Colin Wood
Colin Wood Associate Editor
4/7/21 9:00 a.m.
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According to a GM dealer fleet order guide obtained by Muscle Cars & Trucks—and later confirmed by Autoblog—the 1LE package is no longer available for V6 and four-cylinder Camaros. The order guide does show that the 1LE package will still be an option for the V8-powered SS and ZL1 models.

The 1LE package dates back to the mid-1980s, when …

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NickD
NickD MegaDork
4/7/21 9:03 a.m.

Well, E36 M3. I was just playing around with the Camaro configurator seeing how cheap I could get a 1LE 2.0T yesterday

calteg
calteg Dork
4/7/21 10:05 a.m.

I suspect the 1LE package just got middled out.  For a buyer of a base Camaro, an extra $5000 is hard to swallow. You can get a stripper V8 for $33,600 with the cash back they have right now

Colin Wood
Colin Wood Associate Editor
4/7/21 10:46 a.m.

In reply to calteg :

That seemed to be the speculation in most of what I was reading. Getting a 1LE-equipped Turbo or V6 Camaro wasn't that much cheaper than a lower-trim V8 model.

STM317
STM317 UberDork
4/7/21 11:19 a.m.
Colin Wood said:

In reply to calteg :

That seemed to be the speculation in most of what I was reading. Getting a 1LE-equipped Turbo or V6 Camaro wasn't that much cheaper than a lower-trim V8 model.

GM wanted to get the price of the V8 down, so beginning in MY2020 they began offering the lower spec LT1 trim level. It's supposedly pretty popular according to a quote from GM

“Chevrolet is retiring the Turbo 1LE and V6 1LE from the Camaro line when model year 2021 concludes in order to produce more in-demand models like the LT1, which has risen to be nearly a quarter of Camaro sales since hitting showrooms in model year 2020."

Woody (Forum Supportum)
Woody (Forum Supportum) GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
4/7/21 11:23 a.m.

It's the new 1988 Fiero.

Snrub
Snrub Dork
4/7/21 1:04 p.m.

The LT1 trim probably makes lots of sense if you only plan to use a Camaro on the street. It does not have the additional radiator and diff cooler, so it doesn't negate the core reasons the 4/6-cyl 1LE packages existed.

preach (fs)
preach (fs) GRM+ Memberand HalfDork
4/7/21 3:21 p.m.

An engineer at work bought a Camaro a few years back and I asked him what engine he got. His response was "I fail to see how that is a valid question".

I am sure that a 1LE 4 or 6 would not be a valid question as well.

A friend has a 990hp 1LE that is amazing. Yup, it has a V8...

Driven5
Driven5 UltraDork
4/7/21 3:58 p.m.

Sad, but sadly not unexpected.

Mike (Forum Supporter)
Mike (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand UltraDork
4/7/21 4:45 p.m.

It's somewhat moot, since I'm not buying any new car at the moment. 

If I were to buy any new car, it'd probably have been a 1LT 1LE . A new car with a warranty, a little bit of a unicorn, silly color options, a nice focus on handling, a fancy radio that talks to my phone, all for about thirty grand? What's not to like?

Edit: 1LE, Wicker Bill, Trailer Hitch, Shock premium paint, Recaro package, 1LE hash mark graphic. $32,285 MSRP. That feels like a lot of value, but again, I'm not actually buying, so I'm worth nothing to Chevy.

Gearheadotaku (Forum Supporter)
Gearheadotaku (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
4/8/21 8:30 p.m.

I'll be suprised if the Camaro is built after the 2022 model year at all... They keep making it uglier and more expensive...Just like Ford did with the Thunderbird.

NickD
NickD MegaDork
4/9/21 5:24 a.m.
Gearheadotaku (Forum Supporter) said:

I'll be suprised if the Camaro is built after the 2022 model year at all... They keep making it uglier and more expensive...Just like Ford did with the Thunderbird.

The rumor on the street was that it's going away after 2023, and that GM disbanded the 7th-gen development team. Apparently getting their ass kicked in sales by the Dodge Challenger, which is essentially a 12 year old unchanged car, was disheartening to them.

NickD
NickD MegaDork
4/9/21 5:28 a.m.
Snrub said:

The LT1 trim probably makes lots of sense if you only plan to use a Camaro on the street. It does not have the additional radiator and diff cooler, so it doesn't negate the core reasons the 4/6-cyl 1LE packages existed.

Realistically though, how many Camaros actually get used in a capacity that requires all those coolers? I go to autocrosses, I've only seen one 6th-gen, an SS 1LE (and a damn capable machine, nobody can touch the guy), with any regularity. Most of them that come into my work are pretty much just driven to the dealership for an oil change and inspection once a year, and then driven home and parked back in a garage because the owners think that in 40 years its going to be worth crazy money. (Special exceptions aside, I predict modern musclecars won't be worth the crazy money of their ancestors because there is no rarity)

z31maniac
z31maniac MegaDork
4/9/21 7:44 a.m.
NickD said:
Gearheadotaku (Forum Supporter) said:

I'll be suprised if the Camaro is built after the 2022 model year at all... They keep making it uglier and more expensive...Just like Ford did with the Thunderbird.

The rumor on the street was that it's going away after 2023, and that GM disbanded the 7th-gen development team. Apparently getting their ass kicked in sales by the Dodge Challenger, which is essentially a 12 year old unchanged car, was disheartening to them.

Hmmmm, maybe I should buy an SS 1LE at the end of the year then? 

I test drove one a few years ago and loved it. The sales guy did not appreciate me walking it sideways up the onramp in 2nd gear. 

The ergos fit my short, stocky frame well. Yeah, it's difficult to see out of, but all you have to do is punch the gas and whatever was in your blind spot is no longer in your blind spot. The opening to the trunk seemed really small. And a 2nd set of wheels/tires seems like a good idea so you aren't DD'ing on the expensive Goodyears.

Gearheadotaku (Forum Supporter)
Gearheadotaku (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
4/9/21 8:25 a.m.

Yeah, if you want one get to it. Now.

Snrub
Snrub Dork
4/9/21 8:42 a.m.
NickD said:

Realistically though, how many Camaros actually get used in a capacity that requires all those coolers? I go to autocrosses, I've only seen one 6th-gen, an SS 1LE (and a damn capable machine, nobody can touch the guy), with any regularity. Most of them that come into my work are pretty much just driven to the dealership for an oil change and inspection once a year, and then driven home and parked back in a garage because the owners think that in 40 years its going to be worth crazy money. 

I've noticed that too. The few people who buy muscle cars seem to daily drive them, particularly the more potent varieties. They sit in the garage as a status symbol to be rolled out once a month. I suspect the 4/6-cyl 1LEs were never expected to sell in great quantities and were created mostly to generate media buzz. Every time they released a unique version of a muscle car, there was another round of media articles. Same thing happened with the Mustang with the GT PP1, GT PP2, Bullet, Mach 1, GT350, although some of that might be because enthusiasts get excited about special editions. On the flip side, part of GM's unique value proposition with the Camaro seemed to be a more track focused car than Ford/Stellantis. Some of that might have made sense because there has been a uptick in track participation and a most definite increase in people thinking about road course performance.

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