New Camaro ZL1 Is A Beast
Written by Chicago Guys // February 9, 2011 // Cars // No comments
Just this morning at the Auto Show here in Chicago, Chevrolet unveiled the new 550 horsepower Camaro ZL1. For comparison, a Corvette Z06 comes off the showroom at only 505hp. You can the full rundown on the car here, but I’ll just sum up some of the best new features.
Design
The great thing about sports cars is that they look fast, even standing still. The previous iterations of the Camaro, including the SS, have that aggressive styling that makes them appear to be whizzing by you. But the new ZL1 looks like a rocket ship compared to the SS. This is supported by all new front body work, a new hood with carbon fiber center section, updated rocker panels (the piece of body kit below the door that runs from wheel to wheel), even a fog lamp assembly that has air slots for brake cooling. How cool is that? Top it all off with some pretty mean looking 20″ wheels. p.s. do you remember when 20″ was HUGE and only put on SUVs and such? Crazy they’re on production cars now…
Performance
A great sports car has to look the part, no doubt, but it’s really all about performance. So let’s see what Chevy’s put in this bad boy:
- LSA 6.2L supercharged engine, producing roughly 550 horsepower and 550 lb.-ft. of torque. Get ‘er done.
- Dual-mode exhaust. What’s that? Dual-mode exhaust “alters the sound level and character in response to engine rpm.” Makes for a mean sounding ride is what that says.
- Brakes- Big ‘ol six piston Brembo calipers on 14.6″ rotors up front, four pistons in the back. Manufacturers put big brakes on EVERYTHING at the auto show, but rarely show up in production (unless their on sports cars like this).
Check out some images of the car below
