From Toy Box to Tarmac - 2013 Chevrolet Camaro SS Hot Wheels Edition

It's actually sort of surprising that it's taken this long for a car maker to link one of its models with the Hot Wheels brand. But if ever there were a prime candidate, it would have to be the Chevy Camaro. After all, a "Custom Camaro" was part of the very first line of the 1/64th scale toy racers, released for 1968, and variations of that first-gen F-car have been turning up regularly in Hot Wheels blister packs ever since.

Making the tie-in seem all the more perfect, the current Camaro easily lends itself to the role of life-size Hot Wheels car, with its exaggerated proportions and dramatic lines, and of course, those big, fat wheels and tires. Chevrolet didn't have all that far to go to bridge the gap between a toy meant to spark children's fantasies and the life-size version, intended to do the same for grownups.

Driving the image home, the Hot Wheels Edition Camaro greeted attendees of the 2012 SEMA convention in Las Vegas last year while sitting on a giant, bright orange track, looped down to the show floor from the rafters to emulate the scenes played for the past 45 years as kids took advantage of gravity to race their miniature hot rods. For a touch more eye candy, the new Camaro sat right next to a matching '67 Camaro on its own length of track. You can imagine the reaction generated by a hall full of middle-aged hot rodders, nearly all of whom, it could safely be assumed, had spent portions of their youth playing with Hot Wheels cars and bright orange race tracks.

So what makes the Hot Wheels Edition Camaro special? Beyond the Hot Wheels logo emblems found on the grille, the deck lid and each front fender, there are also unique door sill plates with the Hot Wheels logo. It has also been embroidered into the leather upholstery of the front seat backs and appears on the steering wheel as well.

Harking to the Spectraflame paint of the original Mattel cars is the Hot Wheels Edition's Kinetic Blue Metallic finish, accented with flame graphics, in a somewhat subtle lighter blue, on the rear quarter panels. Matte black striping appears on the hood, roof and deck lid, with additional matte black treatment extending to the taillamp panel, the quarter-panel "gills" and the grille recess, where it is set off with red pinstriping. The grille itself, along with the front splitter, black side skirts and rear spoiler, are all borrowed from the Camaro ZL1.

Since the debut of the current Camaro for 2010, relatively huge (for a passenger car) 20-inch wheels have been standard on SS models and available with the V-6. The Hot Wheels Edition takes the effect a step further with 21-inch rollers in a broad five-spoke pattern with more matte black accents, and, perhaps neatest of all, red striping around the rims, evoking the red line tires featured on those early Hot Wheels models.

Mechanically, the Hot Wheels Edition Camaros do not differ from their standard counterparts--the V-6 models use the same 323hp DOHC 3.6-liter engine with either a six-speed automatic or six-speed manual, while the SS runs the 426hp 6.2L LS3 engine when backed by a six-speed manual; the 400hp L99 is the only choice when selecting an SS with the six-speed Hydra-Matic.

We got to spend some time with one of the limited-edition specials recently, an SS with the L99/automatic drivetrain. Naturally, we'd have opted for the manual transmission given a choice, particularly when there's more power to be had, but the 400hp offered by the L99 isn't exactly lacking. As with all V-8 Camaros, a pleasing rumble comes standard, though this one did seem a bit quieter than others we've driven. We later discovered that the exhaust system is indeed different for automatic cars because of another feature unique to those models: cylinder deactivation. Under conditions deemed appropriate by the PCM, like certain forms of part-throttle cruising, four cylinders are shut down, leaving the engine to power the vehicle with the remaining four. This is intended to improve fuel economy, and when tuned accordingly, it can be nearly undetectable.

Judging from our test car, however, Chevrolet seems to have calibrated the Camaro's deactivation parameters rather aggressively, and it was quite apparent when the engine switched over--so much so that, at times, it became a bit irritating. Poking through online reviews, some owners feel they can't tell when the system kicks in, while others echo our opinion: The system's workings are quite obvious. The Camaro provides no means of turning the system off or adjusting its calibration, but we're told aftermarket tuners can assist.

