Skip advert
Advertisement

Chevrolet Camaro

Muscle cars are back! Ford's retro-look, big-power Mustang has plugged that long-vacant space in US buyers' hearts - and now Chevrolet wants a piece of the action, too.

The Camaro concept looks and sounds great, and is ready for a re-run of the Sixties muscle car wars. On the basis of this early test, it drives well, too. Fast car enthusiasts within GM want to build it, and it could even come to Europe. Now, they just have to make the business case for it - the result of which we'll know by the end of the year. We hope it's a resounding 'yes'.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Muscle cars are back! Ford's retro-look, big-power Mustang has plugged that long-vacant space in US buyers' hearts - and now Chevrolet wants a piece of the action, too.

It took the wraps off the Camaro con-cept at January's Detroit Motor Show, and five months later, while General Motors does the sums for a production version, Auto Express has driven it first.

Away from the stands, the Camaro looks bigger, edgier and more menacing than ever. Design supremo Ed Welburn - himself the owner of a 1969 Camaro - had two design teams working on the styling. One car was just too retro, but the other is what you see here.

It's broad, bad and bulging, the rear wings extended to cover giant 22-inch rims and unique 305/30-section Goodyear tyres. The fronts are mere 275/30s on 21-inch wheels! Vast aluminium tail-pipes hint at what's to come, and there's more aluminium under the bonnet, with polished rocker covers for the Corvette-sourced 400bhp, 6.0-litre V8. Inside, yet more aluminium surrounds the dials and gearlever. The speedo and rev counter are set in Sixties-style pods, the blade-like column stalks are similarly retro and what resemble gold-anodised aluminium trim panels are actually acrylic. The standard of finish is fabulous, especially the way the heavy glassfibre outer panels fit together with laser-like precision.

Advertisement - Article continues below
Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement - Article continues below

Used - available now

5 Series

2023 BMW

5 Series

43,680 milesAutomaticDiesel2.0L

Cash £23,850
View 5 Series
DS 7 CROSSBACK

2021 DS

DS 7 CROSSBACK

37,756 milesAutomaticPetrol1.6L

Cash £14,729
View DS 7 CROSSBACK
AMG E63 Estate (2020-2023)

2019 Mercedes

AMG E63 Estate (2020-2023)

34,645 milesAutomaticPetrol4.0L

Cash £38,531
View AMG E63 Estate (2020-2023)
E-Class Coupe

2020 Mercedes

E-Class Coupe

20,528 milesAutomaticDiesel2.0L

Cash £26,069
View E-Class Coupe

Unlike most sports cars, the seating position is high; project leader Gretchen Darbyshire says the idea was to make the seats look as if they are floating. But the result is a letterbox-style view out through the shallow windscreen.

The V8 fires with a violent rumble. Into the first of the six forward ratios, up with the smooth clutch and we're off, the engine crackling angrily. It sounds terrific. "We worked hard on that," ex-plains Darbyshire, "but we might have issues with drive-by noise legislation."

Her role was to bring together all the pieces to make the concept work: the Corvette engine, the Cadillac CTS rear suspension, the front suspension from a pre-production car. Which one? Well, it's tipped to be GM's new Global Rear-Wheel Drive platform. Developed mainly in Australia by Holden, but with input from engineers worldwide, this is most likely to underpin a production Camaro.

We can't push too hard, as it's a concept and has an electronic speed limiter - but unleashing most of the 400bhp in second gear, we're definitely going quicker than we're supposed to! Each gearchange brings a fluff and a crackle, and there's enough power and pace to push the car through some corners - it's taut, hardly leans and steers sharply.

With a chassis that promises to be far more sophisticated than the Mustang's, menacing looks and that big V8, a production version would really be something that lived up to the Camaro name.

Skip advert
Advertisement

New & used car deals

Volkswagen Polo

Volkswagen Polo

RRP £15,255Avg. savings £1,848 off RRP*Used from £7,649
Nissan Qashqai

Nissan Qashqai

RRP £27,415Avg. savings £5,568 off RRP*Used from £12,295
Vauxhall Corsa

Vauxhall Corsa

RRP £18,725Avg. savings £4,223 off RRP*Used from £15,337
Omoda 5

Omoda 5

RRP £25,915Avg. savings £2,116 off RRP*Used from £19,490
* Average savings are calculated daily based on the best dealer prices on Auto Express vs manufacturer RRP
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

New Kia PV5 Passenger MPV undercuts the VW ID.Buzz by a huge £25k
Kia PV5 Passenger - show front

New Kia PV5 Passenger MPV undercuts the VW ID.Buzz by a huge £25k

New entry into the electric people carrier market undercuts the VW ID. Buzz by a significant margin
News
29 Apr 2025
New 2025 Kia PV5 van starts from a tempting £22,645
Kia PV5 Cargo on display at Commercial Vehicle Show - front 3/4

New 2025 Kia PV5 van starts from a tempting £22,645

All-new entry into the van market promises competitive pricing and comes with a range of up to 247 miles
News
30 Apr 2025
New Volkswagen ID.3 Match 2025 review: attractive price boosts EV’s appeal
Volkswagen ID.3 Pure Match - front

New Volkswagen ID.3 Match 2025 review: attractive price boosts EV’s appeal

The value-focused Volkswagen ID.3 Match performs well and is easy to live with
Road tests
28 Apr 2025