5 Things You Need To Know About The New Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

The sixth-generation has spawned its highly anticipated ZL1 track monster. Here are all the key things you need to know....

Matt Robinson

17 Mar 2016

5 Things You Need To Know About The New Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

More power, less weight

As with the previous ZL1, the new car is powered by a General Motors LT4 6.2-litre supercharged V8. This time though, it’s a lot pokier, with 631bhp and 640lb ft available - up from 572bhp and 556lb ft.

It’s also 90kg lighter than the old car, and while there are no performance stats just yet, expect the 3.8 second 0-60mph and 11.94sec quarter-mile times of the previous gen machine to tumble.

All the gears!

You can have your ZL1 with a six-speed manual gearbox, but there is the option of an automatic. A 10-speed automatic.

You can have your ZL1 one as either a manual (pictured) or an automatic

It’s a conventional torque converter auto with paddle shifters rather than being a dual-clutcher, and it’s a transmission we’ll be seeing a lot more of, with GM installing the many cogged ‘box in eight of its cars by 2018.

The brakes are gigantic

Sat under the ZL1’s 20-inch forged wheels are a set of massive two-piece brake rotors. Chevrolet hasn’t said how big the rear brakes are, but up front we have 390mm discs with six-piston Brembo monoblock callipers.

It's all about maximum grip

The new ZL1 picks up where its predecessor left off - continuing to smash stereotypes concerning muscle cars and corners. We have a set of adaptive magnetic dampers - controlled via a Driver Mode Selector - an electronically-controlled limited-slip differential, and something called Performance Traction Management.

To aid handling further, there’s a set of Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tyres developed especially for the Camaro. The bodywork does its bit too: there’s a new spoiler at the rear, a larger front splitter, wider front wings and unique side skirts.

It has a clever bonnet

The bonnet, sorry hood of the ZL1 is no ordinary hood. There’s a special carbonfibre insert and heat extractor in the middle, which should help keep the 631bhp supercharged monster under there nice and cool.

The ZL1 goes on sale later this year, for an as-yet undisclosed price.

Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.

Comments

POWAAAAA!

Looks awesome but in a drag race I think my m3 could beat it

Yeah, no. M3 E46 has way less power, less torque, less gears, less everything. No stock M3 could ever keep up.

10 speed? Who are they marketing this to? HGV drivers?

Vin Diesel approves that camaro.

I think 10 gears is way too much, its all for fuel economy, why not a 6 SPD auto and 6 speed manual. That sounds good.

Just because it has 10 speeds in the auto doesn’t mean it has to use them all. I suspect in normal driving it would start out in 2nd gear instead of 1st and that gears 8 and 10 are overdrive. So in spirited driving it would start in 1st gear and have 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 and 9th gears at it’s disposal. That would make it a 8 speed for transmission when you push it. And that would be similar to offering for almost every company. While this is just my speculation I would be willing to bet that it’s the case, so you can gain some fuel economy in the day to day use and still have the gear ratios for when it counts.