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Camaro 1LE Uses V6 to Take on BMW M2 in Head 2 Head

I don't know what the point of making this video was, but it's a hell of a lot more enjoyable than seeing an S63 duke it out with the M5 again and again.
Camaro 1LE Uses V6 to Take on BMW M2 in Head 2 Head 5 photos
BMW M2 vs. Camaro 1LE V6 Head to HeadBMW M2 vs. Camaro 1LE V6 Head to HeadBMW M2 vs. Camaro 1LE V6 Head to HeadBMW M2 vs. Camaro 1LE V6 Head to Head
The Germans have indeed grown tired of making fast cars. They sit in traffic jams and deal with congestion charges, so all their cars can occasionally go fast and do the autonomous, 100 grams per kilometer stuff the rest of the time.

History is peppered with moments when the door was left wide-open for the Americans to swoop in a take the glory. Just look at the Ford GT. Well, the Camaro 1LE is a blue-collar supercar that you can afford.

For the sake of comparable displacements, Motor Trend picked a V6 version of the 1LE to compete against the inline-6 in the BMW M2. The $14,000 difference between the prices of the cars should have told them it was a bad idea, because even the V8 1LE would have been cheaper than the Bavarian.

As usual, the interaction between this dynamic duo of presenters will make you chuckle for no reason. Boy, we all need to do some growin' up, but it's not easy when such RWD machines are available to satisfy our sideways needs.

In US numbers, the Camaro's new V6 delivers 335-hp and 284 lb-ft of torque. That's about the only thing the 1LE package doesn't change, because it's got extra cooling, brakes, tires and suspension. Meanwhile, the BMW's turbo lump offers 365-hp and 343 lb-ft of torque. So that easily explains the faster lap time. But like we already said, the V8 would have been a perfect equalizer.

A "harsh but true" debate is sparked by the massive size of the Camaro, which is as wide as a BMW 7 Series. The presenters continue to criticize the BMW M2 for not being a true M car due to its lack of a bespoke engine and temperature gages. However, they agree to disagree about the handling of the Bimmer, which Cammisa says is average at nine tenths and brilliant at eleven. Guess that's one way of describing a predictable drift car.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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