It’s over the top.
It’s over the edge.
And now it’s over here.
It’s the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
Born and built in the USA but converted to right-hand drive by HSV in Melbourne and now
on sale through its national dealer network and one can be yours for just 159,990 bucks.
I’m not kidding.
Okay so that price has instantly drawn a line through the ZL1 for all but the few hundred
hardcore fans HSV is confident will put their money down on this monster.
But considering the bang for buck maybe their buying decision isn’t driven by passion
alone.
No other passenger vehicle on sale in Australia today can match the ZL1’s combination of
price and performance.
The LT4 V8 smashes out nearly 500 kilowatts and 900 newton metres.
That’s outstanding.
Okay it’s a push rod engine but it’s no antique.
Variable valve timing and direct injection ensure that.
There’s no less than 100 heat exchanges in there keeping everything cool.
Speaking of cool, it was actually frigidly cold and miserably wet for most of our ZL1
road drive.
Earlier in the week we’d had the chance to feel the ZL1’s full force at Sandown
motor raceway and it was mega.
Driving the rear-wheel’s virus six speed manual or ten speed auto, no surprise the
ZL1 hooks up and bangs out four second zero to 100 times with the aid of launch control
if you want it.
Even in the wet there’s no doubting the full force of the ZL1’s power train.
Holy crap this thing is fast.
The ZL1 is no one trick pony though.
It’s got magnetic ride control dampers which means it can go from liveable in tour up to
absolutely kidney bruising in track.
And that chassis along with some big Brembo brakes makes the ZL1 a really enjoyable car
to steer along a twisting section of road.
But don’t be mistaken.
Yes, this is a two-door coupe but it’s not small and light.
It’s nearly four point eight metres long and weighs in at 1800 kilos.
It does require some care and effort, especially in the rain.
So you might be wondering about the quality of HSV’s conversion drop.
Well it’s mostly top notch.
The flip mirrors look a bit weird and sticking your elbow in the cup holders is odd but they
are things I reckon you could live with.
There’s a couple more downers that are really more significant.
For instance, the back seat is a laughable joke.
Treat is as extra boot space which is handy because the boot is small and accessed via
a tiny boot lid is a challenge.
Visibility out of this thing in any direction but forward is limited.
Thankfully there’s a reversing camera, rear cross traffic alert, and blind spot monitoring
to help out.
But one crucial driver assist system that’s missing is autonomous emergency braking.
The yanks don’t get it and nor do we.
And then there’s that Zee or Zed question.
Well we’re in Australia so that’s why I’ve been saying Zed L1 but it’s your
money so it’s your choice.
Well what to make of this latest yank that’s hit our shores.
Well no doubt it’s got its deficiencies but it’s also got fantastic performance
and that’s the essence for something that sits in the HSV showroom.
Surely it should be layout.
It should be proud.
And in this case you can add pretty bloody epic too.