and 6’ 3” (1.9 m) wide. To put those measurements into context, the Camaro is about the length of a BMW 5 Series but the width of a 7 Series.
The final specifications and pricing, to be announced closer to launch, will naturally be key factors in securing orders. Purely speculating, the entry level V8-powered model in the US is the Camaro 1SS, which costs $31,795 including freight charges. At today’s exchange rate, that’s around £20,900. It would be great to think that’s what Chevrolet will charge in the UK, but most likely the dollar symbol in front of that US price will just be swapped for a pound sign, before a few more thousands are added on.
Even if that is the case, it would still make the Camaro an awful lot of car for the money. And fair play to Chevrolet for choosing to bring it here - it’ll certainly be an outstanding halo car for its range.
All images © GM Corp.
