The Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Has Come Agonisingly Close To 200mph

Speed freaks this way, please. The Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has just hit an averaged top speed of 198mph, smashing through 200mph with the benefit of a tail-wind.

The Americans tested the fastest Camaro at the Automotive Testing Papenburg proving ground in Germany, hitting 202.3mph in one direction on the 7.6-mile loop and 193.3mph the other way, producing the 198mph official wind-corrected average.

Then, after changing the camber settings from standard to zero degrees and pumping the Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3 tyres up to their maximum, the ZL1 hit a tasty average of ‘over 200mph’, but it won’t be counted since the spec was altered from showroom-fresh.

Papenburg’s 49.7-degree banking allows cars like the Camaro to run flat-out around its 1.3-mile turns. Which is nice. The oval’s 2.5-miles straights then let the driver keep the hammer down and eke out those last few notches on the speedometer.

As per the rules of engagement with speed records like this, the only non-factory features were extra safety kit and datalogging gear.

The 10-speed automatic gearbox is one of the key reasons behind the feat, says Chevrolet. As well as lifting the top speed versus a six-speed manual, it lets the ZL1 hit 60mph in 3.5 seconds and post a standing quarter-mile in 11.4 seconds.

Elsewhere, there’s trick magnetorheological suspension, Brembo brakes that can haul the car up from 60mph in just 107 feet and, of course, a 650bhp V8 at the front. The price? A very reasonable $63,435 (£51,000) in the US, or $65,830 (£53,000) for the automatic.

Sounds like a cheap way to buy a brand new bucket of 200mph. If you change the camber settings, anyway…