There’s a car dealership in Fort Lauderdale that may or may not struggle to find a new owner for this special edition 2024 Camaro. Their first attempt at auctioning off the car failed, with the highest bid maxing out at $162,000, short of the undisclosed reserve. My feeling is they were hoping for something in the vicinity of $200k.
What, you think that’s crazy? I mean, it both is and isn’t at the same time. Back in February of this year, an identical car to this one, albeit with delivery miles (10 miles versus 41 miles here), sold for a whopping $202,000. Yes, $200k for a limited-edition Camaro that retailed for $89,185.
That same MSRP was in play here as well, with this 41-mile example that failed to have its reserve met. Basically, the dealership would have probably wanted $100k over MSRP at the very least. The only problem is that we now live in different times than we did two months ago. It’s just that simple. The market has adjusted heavily in recent weeks.
Even from a logical standpoint, why would anyone want to spend $100k over MSRP on a tribute car (even if it’s a limited-edition product) that doesn’t feature any performance enhancements over the stock product? There are no enhancements that you can exploit in a straight line, at least. Otherwise, if you want to count the dive planes and NASCAR Cup rear spoiler as enhancements, be my guest.
Aside from those, this Camaro also comes with a Riptide Blue Metallic exterior featuring a white accent stripe outlined in gold, as well as a black American flag decal to go with a mix of NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports, and Garage 56 badging and graphics. Other visual highlights include the satin black mirror caps and the Dark Graphite-painted 20” split-spoke wheels with Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3 tires.
Inside, you’ll find heated, ventilated, and power-adjustable Recaro front seats in Jet Black leather, carbon fiber dashboard trim, a rear camera mirror, ambient lighting, automatic climate control, cruise control, a Bose sound system, a flat-bottom steering wheel in sueded microfiber (like various other inserts throughout the cabin), plus a performance data and video recorder (a $1,300 option).
Photo: Bring a Trailer
In terms of actual performance, you get the same supercharged 6.2-liter LT4 V8 engine as you would in a “regular” ZL1 Camaro, delivering the same 650 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque. Everything gets sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox.
Look, there’s no doubt this is a super fun-to-drive car. It’s got the muscle, it’s got that manual gearbox, it’s going to be very enjoyable. But is there really such a thing as a collectible modern-day Camaro? You’d have no choice but to not drive it, so that you don’t risk its value plummeting. And if you do drive it, well then why pay $100k or more over MSRP to begin with?
The market has definitely spoken, and cars like this limited-edition Camaro ZL1 have been left holding the bag.
Sergiu got to experience both American and European car "scenes" at an early age (his father drove a Ford Fiesta XR2 supermini in the 80s). After spending over 15 years at local and international auto publications, he's starting to appreciate comfort behind the wheel more than raw power and acceleration. Full profile
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