HSV converts the Chevy Camaro ZL1 to right-hand drive, kills a few horses and slaps on a scary price tag on the whole package.
GM finally decided to enter the Australian market with the 2019 Chevrolet Camaro and though the whole exercise turned out to be an expensive fare for both the company and the customers, this is indeed quite a moment. The right-hand drive Camaro is here, people! And we got to thank Holden Special Vehicles for changing the steering wheel and pedals to the “right side”.
To be offered in both 2SS and ZL1 variants, the Camaro will be taking on the Ford Mustang in the Australian market. However, pricing will turn out to be the chink in the armor for the Chevy. The 2SS with the 6.2-liter V8 and 6-speed manual will retail for AUD 86,990 and the ZL1 will cost a whopping AUD 159,999 (USD 110,680). The increase in price can be justified by the extensive and expensive re-engineering involved in converting a performance car from LHD to RHD.
There’s a little discrepancy in the power output of the ZL1. The US-spec Camaro ZL1 churns out 650 hp of power and 650 lb-ft of torque. The HSV-converted cars, on the other hand, have been rated at 640 hp. You won’t even note the absence of 10 horses in the real world though, but we wonder where they galloped off to.
A 6-speed manual transmission with an Active Rev system and launch control is standard fare on the ZL1 and A 10-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters, launch control, line-lock, and lift-foot gear hold tech is optional.
The fancy price tag hasn’t deterred interested parties from placing the order as 150 of the 300 cars allotted for this year have already found takers. All cars will be imported as left-hand drives to Australia and will then be converted to RHD by HSV at their facility in Clayton South, Victoria.
Source: HSV