Camaro enthusiasts who watched the Garage 56 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in mid-June can buy a version of their own later this year.
The production 2024 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Garage 56 Edition celebrates the effort to run a NASCAR Cup Camaro ZL1 in the 100th running of the legendary French sports car race.
The No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 finished 39th out of 62 cars entered in the event. When the car left the course to fix a driveline issue, it was ahead of all the cars in the GTE class.
The Garage 56 project is a collaboration between NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet, Goodyear, and IMSA.
“Even though Chevrolet has been racing since its inception in 1911, we’ve never done anything quite like Garage 56,” says Mark Reuss, president of General Motors Co. in Detroit.
The race car vision began when NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France recognized an opportunity to showcase the capability of the NASCAR Next Gen car before a global audience.
Garage 56, introduced at Le Mans in 2022 as a single-entry class reserved for innovative and extraordinary vehicles, provided the right venue for a NASCAR Cup Series car built to withstand 24 hours of maximum-effort driving to compete.
Longtime Chevrolet partner Hendrick Motorsports, the all-time leader in NASCAR Cup Series championships and race wins, was selected to field the team and construct the Garage 56 Camaro ZL1 race car. Drivers Jimmie Johnson, Jenson Button, and Mike Rockenfeller drove the racer at Le Mans.
Chevrolet engineers also were involved in what may be the most memorable aspect of the Garage 56 Camaro: the all-American roar produced by the R07 Small Block V-8. The R07 serves Chevrolet teams in the NASCAR Cup Series, and the variant used in Le Mans was developed and tested to maximize performance and durability for the 24-hour race.
During talks between leadership from Chevrolet and collaborators at NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports, Goodyear, and IMSA, it quickly became clear that such a special race car needed to be accompanied by a production car representing yet another significant accomplishment in Camaro’s motorsports heritage. Chevrolet’s Performance Design Studio was tapped to distill the essence of the race car into a limited-edition road car.
“When adapting a race car appearance into a production car, you want to showcase themes, proportions and colors without making the car look out of place on the street,” says Marc Mainville, senior manager of the GM Motorsport Design Studio. “The Garage 56 Edition captures the feeling of the race car while allowing the car’s athletic lines to be in the forefront.”
The design starts with the new-for-2024 Riptide Blue exterior color and adds a graphics package that pulls in colors and themes from the race car, including thin gold stripes that accent a larger white stripe running from hood to rear decklid. On the hood, just beyond the nose of the Camaro, is the NASCAR 75th Anniversary logo — matching the logo’s prominent placement on the race car. The gold and white stripes become an accent to the monochromatic stars and stripes visuals that start on the engine cowl on the hood and extend to the roof.
A special Garage 56 badge is located on the front fenders, replacing the Camaro badging, and a Hendrick Motorsports logo is added to the sail panels in a similar position to the ones on the race car. Satin mirrors and a black fuel door with carbon fiber inserts are additional exterior highlights, while the interior receives Garage 56 emblems on the floormats and a Garage 56 steering wheel badge.
Each car will come with three additional graphics that buyers can choose to equip their Garage 56 Editions with that represent the collaborators and are drawn from their decal positions on the race car: a NASCAR windshield header decal, white Goodyear front wheel arch decals, and door decals displaying 24, the number run on the race car.
The Garage 56 Edition also features unique aero, with the front fascia of the Camaro ZL1 1LE featuring dive-planes like the race car, and a NASCAR Cup car-style wicker bill spoiler on the decklid.
Like the race car, the production car’s power comes from the Small Block engine family. The Camaro ZL1’s 650hp LT4 V-8 is under the hood, and the Camaro rides on Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar rubber.
Pricing and availability will be announced in the coming months.
