For the first time ever, the spy shooters at Brenda Priddy & Co. spotted a Camaro test mule in the United States. Most of the testing and development is taking place in Australia, Priddy says, and previously they’ve only been able to grab grainy cell phone shots of a Holden-badged mule.
“Perhaps it’s to throw us off, but this chopped-up engineering mule is a Holden sibling, Chevrolet’s Middle Eastern market Lumina SS. But this is no Lumina. Underneath this hacked four-door shell is the long-awaited 2009 Camaro—at least the chassis and drivetrain, anyway.”
Contrary to its appearance, this Lumina SS has only two working doors, and comparing this mule with the donor body, this mule has a well-modified (and shorter) wheelbase, as well as a lower roofline.
“It’s no secret that this soon-to-be-Canadian-built ‘Heartbeat of America’ will start production in February of 2009, with an annual production run in the 65–75K-unit range,” Priddy notes. “There will be several powerplants offered, including a 3.6L direct-injection V6, as well as a regular V8 and likely a Z28-type V8 (LS8). Power-wise, the top-of-the-line should put out close to 500 horsepower and a convertible will follow for the 2010 model year."