(racecar engine)
- [Narrator] How do you make
a 650 horsepower Camaro even better?
Think like a track day weekend warrior,
which is exactly what Chevy did.
Stick your tires, stiffer shocks, and a big old wing.
In fairness, the ZL1 1LE's arrow kit
is much more than just a wing.
There's a stiff splitter, shin-splintering dive planes,
and the previously mentioned carbon fiber wing,
that taken together help create 300 pounds of downforce
at 155 miles per hour.
Then you have the specially developed tires
from Goodyear that provide tremendous amounts of grip
to go along with all that downforce.
Finally, the shocks are spool valve dampers,
the same technology you'll find on super cars,
like the 4GT, hyper cars,
like the upcoming AMG Project One,
and honest to goodness F1 cars.
But how does it all add up on the track?
(racecar engine)
- Now this car stops.
(racecar engine)
Brutally strong power
and I like it.
(racecar engine)
I got to long neck so visibility
out of the Camaro's just fine by me.
(racecar engine)
Your old manual shifter.
(racecar engine)
Please work.
Gah look at this thing stop!
(racecar engine)
Camaro generates a lot of g's.
(racecar engine)
Don't put me in the weeds.
(racecar engine)
You know what, a pleasure to drive,
(racecar engine)
a beast of a car.
I love pony cars and that right there
is the ultimate, ultimate pony car right now.
Yeah, I have my little knits to pick here and there,
but wow, the power, this thing just handles so well.
It was very much at home on the racetrack.
I love the huge power.
It's not a lightweight car,
but it handles like one.
The overall grip was tremendous.
It was interesting how this car
at a similar speed
would stick to the road over the jump in turn one,
and that's the benefit of that giant wing,
and we can see these huge dive planes
on the front of the Camaro.
I'm going to say it was not perfectly balanced
but when we put it in the context of what it is:
a front engine, rear drive car with 650 horsepower,
the traction was incredible.
It put down power extremely well.
Tremendous amount of braking grip was available.
Very, very pleasing and satisfying how late I could brake,
in what is a relatively heavy car.
Tremendous power going up the hills.
The bottom line is here,
Chevrolet has built the ultimate pony car.
- [Narrator] Meet the super car killing Camaro.
The ZL1 1LE's time of 134.30 is not just quick for a Camaro,
it's quick for a super car.
That time is better than any McLaren
we've ever ran around Laguna Seca,
save for the million dollar P1.
It's quicker than any Nissan GTR, full stop.
Just five short years ago,
that time would have been good enough
to set the production car lab record.
Again, we're talkin' about a Camaro.
Why fifth place then?
Some judges felt that the stiff,
and we're talkin' crazy super stiff,
rear suspension,
made the ZL1 1LE more of a track day novelty
than an actual driver's car.
Also, the four cars ahead of it are just that good.
(racecar engine)