It’s an epic, decades-long battle waged in showrooms, at the race track, at stoplights, and in internet forums. Chevrolet versus Ford, Camaro versus Mustang. Commencing in the mid-’60s, the clash has been marked by tit-for-tat product introductions, as each brand seeks to match its competitor in every conceivable pony-car niche. Currently, the cars face off in the V-6, V-8, and droptop arenas, but the latest Camaro has ceded the high-performance crown to the Mustang and the brutal, 550-horse Shelby GT500. That ends now.
Welcome the reborn Camaro ZL1.
Open Secrets are Hard to Keep
It’s been a bit of an open secret that GM was working on a high-po Camaro to slot above the 426-hp SS model. Spy photos revealed the car’s 6.2-liter supercharged V-8, and most assumed that car would wear the storied Z28 badge. But Chevy’s product planners had something different in mind, and we now know the car will wear the reclaimed ZL1 moniker. (SLP Performance previously held the rights to the historic alphanumerics.)
Back in the present, the 2012 ZL1 aims to grow the legend, and it comes well prepared with a supercharged LSA V-8, borrowed from the Cadillac CTS-V. Producing an estimated 550 hp—a figure on par with the actual output of the original—and 550 lb-ft of torque from its force-fed 6.2 liters, this burly Camaro is seemingly built to terrorize drag strips rather than road courses, so perhaps ZL1 is more appropriate than Z28. (The Z28 was a racer, after all, competing and winning in Trans-Am.) A short-throw, six-speed Tremec manual is the only transmission.
Many More Pieces of Flair
While the sleeper look of the original was awesome, the new ZL1 will be highly differentiated from its lesser kin. Up front, the lower fascia is dotted with brake-cooling ducts and four fog lights, and has a large splitter and a wide-mouth intake. The domed hood is aluminum with a louvered carbon-fiber center section that Chevy says helps downforce, while the rear end gets a larger integrated decklid spoiler and quad exhaust finishers. The exhaust system houses an actuated flap, as on the Corvette, that opens at higher engine speeds to both reduce back pressure and deliver a blood-boiling growl.
The cabin gets a few modest upgrades, including alloy pedal covers, a head-up display, and emblems for the headrests and door sills. Sueded material is applied to the shifter, the new flat-bottomed steering wheel, and the front-seat inserts. The auxiliary console gauges are standard on the ZL1, and feature a boost readout that we wouldn't recommend actually looking at while behind the wheel—keep your eyes on the road, please.
We're told the ZL1 will start around $47K, although Chevy could revise the pricing upward later, and it's unknown if the model will get hit with a gas-guzzler penalty. Unfortunately, we’re going to have to wait to get our hands on this brute, as it doesn't go on sale until February of 2012. So the GT500, which costs $49,495, will gallop on unchallenged for a little longer. And what about the more-racetrack-oriented Mustang Boss 302? Maybe the Z28 will find a place in Chevy’s modern lineup after all . . . View Photo Gallery
No comments:
Post a Comment