Photo: CarPix
For most muscle car aficionados, we are now living in the golden era of horsepower and torque, with cars like the Shelby Mustang GT350, Dodge Challenger Hellcat (and upcoming Demon) and the recently unveiled Camaro ZL1 1LE taking the spotlight.
That said, it seems that carmakers still haven't had enough, and at least Chevrolet feels that it can step it up a bit. That would be a pretty good reason for why the bow-tie carmaker is currently testing a mysterious Camaro.
Caught by our spy photographers from a considerable distance, the prototype was swiftly covered up by General Motors engineers, so the photogs only had 19 seconds to shoot it. Even so, they had plenty of time to photograph it from multiple angles, and the results make everything even more mysterious.
If you squint your eyes a bit, you can see that the strange Camaro has some bits of camouflage attached on top of the regular camouflage, meaning that what's underneath may sport some pretty extensive modifications, especially when the hood and front bumper are involved.
A few air intakes could be part of that bulge on the hood, while the entire front end is camouflaged to bits, suggesting a complete redesign.
Now that the ZL1 1LE has been revealed, the only two possibilities would be that this is either a prototype for the Camaro mid-cycle facelift or a brand new Z/28. Since it would be way too early for the facelift to start testing, we're going with the Z/28 theory.
Rumors suggesting a resurrection of the Z/28 nameplate have been around for some time, but the sudden appearance of the 1LE package for the ZL1 promptly quieted them down. According to some insiders, there are unconfirmed rumors that say GM is working on a brand new beast of an engine, and a new Z/28 would be a perfect fit.
Apparently, work has already begun on a naturally aspirated small block with DOHC technology and a flat plane crankshaft, just like in the Shelby GT350 and various Italian supercars. With an output surrounding 700 hp in its most extreme version, we wouldn't be surprised if a possible Z/28 would instantly become one of the most desired muscle cars in recent years.
Take all this information with a pinch of salt, of course, but keep in mind that we do know one thing for sure. Chevrolet is definitely testing what appears a bad Camaro, and since the engineers were so quick to cover it up, they are certainly not doing it just for show.
Caught by our spy photographers from a considerable distance, the prototype was swiftly covered up by General Motors engineers, so the photogs only had 19 seconds to shoot it. Even so, they had plenty of time to photograph it from multiple angles, and the results make everything even more mysterious.
If you squint your eyes a bit, you can see that the strange Camaro has some bits of camouflage attached on top of the regular camouflage, meaning that what's underneath may sport some pretty extensive modifications, especially when the hood and front bumper are involved.
A few air intakes could be part of that bulge on the hood, while the entire front end is camouflaged to bits, suggesting a complete redesign.
Now that the ZL1 1LE has been revealed, the only two possibilities would be that this is either a prototype for the Camaro mid-cycle facelift or a brand new Z/28. Since it would be way too early for the facelift to start testing, we're going with the Z/28 theory.
Rumors suggesting a resurrection of the Z/28 nameplate have been around for some time, but the sudden appearance of the 1LE package for the ZL1 promptly quieted them down. According to some insiders, there are unconfirmed rumors that say GM is working on a brand new beast of an engine, and a new Z/28 would be a perfect fit.
Apparently, work has already begun on a naturally aspirated small block with DOHC technology and a flat plane crankshaft, just like in the Shelby GT350 and various Italian supercars. With an output surrounding 700 hp in its most extreme version, we wouldn't be surprised if a possible Z/28 would instantly become one of the most desired muscle cars in recent years.
Take all this information with a pinch of salt, of course, but keep in mind that we do know one thing for sure. Chevrolet is definitely testing what appears a bad Camaro, and since the engineers were so quick to cover it up, they are certainly not doing it just for show.
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