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Jan 10, 2024

Chevrolet pulls covers off 2024 'Panther' Camaro Collector's Edition

Special trim gets blacked out as throw-back to Camaro's "Panther" code name;

Special trim gets blacked out as throw-back to Camaro's "Panther" code name; orders for the final(?) Camaro open June 15

Chevrolet early June pulled the covers off the special "Collector's Edition" Camaro that it would use to send off the 2024 model year, the current (sixth) generation of the car, and possibly the nameplate as we know it altogether. It's rather fitting, then, that this Collector's Edition of the last-ever(?) Camaro wears a style inspired by the very first Camaros, specifically the Panther-code-name prototypes that presaged the introductory 1967 models.

If you’re not so much a Camaro nerd, you may not have heard of this bit of arcana, but in the mid-’60s, during the development process, the pony car was internally referred to as "Panther," a name that eventually got leaked to the press and published in a few magazines.

In reality, Chevrolet was likely looking to lock in another ‘C’ name – like Corvair or Corvette – on the production model, but the "Panther" press made for a very funny reveal event for the Camaro in June 1966, when Chevy general manager Pete Estes hosted the first and last meeting of the "Society for the Elimination of Panthers from the Automotive World."

MSRP $30,548 to $83,648

Maybe it's time that Society reconvenes, because for 2024, Panther is back, in the form of this special edition. The Collector's Edition package – available on the LT/RS, LT1, SS, and ZL1 trims – includes, first of all, a new Panther Black Metallic paint, as well as black accent stripes and 20-inch Satin Black or optional Polished Forged Wheels. Other bits attached include the front splitter from the 1LE package; and, on coupes, the rear spoiler from the ZL1 package.

Aim for the top ZL1 trim, though, and that Panther Black paint will come in a flat Matte finish, not a shiny gloss; Chevrolet says it's "the first matte paint offered on Camaro from the factory." The ZL1 stripe gets the metallic finish instead, plus the brake calipers get a shot of red. Chevy's only building 350 of these ZL1s for North America, and a serialized steering wheel plate tells you where yours fell on the production line. You’ll also get a custom Shinola watch commemorating your ZL1 Collector's Edition.

Less subtle allusions to Panther-dom on all trims of Collector's Edition Camaro include the working of the cat into the "unique front fender script badging," as well as the feline showing up in a badge on the steering wheel.

The 2024 Chevrolet Camaro Collector's Edition makes its full debut in September, in Detroit; and the order forms for all 2024 Camaros, including these ones, open on June 15 in Canada. Canadian pricing will be revealed just about that time, too.

The throwback-to-the-beginning definitely makes for a farewell sort-of feeling for the Camaro nameplate, but we’re not urging you to "rush out and buy the last-ever Camaro while you can" because, well, Chevrolet's hinted the badge will almost certainly be back. In late March 2023, you may recall an exec specifically putting it this way: "While we are not announcing an immediate successor today, rest assured, this is not the end of Camaro's story." Suffice it to say, that's probably a giant hint we’ll see a future Camaro return as an EV, or maybe an SUV—or both. The Camaro as we know it may be at its end—so if you want one of those, rush out and buy it while you can.

I've been part of the Driving.ca team for five years, but have been writing about cars for more than twice that. Classics – like my first and currently only car, my 1971 Plymouth Valiant Scamp – are my favourite, but I love learning and writing about vehicular history, automotive design, and car culture.

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