Sixth-Generation Chevy Camaro: A Stunning Digital Transformation into the Iconic Opel GT
From 1929 until 2017, when Detroit’s biggest Chevy Camaro sold Opel and sister brand Vauxhall to French giant Groupe PSA, General Motors controlled German automaker Opel. The 1968-1973 production of the GT, a two-door coupe, was one of GM’s biggest hits during that time.
The Manta served as an indirect replacement, but in 2007 the second-generation Opel Chevy Camaro GT emerged as the actual heir. The second generation of the GT, which was essentially a badge-engineered Saturn Sky and Pontiac Solstice, did not meet sales targets.
The Delaware-based Kappa-based Chevy Camaro GT finished its series manufacturing with 7,519 units assembled. Although it signaled the end of rear-drive Opels, Opel did give us a little tease at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show with the Chevy Camaro GT Concept. Unfortunately, the market for sports vehicles is getting smaller, therefore it never made it to series production.
However, this issue extends beyond the European market. Examining US sales data for the Mustang, Chevy Camaro, and Challenger over the past five years or so indicates a decline in the market desire for these types of cars, which takes us to Ascariss Design’s portrayal of the Opel GT.
The rear-drive coupe and convertible in the highlighted footage, which is based on the now-gone Camaro, wouldn’t sell in big quantities in Germany or anyplace else in the EU for a variety of reasons. It would be too much work to bring about a third-generation Opel GT, given the growing cost of new cars, the tightening pollution standards, and the Camaro’s Alpha platform.
It would be unaffordable to expand Alpha manufacturing to a plant in Europe, even if GM had control over it. Regarding curb weight and internal combustion options, the all-new STLA Large platform of the 2024 Dodge Charger from Stellantis, the automaker founded by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Groupe PSA, is a little disappointing.
To put it another way, a third-generation Opel GT that was designed on the STLA Large and was considerably too heavy would be available with a twin-turbo sixer that produced 550 mechanical horsepower or a dual-motor arrangement. In contrast, the Alpha-platform Camaro’s 6.2-liter supercharged V8 reached a peak power of 650 stallions.
Rumor has it that General Motors planned to launch the sixth-generation Camaro with the Corvette Z06’s flat-plane V8 engine. If you enjoy cars, you probably know how difficult it can be to convert a V8 meant for a mid-engine sports car with a rear-mounted transaxle into a V8 for a front-engine vehicle. There’s a good reason why the 8,600-rpm LT6 of the Z06 and the LT2 small block of the Stingray and E-Ray are limited to use in the C8-generation Chevrolet Corvette.
