Chevrolet Camaro test mule testing in Oz

No, it's not a Holden Monaro. Instead, this specially modified, two-door VE Commodore seen by a sharp-eyed Drive reader in East Melbourne recently is most likely a test car using the wheelbase of the 2008 Chevrolet Camaro.

The car sits on a much shorter wheelbase than a standard Commodore, and the roof line is lower as a result. The rear doors are decoys in an attempt to pass off the coupe as a sedan, and the C-pillar is much narrower.

The rear overhang is modified as well, with a much steeper angle rising up from the wheel arch. Departing Holden general manager Denny Mooney admitted recently that Camaro mules were venturing onto Melbourne roads as part of the car’s development program.

The Camaro is the first confirmed global vehicle to be built on the Zeta rear-wheel-drive platform, developed in Australia for the VE Commodore. Its wheelbase is 109 mm shorter than the Commodore.

The Camaro will be built in Canada from late next year and is expected to use a V6 or V8 engine when it goes on sale early in 2009. The Holden Monaro two-door coupe is traditionally built on the same wheelbase as the Commodore sedan.