Life Imitating art, or rather toys for boys and girls and toys for men and women? Chevrolet has confirmed that the Camaro Hot Wheels concept that debuted at SEMA will appear at Chevrolet dealerships early next year. This is the first time a full-size production version of a toy car has been offered for sale by an automaker after decades, if not more than a century of the opposite practice.
The original Custom Camaro 1:64th-scale toy from 1968 was one of the first 16 Hot Wheels sold and is now considered a collector’s item. The new real deal Camaro wheels will enter production during the first quarter of 2013 in what’s said to be a limited (by how many they can sell?) edition.
SS V8 coupe and convertible versions will be powered by a 6.2-liter V8 with a manual transmission rated at 426 horsepower (318 kW) and 420 lb.-ft. (569 Nm) of torque, or with an automatic transmission, which develops 400 horsepower (298 kW) and 410 lb.-ft. (556 Nm) of torque. Another version has a 3.6-liter V6 engine rated at 323 horsepower at 6,800 rpm.
Inside the pony car, a black leather-trimmed interior is has red and black seat stitching with the Hot Wheels logo embroidered on the front seats. The instrument panel and door inserts are black, with the Hot Wheels-style flame decal on each door. Hot Wheels Edition sill plates also are fitted, along with Camaro-logo floor mats with red edging.