The Chevrolet Camaro was introduced as a direct challenge to the ludicrously successful Ford Mustang whose introduction in 1964 caught General Motors flat-footed and completely out of its depths. Unsurprisingly then, the first Chevrolet Camaro (a 1966 model) relied heavily on cannibalized parts from another Chevrolet - the Nova. In its first year, 220,000 units were sold which is actually not a bad number until you realize that Ford shipped 480,000 units in the same period.
Gradually, Camaros began to hold their own and developed a loyal fan base in the muscle car market. Today, that shaky start has been largely forgotten and the Camaro has firmly stamped its position as one of the bestselling muscle cars in the world. In fact, the Camaro outsold the Ford Mustang for five consecutive years, from 2010 to 2014.
Special Edition Camaros have been introduced at various times in the model’s rich history, to sustain consumer interest and capture a wider share of the fiercely competitive market. This article highlights 15 of those limited-editions that add pomp and splendor to the Camaro lineup across several generations.
15 2020 Chevrolet Camaro Heritage Edition
This one’s for you, Japan. The Heritage Edition will exclusively be made available to the Land of The Rising Sun and comes with a unique rally green paint scheme complemented with white hood stripes. Only 100 units will be built consisting of 40 SS models, 30 LTs, and 20 Convertibles. Prices are expected to start from about $51,000 for the LT and inch upward with spec and additional options.
14 2019 Chevrolet Camaro Shock Edition
The Camaro Shock Edition launched in July 2019 and was initially offered exclusively to the Russian Market. The cars were finished in bright yellow ‘shock’ color, designed by Chevrolet. This contrasts nicely with the 20-inch black wheels, black badges and interior. The Camaro is powered by a detuned 2.0-liter turbocharged engine mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission.
13 1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Only 69 units of this special edition Camaro were built, signifying the year it was introduced. It was powered by a massive 385 hp V8 engine that made the ’69 Camaro ZL1 one of the fastest and most powerful muscle cars at the time. Some of the cars were actually used in drag-racing and set several records on the strip.
12 2010 Chevrolet Camaro Indy Pace Car Edition
In 2010, Chevrolet got the nod to supply the pace cars for the Indy 500 and thus the Camaro Pace Car Edition was born. The cars packed a hefty punch under the hood in the form of a 6.2-litre V8 engine capable of producing up to 400 hp. 200 units were produced with each commanding a $41,000 price tag.
11 2010 Chevrolet Camaro Synergy Edition
The Camaro Synergy Edition was a product of a 2009 Camaro Synergy project introduced at the 2009 edition of SEMA. This limited edition was only made available for the 1LT Camaro Trim and costs about $2,000 more than the regular 1LT. For the extra bucks, you get a cool green color and special door inserts with LED lighting, unique stitching on the seats and a rear wing.
10 1987 Chevrolet Camaro 20th Anniversary Edition
1987 represented the first time Chevrolet officially marked a milestone in the Camaro’s history. Chevrolet partnered with the American Sunroof Company to create this special edition. They made slightly over 1,000 units of this vehicle; with commemorative 20th-anniversary logos proudly displayed on the dashboards. It was also the first time Chevrolet debuted a 225 hp V8 engine option for the Camaro.
9 2010 Chevrolet Camaro Transformers Edition
The Camaro featured prominently in the hugely successful Transformer movie and Chevrolet smartly followed up with the introduction of this bumble-bee yellow Camaro Transformer Edition. Apart from the distinctive color, the car came with Autobot shields and other aesthetic options that cost an additional $995 – not a bad way to make your Camaro stand out.
8 2011 Chevrolet Camaro Neiman Marcus Edition
This is arguably one of the most beautiful modern-day Camaro special editions. The cars were finished in a gorgeous, deep-Bordeaux red shade and faded racing stripes. They are all fully specced out and rightly so too, considering each one carried a price tag of $75,000. It took only 3 minutes for all available slots to be snapped up by eager customers.
7 2002 Chevrolet Camaro 35th Anniversary Edition
Chevrolet famously killed off the Camaro brand in 2002, much to the dismay of the car’s loyal fan base. However, before that happened, there was a swan-song model in the form of the 35th Anniversary Edition. 1,971 units were produced that year with about 934 equipped with an automatic transmission. All the cars were painted in a distinctive rally red color with racing stripes.
6 2011 Chevrolet Camaro 45th Anniversary Edition
The Camaro had its 45th birthday in 2011, and what better way to celebrate than introduce a special anniversary package. This was made available to all top-spec Camaros and included features such as new-design 20-inch rims, a spoiler, and HID headlamps. The 45th-anniversary logo is generously applied to the interior surfaces – just in case the car begins to feel like a regular Camaro.
5 1968 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 Convertible
What makes this car unique is that it’s a one-off – being the only convertible Z28 Camaro made that year. The car was specially built for Chevrolet’s General Manager at the time, Pete Estes. It had a few customized features unavailable in other models. They included four-wheel disc brakes and a cowl induction hood for enhanced performance.
4 1970 Chevrolet Camaro ‘Hurst Sunshine’ Special Edition
Three units of this limited-edition Camaros were built and only one reportedly exists today. The 1970 ‘Hurst Sunshine’ Camaro featured a prototype power sliding roof which looked very cool in operation. Unfortunately, the feature never made it to mainstream production. In addition to trying out the roof, the cars were also used in wind tunnels to test front and rear spoilers for a racing series Camaro.
3 2018 Chevrolet Camaro ‘Hot Wheels’ Edition
Chevrolet brought the ‘Hot Wheels’ toy car to life with this special edition package. The changes are mostly cosmetic and include bright orange paint, distinctive 20-inch wheels, and orange-painted brake calipers. There are also various badges on the car celebrating the 50th-anniversary partnership between Chevrolet and Hot Wheels. Now, all you need is a real-life track to try out your toy.
2 2020 Chevrolet Camaro Shock And Steel Editions
A couple of months ago, Chevrolet quietly announced Shock and Steel special editions for the 2020 Camaro. This will only be available for the 2LT, 3LT, and 2SS trims. There are two color options here – the shock option will have a satin steel stripe running down the middle. This pattern is reversed if you pick satin steel as the main color.
1 2015 Chevrolet Camaro Commemorative Edition
This commemorative edition was first introduced to the public at the SEMA show in November 2014. The car was launched specifically to celebrate the success enjoyed by the Camaro model – a car that had been America’s best-selling muscle car for five consecutive years. There were five special color options available but none that would outshine the commemorative emblem boldly displayed on the car fenders.