The owner of this 2021 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1-1LE decided that the output his car came with from the factory was not enough. So, after a 2,000-mile stint, he took it to a tuning shop. Days later, he drove back home with 890 horsepower and a soundtrack to wake up the entire neighborhood.
The Chevrolet Camaro ZL1-1LE is a beast from the moment it rolls off the production line at the Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant in Michigan. "Rolled," actually, because Chevrolet has phased the model off with no chance of ever returning it with a V8.
The supercharged 6.2-liter unit pumps out (can't get used to the Past Tense, apparently!) 650 horsepower (659 metric horsepower) and 650 pound-feet (881 Newton meters) of torque, just like the regular ZL1.
Those are the numbers that make it flash from 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 kph) in just 3.4 seconds and run the quarter mile in 11.5 seconds at 124 mph (200 kph) before hitting a top speed of 193 mph (310 kph).
They don't make them like they used to anymore, don't they? In fact, they don't make them at all. The Camaro went out through the back door, but Chevy reps promised they were going to consider returning the nameplate one day. Needless to say, it is going to be an EV sounding like an angry mosquito instead of the fierce lion that this Camaro ZL1-1LE sounds like right now.
Photo: Late Model Racecraft | YouTube
Dodge also decided to put its Challenger and Charger in the Past Tense. However, the latter survived as a V6 Hurricane-powered muscle car and – something muscle car lovers point at as blasphemy – an EV in the shape of the Charger Daytona.
The move leaves the Ford Mustang the only muscle car out there rocking a V8. The CEO of FoMoCo, Jim Farley, confirmed that the Mustang with the 5.0-liter unit is not going anywhere any time soon.
Chevrolet went the "my way or the highway" route and retired the Camaro, a decision which might up the ante for the V8-powered Camaro owners, who are either going to hold on to their muscle cars with both their hands or wait until their value skyrockets and sell them.
The owner of this 2021 ZL1-1LE could do either of them, especially because he owns a very low-mileage car. The 2021 Camaro has traveled only 2,000 miles (3,219 kilometers) so far. But he doesn't seem willing to sell it any time soon. In fact, he decided he wanted more from it, even though he only drives it to car shows and car meets every once in a while, but he never takes it to the drag strip and doesn't use it as a daily driver.
His Camaro is specced just the right way. The ZL1-1LE comes with a tighter suspension compared to the stock ZL1, with adjustable ride height. The car is equipped with the aero package for improved airflow and extra downforce, which includes the front splitter and the rear wing. There are front air inlets and heat exchangers to keep the temps down in the engine bay.
The ZL1-1LE is a beast in a straight line but manages winding roads (or tracks) just as well. This version is also faster than the ZL1. It lapped the 12.9-mile-long Nurburgring Nordschleife in Germany in 7 minutes and 16.04 seconds, which was 13.6 seconds faster than the regular ZL1.
Photo: Late Model Racecraft | YouTube
The diet that Chevrolet put the range-topping Camaro through, shedding 53 pounds (24 kilograms), is also one of the reasons it is faster but far from being the main one.
The 1LE rides on 19-inch wheels with road-racing-designed tires. But their days are numbered because the extra oomph this car is getting is going to require better traction. Enter Late Model Racecraft. They are to blame for everything this Camaro could not but can do now.
The owner of the shop, the one who had a monkey as an unexpected guest while introducing the Cadillac Escalade-V with extra power, is now presenting trying to present the upgraded 2021 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1-1LE with the 850-horsepower package.
However, trying to talk right next to the quad exhaust is definitely not a good idea. Nobody is going to hear anything but the V8 roaring. Nobody is going to try to read lips either. That rear end with the carbon fiber tailwing will get all the attention.
Stephen and his team came up with the 850-horsepower package but with several upgrades. They retuned the engine, which comes from the factory with the 1.7-liter supercharger, and came up with a cold-air induction system, new camshaft, stainless steel headers, and a larger throttle body.
All these take the output as far as 890 rear-wheel horsepower. Actually, when they dynoed the car, they got 894.90 and a maximum torque of 815.62 pound-feet.
We're not told how much the upgrade costs. But that would be on top of the $72,100 that Chevrolet used to ask back in 2021 for the Camaro ZL1-1LE.
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