Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupes, Chevrolet
Spy Shots: Chevy Camaro mule caught Stateside
by John Neff on Sep 19th 2007 at 2:07PM 
click above image to see more spy shots of the Chevy Camaro mule
Though it's been spotted bombing the boulevards of Australia, the Chevy Camaro mule seen in these pictures has not been caught testing in the U.S. until now. Insiders have confirmed this Middle Eastern-market Chevy Lumina SS mule with severely truncated rear doors is indeed a mule for the production Chevy Camaro that will hopefully go on sale as a 2009 model. Chris Doane shooting for Brenda Priddy snapped the pics and tells us that in addition to the shortened rear doors, the wheelbase is obviously shorter compared to a normal VE sedan from Holden and the roofline is also lower to the ground. Priddy adds that while we don't know what engine is in the mule, expect the production car to have your choice of GM's 3.6L direct-inject V6, a "regular" V8 and top-shelf motor based on the LS8 engine putting out close to 500 HP. A convertible should follow a year after the coupe arrives, just like the Camaro Convertible Concept showed up 365 days after the coupe concept.
[Photos: Chris Doane /Brenda Priddy & Company]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
TriShield 2:26PM (9/19/2007)
I want a new Monaro sold by Pontiac in the US.
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AMcA 10:51PM (9/23/2007)
That gorgeous little Monaro they showed recently?
Yeah, it was real then, and it's getting more real by the day. We'll see it here as the baby Cadillac.
I, personally, can't wait.
Robert 2:33PM (9/19/2007)
I had to look three times to make sure the caption really did go with the image. That's NOT a BMW 5 series?
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why not the LS2LS7? 2:34PM (9/19/2007)
LS8 is a terrible name for an engine that can't hold the LS7's jock.
All motor.
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jg 2:38PM (9/19/2007)
Looks nothing like the concept. Way to go GM. You always screw up a great design when it goes to production.
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JayP 2:42PM (9/19/2007)
Um... what? That's a test mule, using an Impala for cover.
Mr. Oak 2:43PM (9/19/2007)
Silly person, this is a "mule". The mechanicals are Camaro, cleverly hidden under that thing.
jg 2:50PM (9/19/2007)
People please. You can't possibly think I was serious. I baited you with the (weak) insult at GM but come on.
Mr. Oak 2:59PM (9/19/2007)
Excellent attempt at damage control.
jg 3:29PM (9/19/2007)
Nice projection.
olddavid 2:51PM (9/19/2007)
This is an exciting time to watch the domestic car business. We're going to see a lot of 24 month clay- to- ground development, with all of the Big 3 taking chances we would have never seen 15 years ago. Or not. But they must remember that standing pat is NOT an option. Particularly at Ford, with their bizarre stock situation vis-a-vis family stock, where most of the extended family relies on dividends for income. At $8 it would be pretty hard to sell any dividend to the board, let alone the stockholders at large. This should be fun. Let the games begin!
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SPG 2:51PM (9/19/2007)
I do love a bizzare mule.
Remember when the Prowler was using the cabin from the Jeep Wrangler, the prowler nose, and a chopped Wrangler bumper for it's mules?
That was awesome and funny.
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DDL 2:55PM (9/19/2007)
Is this the same car that was spotted curb-side in LA?
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Tim 2:57PM (9/19/2007)
I love how GM markets cars that are years away 2009-2010 camaro) and might never make it for production (Volt, Hywire). I call this GM's phantom lineup or GM's "Garage of Dreams". Needless to say potential buyers are a little disappointed when they arrive at the dealerships to find nothing of the sort advertised.
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ford_for_road 3:06PM (9/19/2007)
hi guys it is not a Comaro it is a Lumina 2007 SS
we have it in Saudi Arabia
http://www.gulf4cars.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=4587&stc=1&d=1161086444
http://www.gulf4cars.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=4585&stc=1&d=1161086444
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Chuck U. Farlie 3:13PM (9/19/2007)
I was just going to ask if I was the only one who saw 'Lumina' on the left side of the trunk lid!
SGV 3:54PM (9/19/2007)
No, but you are one of the many that posted a reply without reading the entry.
"Insiders have confirmed this Middle Eastern-market Chevy Lumina SS mule with severely truncated rear doors is indeed a mule for the production Chevy Camaro that will hopefully go on sale as a 2009 model"
The above quote from the blog entry above, should have answered all your questions.
Why has it taken so long to even produce a mule? That would be my question. We have been looking the Camaro concept everywhere now, from auto shows to the Transformers movie, for the last three years and it is only now that a mule shows up. LAAAAAAAAAME!!!
Mike S 6:44PM (9/19/2007)
SGV, where did you see the Camaro concept in 2004? I don't remember seeing it before 2006.
SGV 7:35PM (9/19/2007)
You are right Mike S. Its been one year and nine months. More than enough time to have shown at least a production ready Camaro. However, it has been so overexposed that it feel like its been a 100 years. This is going to be an OLD new car instead of an ALL new car.
I will never understand GM's propensity to brag about the cars they don't make.
Crazy 2:36AM (9/21/2007)
Actually it is'nt a Mid East Holden. The floor pan is from the Australian V8 Supercar series and so are the doors. Those cars are 87mm shorter in length. The Mid East Holdens are the "Ponty" G8's.