Camaro SS to Take On Ford Mustang in Australia
As Australian rock bank Men at Work once said, “can’t you hear, can’t you hear the thunder? You better run, you better take cover.”
In Australia, Ford’s Mustang reigns supreme as the best selling sports car. Holden Special Vehicles aims to change that, by importing a limited number of Chevrolet Camaros.
Beginning later this year, Australian buys will have a choice when it comes to rear-wheel drive pony cars. However, buyers should be aware that, if you pick the Camaro, further choices are limited.
The Australian Camaro will only be available in 2SS trim with an 8-speed automatic, and your chosen shade of metallic paint is the only option. According to news.com.au, base price is $85,000 (that’s Australian dollars), about twenty grand more than the Mustang.
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So what gives? Why so few options? In Australia, all cars must be right-hand drive, so Holden Special Vehicles is incurring a significant cost to carry out the conversion. With that said, GM’s Australian division has no plans of removing the iconic Chevy bowtie from the grille. This will be the same Chevrolet Camaro that Americans know and love, just set up for driving on the other side of the road/world.
With the legendary Holden Commodore now gone, it’s clear that Holden Special vehicles is hoping that the Camaro is a suitable rear-wheel drive, tire-roasting replacement. We think they’ll find it up to the task and then some.
The Holden-ified Camaro comes loaded with standard equipment: heated and ventilated leather seats, Bose premium audio, enormous 20-inch wheels, and Brembo brakes. Despite the lack of options, one could never accuse this car of being under-equipped.
With just 550 examples offered this year, think of it as a trial run for the Australian Camaro. Success later this year could mean more options, more sub-models, and, hopefully, a manual transmission. If Australia takes to the Camaro the way Americans took to Crocodile Dundee back in the ’80s, this could be the start of an impressive pony car war in the land down under.
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