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2017 Camaro ZL1 1LE Sets Muscle Car Nurburgring Record, Could Tie Ferrari 488

Chevrolet engineers have gifted a 2017 Camaro ZL1 1LE with a Nurburgring sticker. So what does the little representation of the German track, found on the rear bumper of the manufacturer car, mean? Quite a lot really. For one thing, the range-topping sixth-gen Camaro is on its way to set an unofficial Ring record.
2017 Camaro ZL1 1LE on Nurburgring 6 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot
2017 Camaro ZL1 1LE on Nurburgring2017 Camaro ZL1 1LE on Nurburgring2017 Camaro ZL1 1LE on Nurburgring2017 Camaro ZL1 1LE on Nurburgring2017 Camaro ZL1 1LE on Nurburgring
Since the standard ZL1, if we may call it so, has already swept us off our feet with its 7:29.6 Nordschleife performance, the considerably sharper 1LE will undoubtedly become the fastest production muscle car to have ever played with a chronograph on the infamous circuit.

The resulting lap time could sit anywhere between 7:25 and 7:20, which puts the 1LE ZL1 dangerously close to the Ferrari 488 GTB's 7:21.63.

Has the world gone mad - how can a muscle car have serious chances of rivaling the Prancing Horse's twin-turbo mid-engined missile?

Before you aficionados out there decide to give up internal combustion machines and life on planet Earth altogether, answering Elon Musk's Tesla SpaceX call for Mars colonization, there are a few things we need to mention.

For instance, the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE isn't exactly a muscle car and the "secret" lies in its long nameplate. We're actually talking about a track package on top of an already track-friendly machine.

Keep in mind that the 1LE saves 60 lbs, while adding downforce via a package including a super-sized carbon wing and employing Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3R rubber, among others.

Then there's the 488's time. The Fezza's Ring number comes from Sport Auto and while the German mag did push the 458 successor hard on the Nordschleife last year, it certainly didn't take it to the absolute limit.

Meanwhile in America, car nuts are happily fidgeting over the 2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE having been spotted out in the wild (you'll find the spotting in the second clip below).

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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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