2023 is the final year of the sixth-generation Camaro, with Chevrolet producing very few examples for the 2024 model year. The rarest version is the ZL1 Collector's Edition, of which 350 were produced.
Coming courtesy of Rydell Chevrolet Buick GMC via Bring a Trailer, chassis number 196 is up for grabs with nine miles on the clock. According to General Motors, both V6- and V8-engined versions of the sixth-gen Camaro need to be driven gently in the first 1,500 miles (approximately 2,400 kilometers). What's more, GM recommends the first oil change and oil filter change at 500 miles (800 kilometers).
Located in California, the canvas-topped ZL1 Collector's Edition is finished in Panther Black Matte over a Jet Black interior with Red accents. Equipped with a 10-speed automatic that was developed by crosstown rival Ford rather than General Motors, the car is currently going for $65,000 on Bring a Trailer. With seven days of bidding left, chances are it will match or exceed the MSRP on the window sticker.
Total vehicle price is $98,710 (including $1,595 for the destination charge, $2,100 for the gas guzzler tax, and $19,015 worth of extras). Base vehicle price, namely that of the standard ZL1, is $78,100 for the 2024 model year. $14,995 is the retail price of the Collector's Edition package, which includes a black center stripe, carbon-fiber goodies, black mirror caps and lug nuts, forged wheels, and red brake calipers.
Named after Oklahoma Senator Almer Stillwell "Mike" Monroney, the Monroney sticker also shows a combined fuel economy rating of 16 miles to the gallon. Converting to metric, that would be 14.7 liters per 100 kilometers. Or 6.8 liters per kilometer if you live in Japan. Quite thirsty, isn't it? Then again, bear in mind that the ZL1's engine bay accommodates a 6.2-liter V8 with a shot of supercharged goodness.
Photo: TeamRydell on Bring a Trailer
LT4 is what General Motors calls this version of the fifth-gen small block, a regular production order code that was previously used for the second-gen small block. The original LT4 premiered in the 1996 Chevrolet Corvette with 350 cubes and 330 ponies. The new one, by comparison, belts out 650 horsepower in the 2015 to 2019 Chevrolet Corvette Z06. Punchier versions do exist, though. GM quotes 682 horses for the LT4 of the Cadillac Escalade-V, whereas the LT4 of the CT5-V Blackwing develops 659 pound-feet (893 Nm).
It's a bit of a shame that General Motors couldn't make a case for the LT5 in the Camaro. Hearsay suggests that General Motors once considered the flat-plane crankshaft engine of the C8 Corvette Z06 for the sixth-gen Camaro, although that rumor sounds a bit fishy because said engine was developed specifically for a midship vehicle with a dual-clutch transaxle rather than a front-engined vehicle with a regular auto.
The final sixth-generation Camaro was assembled at the Lansing Grand River plant on December 14. The Detroit-based automaker has committed to investing a whopping $1.25 billion into Lansing Grand River to build electric vehicles. Although the combustion-engined Camaro will race in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series, the long-running nameplate won't come back to a series-production vehicle until at least 2025. Be it a four-door sedan or a coupe SUV, the newcomer will be – make no mistake about it – electric.
Scott Bell, the vice president of Global Chevrolet, alluded to a different form factor and electric propulsion in March 2023. "While we are not announcing an immediate successor today, rest assured, this is not the end of Camaro’s story." The sole reason why GM didn't confirm an S650 competitor is pretty obvious. Rather than an ICE pony car, the next Camaro will most likely compete with the Mustang Mach-E.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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