Why Camaro Returns Finally with GM's New 6.7-Liter LS6 V8

There are few sounds as intoxicating to gearheads as a naturally aspirated V8 waking from a long nap. After four years off the market, Chevrolet appears ready to rouse the Camaro from retirement—not as an EV or crossover, but as a proper, rear-wheel-drive muscle car with a big-bore heart.

What this engine brings to the party

Sources close to GM say the next-generation Camaro will use the new 6.7-liter LS6 small-block V8 that debuted in the Corvette Grand Sport and is filtering down to the Stingray. It’s a brutish, old-school kind of performance: 535 horsepower and 520 pound-feet of torque in its current form. That output can be dialed back for entry-level models or cranked up for halo variants. Either way, it’s a clear statement of intent—this isn’t a compliance exercise, it’s a muscle-car revival.

Think of it as a chess move aimed squarely at Ford’s Mustang. The Dark Horse arrives with a 5.0-liter Coyote V8 producing around 500 horsepower; Ford’s hotter offerings, like the supercharged Dark Horse SC and the Predator-powered variants, push power into truly extreme territory. The new Camaro needs punch and personality to be competitive. The LS6 gives Chevrolet both.

Chevy’s timing matters. The Camaro’s final assembly at Lansing Grand River closed in December 2023, leaving the Mustang as the last remaining V8 in the mainstream muscle-car arena while Dodge pulled Charger and Challenger off the regular-production map. Now Chevrolet looks poised to re-enter the fray with something that keeps the classic formula intact: long hood, short deck, and a V8 you can hear from two blocks away.

Expect rear-wheel drive and the choice of a six-speed manual or a 10-speed automatic.

That concession to tradition—manual shifts and RWD—will please purists. But Chevrolet seems to be thinking beyond simple nostalgia. Reports indicate the new Camaro will retain a muscular, modern silhouette and be offered both as a coupe and as a four-door model, giving it flexibility the Mustang doesn’t. More doors means more buyers; more buyers means muscle that can actually be usable day-to-day.

How aggressive Chevrolet gets with the LS6 will shape the model’s personality. A softly tuned base engine could make the Camaro a refined daily-driver with genuine performance on demand. Turn the wick up and you get a contender for the hottest Mustangs, and a new benchmark for mid-tier muscle. Either route keeps the ethos intact: visceral acceleration, mechanical feedback, and a soundtrack that doesn’t apologize.

There’s also a strategic edge here. While some rivals flirt with electrification or keep inline-sixes and hybrids in the lineup, Chevrolet appears to be doubling down on the emotional core of the genre. If the company can pair modern chassis dynamics and safety with V8 engagement, the Camaro could be both relevant and exciting in equal measure.

Will buyers flock back? That depends on execution: pricing, fuel economy numbers in the real world, and how the new Camaro balances everyday comfort with track-capable dynamics. But one thing is already clear—the nameplate’s return won’t be timid. It wants to be heard, felt, and driven.

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