Until 1968, Camaros were assembled from complete knock down kits at two GM European plants in Antwerp, Belgium, and Biel, in Switzerland.
A refreshed 2014 Camaro Convertible will debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show, along with the coupe shown last spring in New York. The 2014 Camaro is being called in GM marketing babble as the “most significant change for the fifth-generation Camaro since it 2009 introduction.”
The Camaro will arrive at some Chevrolet dealerships in Europe toward the end of the year. Prices start at £35,320 (~$55,000) for the coupe and, gulp, £40,320 ($63,000) for the convertible in the UK. Unfortunately, only left-hand-drive models will be offered. AutoInformed has learned that Chevrolet is working on a right-hand-drive version of the Corvette, and if Chevrolet is going to succeed as GM’s global brand, it will need rhd offerings across the line.
You don’t have to be a genius to predict demand will be limited. (Nostalgia Marketing! Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 Returns in 2014 or 2015 Mustang Goes Global with RHD models. Confirmation Coming in August at Jim Farley Australian Press Bash)
The 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 team posing with the vehicle during its world debut during the 2013 New York International Auto Show.
The 2014 Camaro – the best-selling sports car in the U.S. for the past three years – has a revised exterior design that tweaks aerodynamics for more efficient cooling and stability at high speeds. Chevrolet also claimed that the top of the line Z/28 has a full aerodynamics https://sunfellow.com/buy-propecia/ package that creates down force at higher speeds, making it the most track-capable, but street legal, set-up in Camaro’s history. The engine is the lighter, naturally aspirated 7-liter LS7 first introduced in the Corvette Z06, but don’t look for it in Europe.
“Camaro has always been associated with iconic design, high performance and driving fun, and we are particularly proud of the new coupe and convertible models,” said Dr. Thomas Sedran, President and Managing Director, Chevrolet Europe.
In Europe the aging (‘proven’ in marketing speak) 6.2-liter V8 engine is mated to a six-speed manual or automatic transmission. The auto trans model has active fuel management and cam phasing known stateside as variable valve timing. The manual trans Camaro is rated at 432 horsepower (318 kW) at 5,900 rpm and a torque of 569 Nm at 4,600 rpm. Zero to 62 mph acceleration is 5.2 seconds for the manual coupe, 5.4 seconds for the manual convertible.
A major redesign of the pony car is a few years off. That Camaro will move production from what is now its home plant in Oshawa, Ontario since its fifth generation revival in 2009 to Lansing, Michigan. Ford is scheduled to build a heavily revised Mustang in Michigan during 2015, meaning the pony car and horsepower wars will continue for the near future. (Read Car Spy Jim Dunne Catches a Revised 2015 Ford Mustang)
Historical footnote #28: Until 1968, Camaros were assembled from complete knock down kits (CKD) at two General Motors’ European plants in Antwerp, Belgium, and Biel, in Switzerland.