On the up side, we did find the Camaro returning 23mpg during mixed driving under normal conditions--not bad for a 400hp performance car that weighs over 3,800lbs. But that's not what you buy a Camaro SS for; this is a car you drive to go fast, and there are no issues there. Even in automatic form, the Camaro can sprint to illegal speeds in mere moments. Road test magazines have published 0-60MPH times on automatic V-8 Camaros of just under five seconds and quarter-miles in the low-13-second range at 106-107MPH; manual-transmission models have recorded quarters in the upper 12s.

In spite of that capability, cruising the Camaro can be a relaxed pleasure on the road. It's docile and smooth at part throttle, and fairly comfortable. We even used it for a six-hour road trip that required a fair amount of cargo. Folding down the back seat to open up the trunk space provided plenty of room to swallow luggage, coolers, gear bags and other miscellaneous items required by two guys off to the races for the weekend. A number of people we encountered along the way wanted to know what it was like to ride in the Camaro, wondering mostly about the comfort inside a car that appears to have such a low roofline. We found no issues, and visibility, while certainly not ideal, wasn't really a problem on the road; backing maneuvers were also enabled by the rear view camera system found on our test car.

Traveling around, kids young and old took immediate notice of the Hot Wheels Camaro, with toddlers pointing at the emblems in parking lots and forty-somethings grinning at the sight of their childhood dreams come to life. It's an odd dichotomy: Most observers we encountered loved the package, but, we suspect, few would actually step up to own something quite this ostentatious. It isn't an option most buyers would have ordered casually, as the "Hot Wheels Special Edition" adds $6,995 to the bottom line of the SS; our test car stickered for $46,010 on a base price of $36,135 (the Hot Wheels option requires starting with a 2SS or 2LT, and includes the RS package) when everything was factored in.

But at this point, the appeal and cost of the package is a matter of marketing history--Chevrolet intended to offer the Hot Wheels Edition Camaro for one season, and that season has now drawn to a close. The model was actually out of production by the time we got to sample it. Total Hot Wheels Camaro production was reported at just over 1,500 units, which, we're told, is on par with the Transformer Edition model Chevy produced a few years back, a program that set the tone for the Hot Wheels package. Turns out, the two sold in similar numbers, so Chevrolet considers the venture a success.

It's tough to gauge whether or not the Hot Wheels Edition Camaro will be attractive to collectors in the future--certainly there are no shortage of special edition late-model performance cars these days. But, in the here and now, driving a real-life Hot Wheels car proved to be a great way to enjoy the road while getting noticed and meeting people. If you pilot one of these in public, expect to become an ambassador for all things Camaro, Hot Wheels and high-performance. It's a small price to pay to live out your inner eight-year-old's fantasy.

2013 Chevrolet Camaro SS Hot Wheels Edition

SPECIFICATIONS

ENGINE

Type - GM L99 Gen-IV OHV V-8, cast-aluminum block and cylinder heads

Displacement - 6.2 liters (376 cubic inches)

Bore x stroke - 4.06 x 3.62 inches

Compression ratio - 10.4:1

Pistons - GM/Mahle hypereutectic aluminum

Connecting rods - GM powered metal

Fuel system - Electronic multi-port fuel injection, composite intake manifold

Ignition system - Coil-on-plug

Horsepower @ RPM - 400 @ 5,900

Torque @ RPM - 410-lb.ft. @ 4,300

TRANSMISSION

Type - GM Hydra-Matic 6L80 six-speed automatic

Ratios

1st - 4.027:1

2nd - 2.364:1

3rd - 1.532:1

4th - 1.152:1

5th - 0.852:1

6th - 0.667:1

Reverse - 3.064:1

DIFFERENTIAL

Type - GM aluminum w/limited-slip for independent rear suspension

Ratio - 3.27:1

STEERING

Type - GM/Delphi rack and pinion, electric power assist

Ratio - Variable

BRAKES

Type - Four-wheel disc, power assist

Front - Brembo 355mm x 32mm with four-piston aluminum calipers

Rear - Brembo 365mm x 28mm with four-piston aluminum calipers

SUSPENSION

Front - Independent with MacPherson struts, coil springs, dual lower ball joints and anti-roll bar

Rear - Independent with upper and lower control arms, coil springs, tubular shock absorbers and anti-roll bar

WHEELS & TIRES

Wheels - GM/Chevrolet five-spoke aluminum

Front - 21 x 8 inches

Rear - 21 x 9 inches

Tires - Pirelli P Zero

Front - 245/40-21

Rear - 275/35-21