autoevolution
 

Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 vs. Acura NSX Drag Race Ends With Obvious Winner

Considering the uncertainty that surrounds the Camaro, it’s high time we remember the pony car’s innate performance. The 6.2-liter supercharged V8 option is ridiculously fast over the quarter-mile, so fast it doesn’t break a sweat in a drag race against the more high-tech Acura NSX.
Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 vs. Acura NSX Drag Race 31 photos
Photo: Wheels on YouTube
2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL12017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL12017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL12017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL12017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL12017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL12017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL12017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL12017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL12017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL12017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL12020 Acura NSX in bright yellow2020 Acura NSX in bright yellow2020 Acura NSX in bright yellow2020 Acura NSX in bright yellow2020 Acura NSX in bright yellow2020 Acura NSX in bright yellow2020 Acura NSX in bright yellow2020 Acura NSX in bright yellow2020 Acura NSX in bright yellow2020 Acura NSX in bright yellow2020 Acura NSX in bright yellow2020 Acura NSX in bright yellow2020 Acura NSX in bright yellow2020 Acura NSX in bright yellow2020 Acura NSX in bright yellow2020 Acura NSX in bright yellow2020 Acura NSX in bright yellow2020 Acura NSX in bright yellow2020 Acura NSX in bright yellow
The silver-painted Camaro ZL1 in the following clip features the bone-stock wheels and tires up front while the rear end is gifted with beadlock wheels and super-sticky drag radials. The Japanese challenger flexes aftermarket wheels on every corner but it’s hard to tell what kind of tires it’s running.

Although the driver of the Chevy doesn’t floor the loud pedal as quick as the gentleman in the Acura when the lights turn green, the sheer torque of the Camaro results in an 11-second run at 129 miles per hour (208 kilometers per hour) compared to 11.5 seconds at 122 miles per hour (196 kilometers per hour). As a brief refresher, the Camaro ZL1 belts out 650 pound-feet (881 Nm) at 3,600 revolutions per minute whereas the NSX makes do with a grand total of 476 pound-feet (645 Nm) from 2,000 through 6,000 revs despite combining a twin-turbo V6 with no fewer than three electric motors.

Worse still for the hand-built supercar, the AWD Acura is lighter at 3,878 pounds (1,759 kilograms) compared to 3,907 pounds (1,772 kilograms) for the strip-slaying pony car. It’s also worth mentioning that both cars feature 305/30 by 20-inch rear tires in bone-stock form. The second run ends in defeat for the NSX yet again, proving that the aging Camaro ZL1 is no pushover.

Regardless of what side you’re on, both models are getting the axe. Honda intends to phase out the American-built NSX in 2022 after the Type S comes full circle, a performance-oriented variant that’s limited to 350 copies worldwide of which 300 will remain in the United States. The Camaro, by comparison, is expected to receive a four-door electric sedan replacement on the BEV3 platform that GM has introduced with the Cadillac Lyriq.

If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

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.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories