Final iteration of the Camaro?

Chris 2018 ZL1 A10 · 10-24-2020, 06:11 AM

Gentlemen,

I’ve read that the Camaro will be discontinued by 2023. I also know that the LT5 engine is languishing on the shelf, comparatively speaking, as the only production vehicle to use it to date was the 2019 ZR1. Of course, the engine is available as a crate motor but I’m guessing those sales pale in comparison to how many would be produced if assigned to a production vehicle. I imagine GM spent a respectable amount of money on R&D developing the LT5 and would guess that they have yet to realize a significant return on their investment.

Of course I’m preaching to the choir here but the final Camaro with an LT5 option would certainly be a fitting tribute and would also enable the Camaro to end its reign on a very high note. I’m thinking that 800 hp probably wouldn’t be too difficult for Chevy to extract from the LT5, just to add a little icing on the cake.

Thoughts, comments?

Chris

hawk02 · 10-24-2020, 06:57 AM

Wishful thinking my friend.

Can’t just plop a different engine into a vehicle without some R&D. Replacing the existing LT4 in the ZL1 with an LT5 would likely bump the base price of a ZL1 into the $80-90K range. Doesn’t make much business sense for GM to invest money into a $90k Camaro that will shortly be discontinued.

Trak-Toy · 10-24-2020, 07:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hawk02

Wishful thinking my friend.

Can’t just plop a different engine into a vehicle without some R&D. Replacing the existing LT4 in the ZL1 with an LT5 would likely bump the base price of a ZL1 into the $80-90K range. Doesn’t make much business sense for GM to invest money into a $90k Camaro that will shortly be discontinued.

Yet, GM did just that with the ZR1 and sold every one of them..

ST1LE · 10-24-2020, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trak-Toy

Yet, GM did just that with the ZR1 and sold every one of them..

C7 also sold a lot better than the current Camaro does. That's really what's killed out chances of a car like this, the sales just aren't there to make this a smart move for Chevy.

Realist · 10-24-2020, 08:58 AM

I think it would be cool if they did, it would come at a heavy price for sure.
The Camaro is treated like the red headed step child in GM’s fleet so don’t see it happening.

LT4Greg · 10-24-2020, 09:28 AM

Chris, you could build your own LT5 beast but it would be a very expensive swap! And I agree with other folks here that Chevy won’t invest any time or money to build an LT5 ZL1 or ZL1 1LE Camaro since the end of the model is out in 2 years!

Markoz28 · 10-24-2020, 09:40 AM

GM will not do it. They are in the market to make money and not make their customers happy. This should be obvious with the new Blazer, which is the dumbest thing I have ever seen considering it’s previous styles.

Ford came out swinging with the new Bronco and will kill it in sells. Sht I’m a Chevy fan and would buy the Bronco all day.

Stevezx900 · 10-24-2020, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Markoz28

GM will not do it. They are in the market to make money and not make their customers happy. This should be obvious with the new Blazer, which is the dumbest thing I have ever seen considering it’s previous styles.

Ford came out swinging with the new Bronco and will kill it in sells. Sht I’m a Chevy fan and would buy the Bronco all day.

Totally agree!

Chevy came back with the Hummer but is still falling behind. Blazer is a complete flop. What a waste of time and engineering.

I’m a 100% Chevy fan but got to admit I’ll love the Raptor and Bronco.

Schlok · 10-24-2020, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hawk02

Wishful thinking my friend.

Can’t just plop a different engine into a vehicle without some R&D. Replacing the existing LT4 in the ZL1 with an LT5 would likely bump the base price of a ZL1 into the $80-90K range. Doesn’t make much business sense for GM to invest money into a $90k Camaro that will shortly be discontinued.

The Gen V Z/28 was “this car” where they had a LS7 engine without a home. Sales sucked and GM won’t get fooled again by the engineering team. Worked out for me to grab a hell of a deal though 😊

Realist · 10-24-2020, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schlok

The Gen V Z/28 was “this car” where they had a LS7 engine without a home. Sales sucked and GM won’t get fooled again by the engineering team. Worked out for me to grab a hell of a deal though ��

I get your point but if priced right it could steal some GT500 sales and come with a manual to boot. The 6 Gen ZL1 won’t need any suspension upgrades and already has all the creatures comforts the z/28 (love the car) doesn’t offer and I prefer. It would be a great way for the 6th Gen to go out thats for sure. Unfortunately it won’t happen.

arpad_m · 10-24-2020, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Markoz28

GM will not do it. They are in the market to make money and not make their customers happy. This should be obvious with the new Blazer, which is the dumbest thing I have ever seen considering it’s previous styles.

Ford came out swinging with the new Bronco and will kill it in sells. Sht I’m a Chevy fan and would buy the Bronco all day.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stevezx900

Totally agree!

Chevy came back with the Hummer but is still falling behind. Blazer is a complete flop. What a waste of time and engineering.

I’m a 100% Chevy fan but got to admit I’ll love the Raptor and Bronco.

Well, they aren't going to make that much money with these lame duck vehicles if customers hate them or strongly prefer the competition. This kind of thinking ("we are here to make money, not to please customers") is putting the cart before the horse. That sweet influx of money is a result of genuine effort at serving customers and not a sensible goal in itself, as GM's recent missteps exemplify.

The only exception here is the C8, and I'm pretty sure they were trying to make the best possible mid-engine Corvette not simply to make money (why the sub-$60K starting price then, after all), but also to create something new and spectacular that is a respectful nod to the decades of Corvette engineering and design. This is why they are already selling every single C8 a year or two ahead, and the Z06 hasn't even been announced.

I've had nothing but GM vehicles (Pontiac and Chevy), but if I had to buy something new today, Chevy has nothing that appeals to me, very sad.

Chris 2018 ZL1 A10 · 10-24-2020, 05:57 PM

All,

Thanks for the responses, some very compelling arguments that strongly suggest it will never happen. Still, one can dream but in the end, probably the most daring changes we will see from now until the end will be a new color or two. Perhaps a better guess for the LT5 would be that it is put into a Cadillac, isn’t that what happened to the one-off 1990 ZR1 McLaren/Mercury Marine engine? I think the Cadillac version was called “North Star”? It was a long time ago and I may be confused.

Happy motoring,
Chris

Camaro1973 · 10-24-2020, 06:41 PM

Buy the zl1 with the LT4, remove the blower, install a magnuson 2650 now you have an LT5

.

arpad_m · 10-24-2020, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Camaro1973

Buy the zl1 with the LT4, remove the blower, install a magnuson 2650 now you have an LT5

.

+1

10-24-2020, 06:11 AM	#1
Chris 2018 ZL1 A10 Drives: Chevy Camaro ZL1 Join Date: Apr 2020 Location: Florida Posts: 95	Final iteration of the Camaro? Gentlemen, I’ve read that the Camaro will be discontinued by 2023. I also know that the LT5 engine is languishing on the shelf, comparatively speaking, as the only production vehicle to use it to date was the 2019 ZR1. Of course, the engine is available as a crate motor but I’m guessing those sales pale in comparison to how many would be produced if assigned to a production vehicle. I imagine GM spent a respectable amount of money on R&D developing the LT5 and would guess that they have yet to realize a significant return on their investment. Of course I’m preaching to the choir here but the final Camaro with an LT5 option would certainly be a fitting tribute and would also enable the Camaro to end its reign on a very high note. I’m thinking that 800 hp probably wouldn’t be too difficult for Chevy to extract from the LT5, just to add a little icing on the cake. Thoughts, comments? Chris

10-24-2020, 06:57 AM	#2
hawk02 Coupe Newbie Drives: 2017 ZL1, 2021 Corvette Convertible Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Columbus, Ohio Posts: 3,281 View My Garage	Wishful thinking my friend. Can’t just plop a different engine into a vehicle without some R&D. Replacing the existing LT4 in the ZL1 with an LT5 would likely bump the base price of a ZL1 into the $80-90K range. Doesn’t make much business sense for GM to invest money into a $90k Camaro that will shortly be discontinued. __________________

10-24-2020, 09:28 AM	#6
LT4Greg Drives: 2017 Camaro ZL1 Coupe Join Date: May 2016 Location: Georgia Posts: 5,813	Chris, you could build your own LT5 beast but it would be a very expensive swap! And I agree with other folks here that Chevy won’t invest any time or money to build an LT5 ZL1 or ZL1 1LE Camaro since the end of the model is out in 2 years! __________________ ZL1 Coupe, PDR, Exposed carbon fiber hood insert, My Link with Nav, M6 6 speed and Silver Ice Metallic. Mods done: ceramic window tint, GM Accessories Camaro floor mats and Roto-Fab CAI.

10-24-2020, 08:58 AM	#5
Realist Drives: No Camaro :( Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Chitown Burbs Posts: 1,136	I think it would be cool if they did, it would come at a heavy price for sure. The Camaro is treated like the red headed step child in GM’s fleet so don’t see it happening.

10-24-2020, 09:40 AM	#7
Markoz28 Drives: 18 ZL1 nightfall grey A10 Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: RGV Texas Posts: 1,527	GM will not do it. They are in the market to make money and not make their customers happy. This should be obvious with the new Blazer, which is the dumbest thing I have ever seen considering it’s previous styles. Ford came out swinging with the new Bronco and will kill it in sells. Sht I’m a Chevy fan and would buy the Bronco all day.

10-24-2020, 05:57 PM	#12
Chris 2018 ZL1 A10 Drives: Chevy Camaro ZL1 Join Date: Apr 2020 Location: Florida Posts: 95	All, Thanks for the responses, some very compelling arguments that strongly suggest it will never happen. Still, one can dream but in the end, probably the most daring changes we will see from now until the end will be a new color or two. Perhaps a better guess for the LT5 would be that it is put into a Cadillac, isn’t that what happened to the one-off 1990 ZR1 McLaren/Mercury Marine engine? I think the Cadillac version was called “North Star”? It was a long time ago and I may be confused. Happy motoring, Chris

10-24-2020, 06:41 PM	#13
Camaro1973 Drives: 2019 ZL1 Join Date: Mar 2019 Location: NJ Posts: 1,534	Buy the zl1 with the LT4, remove the blower, install a magnuson 2650 now you have an LT5 .

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