Back in the 1960s when the OG muscle cars were born, Detroit’s Big Three did all the experiments you can imagine, ranging from mid-engined prototypes to two-door wagon show cars. And while the 60 years of muscle car evolution we’ve enjoyed so far have shown little manufacturer interest in bringing such concepts to production, you can still turn to the aftermarket for this sort of contraptions, be they real or pixel-built like the sixth-gen Chevy Camaro ZL1 Sportback currently gracing our screens.
A quick Google search will reveal multiple Gen VI ‘Maro wagon renderings, with these being split into two- and four-door CGI projects. Most of them borrow the greenhouse—and sometimes the entire body sans fascia(s)—from Audi wagons. Sure, Mercedes-AMG and BMW M have been building performance estate models, but Audi RS models have provided a continuity that has cemented the Ingolstadt brand as the go-to place for such digital conversions.
In fact, graphic designer Jim (aka jlord8), who is responsible for this work, admits to using the four-ringed route for most of his work in the Instagram post below. However, while this Camaro ZL1 Sportback borrows an Audi name, albeit not used for wagons, it takes a different path. Thus, this Chevy presents itself with a more original approach, one that, in our opinions, would be fully deserving of a real-world sibling at this November’s SEMA show.
Could Callaway build a Camaro ZL1 Sportback?
And, if you check out the comments section of the post, you’ll notice an enthusiast mentioning Callaway’s name. The Connecticut-based manufacturer seems like a natural choice given the popularity its AeroWagen C7 enjoys among shooting brake (two-door wagon) fans—here’s Jay Leno giving us a tour of the creation.
Of course, there are also garage-built Camaro wagon conversions, which all iterations of the muscle car have enjoyed over the years. And, to mention the rendering’s RPM (Real Project in the Making) Potential rating, a 6/10, this is the kind of project that seems more likely.
The chances of an eccentric builder are higher since the Camaro has sadly been pushed to the edge of the GM range. There have been no significant updates over the past few model years, so otherwise brilliant machine has naturally fallen behind its Mopar and Ford competitors in terms of 2021 sales.
As such, the 650 hp supercharged ZL1 remains the range-topper, so Jim naturally chose this for his work, which seems realistic enough to get us in a dreamy mood.
If General Motors continues on the current path and takes the Camaro down the all-electric path suggested so far while retiring the internal combustion model, Gen VI models, with their V8s and their Nurburgring-taming 1LE package, will become more popular, which should increase the chances for such a standout conversion.