The news on the 6th-gen Camaro just keeps getting better. First it was made significantly smaller, then it was designed with a 200-300 pound weight reduction in mind. Then came a whole new platform, drivetrain and updated standard features that truly brought the car into the current decade.
Truth be told the 5th-gen was a great car, but this 6th-generation has taken the performance of Camaro to a while new level. With the ZL1, however, it’s on another planet. Packing 650 hp from a supercharged LT4 powerplant and a suspension system so sophisticated, that not only has it eclipsed the old car’s Nurburgring lap time, but it did so by over eleven seconds.
In case you’re wondering, the time was 7:29.60. It’s even faster than the hardcore track package 5th-gen Z/28, by eight seconds. Impressive isn’t even the word for that kind of an improvement.
Just so you’re aware of how that compares to other cars from other manufacturers, it faired better than the Shelby GT350.R (by 3 seconds) and the AMG SLS GT by a hair, but it also trounced older examples of the Zonda F, Audi R8 GT, and the Koenigsegg CCX and CCR by quite a bit.
You can chalk it up to its excellent Mag Ride Suspension, Performance Traction Management, electronic LSD and forged alloy 20-inch rollers. Of course those massive 6-psiton front and 4-piston rear Brembo brake calipers housing 15.35-inch rotors in the front. Your choice of a 10-speed automatic or 6-speed manual shifts the gears, and supportive Recaro seats hold you in place.
If this is the ZL1, essentially the all-around GT car, what does Chevrolet have in mind for a hardcore Z/28 version? Time will tell…
Rick Seitz is the owner and founder of GMEFI Magazine, and has a true love and passion for all vehicles. When he isn’t tuning, testing, or competing with the brand’s current crop of project vehicles, he’s busy tinkering and planning the next modifications for his own cars.
