Here at autoevolution, we firmly believe that if you're going to straight-pipe a car, it should at least have a fire-breathing engine under the hood. And as it happens, the Chevrolet Camaro does. Only this is no ordinary muscle car, but the range-topping ZL1 variant.
In the sixth and latest generation of the Camaro, which hit the assembly line in 2016, the ZL1 packs a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 that develops 650 horsepower. Unlike its two rivals from Ford and Dodge, which feel big and heavy, the bowtie brand's model has often been compared to a sports car. It's a ten-second machine down the quarter mile, and from 0 to 62 mph (0-100 kph), it is a hair quicker than the Ferrari Enzo, taking 3.6 seconds.
Mind you, the one on which the video embedded below builds came to life in 2014, making it part of the fifth generation. Arguably better looking than its successor, it also uses a supercharged 6.2-liter V8, only with fewer horses. The mill generates 580 hp, delivered to the rear axle through a six-speed manual or an automatic transmission. It shares roughly 70% of the components with the rest of the family, as the remaining 30% are said to be exclusive to this model.
Ultra-punchy copies of the Chevy Camaro ZL1, regardless of when they were made, are common, and while we may not know just how powerful the one depicted on film at the end of this post is, at least we can tell you that it is deafening. The muscle car has had its exhaust fiddled with, and the footage compares the x-pipe and the good old straight-piping recipe.
Mind you, depending on what you want from your top-of-the-line Chevy Camaro, such a mod may be just what the doctor ordered or a bit too much, especially when returning home late at night or leaving the driveway early in the morning. The reason is something called neighbors, as they could hate you if you have a machine that can give bystanders tinnitus, no matter the make and model, and the muscle cars (because there are two, including a 2020MY) with upgraded exhaust systems shown on film here can easily be hated.
On top of that, long journeys are going to be a pain due to the ultra-loud exhaust, as no one wants to listen to it for a few hours straight. But then again, we're not here to judge nor to praise such builds but to put the hypothetical spotlight on them. In the end, a single entity can judge them, and we have all seen stickers of that saying. But do you like how the Chevrolet Camaro sounds with a modded exhaust system, or would you prefer it stock?
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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