Last year, Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) made a big splash when they first revealed that they will be converting the Chevrolet Camaro to right-hand drive for sale to the Australian market. For 2019, they’re going bigger, announcing that in addition to the 2SS already on sale, the range-topping supercharged Camaro ZL1 will be added to the line-up.
Before we get to that ,though, where the staple 2SS is concerned, HSV have already begun groundwork to convert the facelifted 2019 version for local consumption, replacing the pre-update car that first graced our shores and skipping the oddball fascia that popped up in between.
The 2019 model year Camaro 2SS, starting at $86,990 plus on-road costs, will also now be offered with a 6-speed manual transmission as standard, relegating the 10-speed automatic to $2,200 optional extra. It’s a slightly higher entry price, but bear in mind that prior to this was only available as an auto.
Meanwhile, the top dog Camaro ZL1 will soon be available in Australia for a cool $159,990 with a manual transmission with the automatic tacking on an additional $2,200 to the sticker. It’s a big jump in price, but is matched with performance and sheer capability. The ZL1 is much more at home on a track than the other variants, sporting more aggressive suspension, adaptive dampers, lightweight construction, a carbon fibre aero kit, and an uprated Brembo brake package.
Under the bonnet, the 6.2-litre LT4 V8 is supercharged to deliver 485kW and 868Nm in according to its North American specification. Exact outputs for Australia are expected to be near identical but have yet to be confirmed.
Inside, the ZL1 adds cabin accoutrements both racier and more luxurious over the 2SS including heated and ventilated Recaro semi-bucket seats, aluminium pedals, heated gear shifter, and an Alcantara-like microfibre wrapped steering wheel. Though, it does maintain the general ergonomics and black with red accents from lesser models. Both Camaros feature a rather comprehensive safety feature set comprising of forward collision alert, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, and 8 airbags.
Additionally, both models also receive Chevrolet’s updated infotainment suite, displayed via an 8-inch centrally mounted touchscreen with connectivity support for Apple CarPlay and audio output to an 8-speaker Bose stereo system.
HSV expects to start conversion on automatic versions of the 2SS in early March before tackling similarly two-pedal examples of the ZL1. Work on Camaros with a manual transmission are earmarked to start in May and June.
For more on HSV cars, check out our Showroom.
