5 Special Edition Chevy Camaros That Will Always Turn Heads
Chevrolet announced that we have seen the last of the sixth-gen Camaro, and it is unclear what the future holds for the iconic stable of muscle cars. The company waved goodbye with another Special Edition of the Camaro, but the brand has had a few of those over the years. The brand itself has been around for almost 60 years, has ridden alongside the most iconic muscle cars, grappled with the gas crisis, graced the silver screen, and existed through numerous financial crises that likely saw them towed from a driveway or two.
Special edition Chevy Camaros often go beyond mere specs and tie into something from popular culture. This has included popular toys and blockbuster movies. However, when they aren't appealing to other fanbases, the special editions tend to be all about the specs, and things often get pushed hard to the limit. Here, we're going to take a look at five special Camaros that have stood out in past decades. All of these cars have traditional internal combustion engines. If the Camaro concept isn't retired completely, there's a good chance the next special we're talking about will be battery-powered and a bit more eco-friendly than its V8-powered ancestors.
Chevrolet Camaro SS Earnhardt Edition
Sometimes a car isn't iconic because of its specs or due to its design — sometimes it's iconic because of a person it's connected to. One of the most accomplished men ever to grace the driver's seat of a Chevrolet was Dale Earnhardt Sr. The seven-time NASCAR champion who raced for Chevrolet helped design a special edition Camaro that was to be sold from his own car dealership. The "Earnhardt Edition" was also known as "The Intimidator," drawing on its creator's nickname. It was supposed to be limited to 100 vehicles and was a tuned-up version of the 2001 Camaro which included Earnhardt's signature on the tachometer.
Tragically, Earnhardt was killed during the 2001 Daytona 500. This was midway through the Chevy Camaro Earnhardt Edition's production run — so only 88 of the 100 were actually built. Only 33 of those had the NASCAR icon's signature on them, and as you would expect, they are highly sought after by NASCAR fans and Camaro enthusiasts alike. In terms of specs, "The Intimidator" came with all of the SS options available at the time, 17-inch rims, 381 horsepower, a limited-slip differential, and a short-throw six-speed manual gearbox.
The Exorcist 30th Anniversary Camaro
Hypercar manufacturer Hennessey Performance Engineering has been making waves in the industry since 1991 — and it decided to celebrate its 30th birthday by creating a special edition Camaro that could potentially rid the world of a great evil. Part of "The Exorcist" series of special edition vehicles, the 30th Anniversary editions took a Camaro ZL1 to the absolute extreme. They are capable of producing a tire shredding 1,000 horsepower, go from zero to 60 in just 2.1 seconds, eat a quarter mile in 9.5 seconds, and cap out at a top speed of 217 miles per hour.
The run of the 30th Anniversary Camaro was limited to just 30 of the 100 "Exorcist" Camaros produced. The main difference between the 30th Anniversary Edition and the other 70 "Exorcist" special editions are the unique graphics adorning the car and the numbered chassis plate denoting which number in the limited run that particular vehicle is. A lot is in a name too. Unlike most special editions, The Exorcist has an equally iconic rival and a very specific purpose: it was created to get rid of a demon. Specifically, the Dodge Demon, which Hennessey hoped its tuning would be able to exercise from the drag strip.
Chevy Camaro Hot Wheels 50th Anniversary Edition
For a lot of people, their first Camaro probably came covered in plastic with a cardboard backing. Mattel's Hot Wheels toy line has long enjoyed creating little replicas of powerful muscle cars like the Chevy Camaro. Back in 2018, Chevy decided to team up with the toymaker to create a full-sized version of a Hot Wheels car that enthusiasts could jump in and push to the limits. It is worth noting you probably shouldn't try to take the full-sized vehicle through a loop-de-loop, run it down a plastic ski slope, or strategically leave it in a location your dad is likely to step on while trying to visit the bathroom at 3 a.m.
The package cost $4,995 extra and was purely cosmetic. Fans received some Hot Wheels branding on the door sills and a special badge. The Orange "Crush" color is reminiscent of the toy car's orange tracks, and a pair of silver accented graphite stripes adorn the center of the vehicle. The grille has a chrome insert, and the vehicle sits on top of a set of 20" graphite-colored forged aluminum wheels. While it might only match the performance of a stock 2018 Camaro, its design will certainly turn a few more heads.
The Z/28 Camaro
The Z/28 was a racing edition of the original 1967 Camaro that came about due to a very specific set of circumstances. GM had pulled the plug on its involvement in motorsports several years before the Camaro first rolled off the production line. There are also rules surrounding a vehicle's eligibility to enter various classes of competition. But in the late 1960s Chevy engineer Vince Piggins, whose background included work on NASCAR vehicles, decided to pair up with a dealer and build a racing version of the Camaro anyway. Thus the Z/28 was born. It had a 302 cubic inch engine, which crept in just below the SCAA Trans-Am sedan racing class' 5-liter limit. Disk brakes were also fitted, and the suspension was upgraded to something that could handle the rigors of racing.
The Z/28's name is a reference to its GM catalog header. It's road legal but tuned to dominate on the track. There were actually several editions of the vehicle, but ones from the late '60s are incredibly rare and a grail find for any serious Camaro collector. As far as its racing pedigree goes, the Z/28 snatched both the 1968 and 1969 Trans-Am Championships. Not bad for a car that GM's board didn't want anything to do with.
The 2024 Camaro ZL1 Collector's Edition
The sixth-generation Camaro may be riding off into the sunset soon, but Chevy has plans to send its iconic muscle car brand off with a bang. Three special trims are planned for the 2024 edition of the Chevy Camaro, with the RS and SS both getting a collector's edition option for an extra fee. Some ZL1s are also getting the collector's edition treatment, though the number of vehicles with this option is set to be limited. The ZL1 is also the one to watch when it comes to collectors' editions. When its V8 engine got the 1LE treatment a while back, it ended up producing an impressive 650 horsepower and had the capability of rocketing from zero to 60 mph in just 3.4 seconds.
This collector's edition is obviously notable because of two things. The fact it marks the end of an era, and the fact it does so by drawing from the Chevy Camaro's storied history. Information on the exact specs and trim details is scarce, but more will be revealed this summer. For now, Chevy has teased that the package is "resurfacing ties that date back to the development of the first generation Camaro in the 1960s, most notably the program's initial code name: Panther."