The car aims to be worthy of the ZL1 badge and its heritage. The 1969 version was one of the meanest muscle cars out there, setting the trend in the ‘60s and ‘70s. It wore a basic Camaro silhouette with a minor giveaway - the factory-installed cowl-induction hood - and that was about it in terms of bodywork. The real deal was under the hood. 430 hp managed to make it a drag race legend and GM would very much like to maintain this muscle car reputation. For such a name, only 69 models of the 1969 ZL1 were ever produced.
The ZL1, model year 2012, features a 6.2-liter supercharged LSA V-8 engine that produces 550 hp at 6,100 rpm and 550 pound foot of torque (745 Nm) at an estimated 3,800 rpm. This is possible thanks to a four-lobe intercooled Eaton supercharger and dual-mode exhaust. The engine is borrowed from the Cadillac CTS-V. The gearbox is a 6-speed manual and it does its job well putting the car’s power through Goodyear Supercar F2 tires and onto the tarmac. The manual gearbox is the only one available for the ZL1.
"The Camaro ZL1 is a complete high performance car, not just a Camaro with more power," claims General Motors in a recent press release. It might be right, but the car seems to be a drag strip racer rather than a serious one. And that is how things should stay with the ZL1.
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