Have you ever seen GM Vice President of Global Product Development driving? As for the soundtrack of the LT4 under the hood, the comparison with the Hellcat seems inevitable – while the soundtrack of Mopar’s blown 6.2-liter V8 is dominated by its supercharger, the Camaro ZL1’s LT4 offers a balanced approach, mixing the exhaust roar (and what a roar) with the supercharger whine.
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Chevrolet didn’t wait too long this time to reveal the all-new 2017 ZL1. “It’s a 2+2 coupe offering incredible performance with the highest levels of technology”.
Making its debut a few days out at the New York Auto Show, the all-new Camaro ZL1 sports a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 and the aforementioned 640 horsepower and 640 lb-ft torque.
Behind the engine is either a conventional six-speed manual transmission or a brand new 10-speed automatic. GM will have the new 10-speed in eight models by the end of 2018 and says it’s even quicker-shifting that the 8L90.
Then the wall swung open to the sound of two dazzle-wrapped ZL1 engineering prototype cars firing up outside, and things got real.
Bodywork-Style Meets Engineering Our eyes were first drawn to the new hood, with its carbon-fiber insert and sizable heat extractor to pull hot air from the engine compartment. And while Chevy has chosen to play coy about speeds and stats for a bit, everything on paper says this Camaro will embarass many modern Porsche 911s for half the price. Should that be the case, the 2017 Camaro ZL1 will have 60 more horsepower and 84lb-ft more torque than the 5th gen ZL1 which was formerly the most powerful Camaro of all time. Items such as Magnetic Ride Control, driver Mode Selector and twin-mode exhaust allow owners to dial up a more sedate personality for the vehicle. It sends the power to the rear wheels via an electronic limited slip differential equipped with Chevy’s adjustable Performance Traction Management system. It rides on 20-inch forged alloys in 285/30ZR20 front and 305/30ZR20 rear Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires, with stopping power coming from a set of Brembo brakes with six-piston front and four piston rear calipers.
For the passengers there are a pair of Recaro seats in the front with a flat-bottom sports steering wheel for the driver, and suede trimming for the gear lever and steering wheel. Track capability comes standard, with features including an impressive 11 heat exchangers for optimal powertrain cooling.
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To top off this newfound performance, Chevrolet designers made sure to make this new Camaro as angry as possible in almost every way. There’s also a launch mode, which we’d love to put to test in the new 10-speed.
