Thrill of the Ride

On my first day back, I’ve given you items on Ferraris and a Pagani. How about we take a turn here and discuss a car some of us (by us, I mean you….not me) might actually be able to afford? This car is the Chevrolet Camaro; more specifically, the recently-revealed ZL1 version. 

-Grant Hollingsworth

This most-recent version of Chevy’s pony car was unveiled last week at the Chicago Auto Show. Let’s allow our first impressions to take over us here and say, “That thing looks……altogether now……GREAT!” It is a rather stunning example of the Camaro’s edgy lines. It brings me great pain to say that the visual design of the car is adopted almost wholly from the Transformers Camaro. (Michael Bay……just stop already) The very aggressive front fascia, coupled with the nostril’d hood and prominent rear spoiler, adds a whole new attitude to the Camaro lineup. For those out of the loop, the naming of this version was quite a shock. Many months of spy photographers and forumites photographing and talking about the “Z28” test mules had all but convinced the public of the use of that name. I mean, it does make sense to use the Z28 name on a performance Camaro, after all. As it turns out, however, GM decided to step on the toes of its own iconic engine codename made famous in 1969. Why, you ask? Well, they are apparently still planning a Z28 for this generation…more on that later.

The ZL1 will be the first factory-supercharged Camaro…ever. (although, an LS9 supercharger kit has been available through GMPP since last year) After 44 years of building nothing but naturally-aspirated Camaros, it’s rather hard to believe this is true. Thankfully for us, it is. The ZL1 borrows its heart from the Cadillac CTS-V. An all-aluminum, supercharged, and intercooled 6.2L V8 will nestle all its 550 HP and 550 lb-ft of torque under the ZL1’s cozy new hood. I hope you don’t expect to lazily direct this thing around town either, because the ZL1 will require your input via a 6 speed manual transmission only.

Unlike many blindly power-obsessed Camaro owners of the past, GM has further chosen to complete the package by upgrading the rest of the running gear. Huge Brembo rotors find their way to all 4 corners, as well as a total of 20 caliper pistons (6 each up front, 4 each in the rear). A stronger driveshaft and rear axle come to the table with enough grunt to put up with all the fuss from that silly giant under the hood. The magnetic ride control made popular by the Corvette will also be utilized in the new ‘Maro. Most interesting is the introduction of the dual-mode exhaust system into the Camaro family. First used on the C6 Z06, it consists of butterfly exhaust valves that open above a specified RPM level to increase both power and aural pleasure. Finally, we have a complete Camaro!