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Al Oppenheiser Envisions Sub-7:00 Nurburgring Lap Time For The Chevrolet Camaro

In half a century, the Camaro evolved and reinvented itself time and time again. Now in its sixth generation, the arch-nemesis of the Mustang is at an all-time high thanks to peerless engineering and know-how from the Corvette Team.
Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE 15 photos
Photo: Chevrolet
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Everyone knew it would be hard to beat the Z/28 from the fifth generation, but General Motors did it with the ZL1 1LE. The crowning achievement of the Camaro range, the ZL1 with the 1LE performance package is the most track-capable Camaro ever.” Three seconds faster than the ZL1 around the 2.9-mile Milford Road Course test track, the 1LE proved its capabilities on the Nurburgring with a 7-minute and 16-second lap time.

To put that into greater perspective, the Dodge Viper ACR pulled off a 7:01 and the Ferrari 488 GTB managed to finish the lap in 7:21. Ballistic is the best word to describe the ZL1 1LE as a track tool, and at $69,995, there’s no other American car that blends value and performance as great as the ultimate Camaro does. The ZL1 1LE is that good, full stop!

Al Oppenheiser, the chief engineer behind the Camaro since 2005 and the architect behind the GM Alpha-based Gen 6, would like to stretch things even more. The 2019 model year refresh is just around the corner, and according to Oppenheiser, his team could do something even more special.

Speaking to Hagerty, Al made it clear that “there’s more” to unlock from the Gen 6. “We’re gonna keep tinkering around with it. Wouldn’t it be cool to see a Camaro under 7:00 at the Nurburgring? I’d like to see it.” For reference, the first production car listed at under 7 minutes in the top 100 Nurburgring lap times at the present moment is the Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce (6:59). At the very top of the ranking, the NIO EP9 all-electric supercar managed to complete the ‘Ring in 6:45.

With the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 confirmed to drop in early 2019, the question is, how will Chevrolet make the Camaro even faster and better to drive? While we wait for Al to make his move, wouldn’t it be fabulous to shoehorn the 755-horsepower LT5 in the Camaro’s engine bay? After all, Chevrolet did the same thing with the LT4 in the ZL1 and Corvette Z06.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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