BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN may have ‘blown that Camaro off my back’ in his 1978 epic Racing In The Street, but the mighty muscle car is now back with a bang.
It’s 10 years since the American icon last graced British roads if not bedroom walls and sound systems in the form of countless rock anthems.
Now the super Chevy is making its return, complete with 432PS V8 engine and new 21st century design that reflects the model’s heritage.
That means a V-shaped nose, flanked by high-intensity discharge headlamps with glowing LED xenon halo rings, mimicking deep-inset eyes and giving the Camaro a menacing look.
Chevrolet's 'gold bow tie' logo adorns the grille directing gaze towards the power-bulge bonnet, while the rear boasts twin LED tail-lamp elements to mirror the look of the front end.
And the design is finished off with large, round chrome exhaust tips similar to those on the Corvette Z06
Put through its paces at Germany’s Nurburgring racetrack, the latest Camaro has been tuned to European taste with new suspension and a raft of refinements.
The car’s headline figures are a 6.2-litre LS3 engine that produces a whopping 569Nm of torque at 4,600rpm – translating to a 0-62mph acceleration time of 5.2 seconds for the coupe and 5.4 seconds for the convertible. Top speed is 155mph.
Not surprisingly fuel consumption isn’t good, the manual models having a combined figure of 20mpg while the automatics return 21.5mpg, with CO2 emissions rated at 329 and 304g/km respectively.
Chevrolet Europe chief Susan Docherty said: “The Camaro is an ensemble of power, comfort and technology, offering great value for money that cannot be matched by our competitors."
Prices for the coupe start at £35,025 while the convertible is from £40,025.