Chevrolet Camaro 2018: First cars spied in Australia

Fans of the Chevrolet Camaro will be pleased at the sight of a truck-load of brand-new muscle cars being shipped into Walkinshaw Automotive Group’s right-hand drive conversion facility in Clayton South, Victoria.

Six examples of the Camaro SS loaded on the back of a semi-trailer were snapped on the way into the factory, where they were taken into the facility and stored ahead of the start of production in the next fortnight.

Walkinshaw is finalising preparation of the Camaro production line, which is being built next to the Silverado production line that converts up to six of the hulking American pick-ups per day.

Once the Camaros have been converted to right-hand drive, they will be sold alongside the Silverado through HSV’s 55-strong dealer network.

The Camaro’s conversion process is vastly different to the Silverado’s due to its monocoque chassis, which requires the engine to be removed so the engineers can switch the firewall, steering column and dashboard from the left to the right.

Each stage of the conversion will be completed at different stages of the production line.

Six examples of the Camaro SS loaded on the back of a semi-trailer were snapped on the way into the factory.

Meanwhile, the ladder-frame Silverados have their body removed, so the chassis – including powertrain and transmission – and body can be worked on in separate lines before being rejoined at the end.

To go with the commencement of Camaro production this month, Walkinshaw will also begin producing the heavy-duty Silverado 3500HD, which features dual rear wheels that allow for a greater payload and towing capacity over the 2500HD, which has been in production for a couple of months now.

Other current projects in the Walkinshaw factory include Ram 2500 conversions for Ateco Automotive and production of the Holden HSV SportsCat.

Aussie-spec Camaros will be offered with a sole powertrain configuration, a 339kW/617Nm naturally aspirated 6.2-litre V8 driving the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Specification has been known for some time now, however HSV is still yet to confirm pricing, which should be made public shortly.

The spy pictures suggest the Camaro will be offered in a range of hues including red, yellow, white and black, and should appeal to past HSV owners attracted to large-capacity V8 engines.

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