Chevrolet invited us to an event at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Pahrump, Nevada, to show off the 2017 Chevy Camaro ZL1. Mark Reuss, executive vice president of Global Product Development for GM took the stage as the cover came off the bright red 2017 ZL1. What was immediately apparent was the aggressive new front bodywork, unique to the ZL1 from the A-pillar forward.
Our eyes were first drawn to the new hood, with its carbon-fiber insert and sizable heat extractor to pull hot air from the engine compartment. We noticed a bit of resemblance to the Corvette L88 hood that managed to find its way onto a few Baldwin Motion Camaros. We had the chance to speak with Tom Peters, who has worked on Camaro and Corvette design teams, and he didn’t dismiss the similarity. “I think it’s OK to have Corvette influence Camaro.” Peters said. The design team worked with the engineers throughout the development process and its unique bodywork was developed in concert with extensive wind-tunnel testing and on-track validation. The front splitter, fascia, wing, rockers, and hood all work to manage airflow over, under, and through the car to improve cooling and aerodynamics.
You can’t miss the lower grille opening of the ZL1. It’s huge, and the grille itself is sparse, allowing for a massive volume of air to cool the three engine radiators, two of which are clearly visible behind the outboard openings on the fascia next to the vertical running lights, just outside of the brake cooling ducts. There are a total of 11 heat exchangers on the ZL1, including the transmission cooler and differential cooler, making it track-ready out-of-the-box, with no additional options to check.
The video teases and spy captures from testing at the Nurburgring had led most of us to believe that there would be a supercharged LT4 under the hood, and we were not disappointed. The ZL1 gets its own version of the LT4, with Camaro-specific intake routing and exhaust, so initial power estimates are just down from the Corvette, at 640 hp and 640 lb-ft of torque. That may be a legitimate guess, or it may be a courtesy to keep from stepping on Corvette’s toes, but from what we could hear as Mark Reuss and GM President Dan Ammann took journalists on hot laps at Spring Mountain, it sure sounded like it brought all 650 hp that the Z06 does.
The 2017 ZL1 marks the first application of GM’s new 10-speed automatic. Of course the awesome TR6060 six-speed manual is still available, and its rev-matching capability lets drivers smoothly downshift without any heel-toe heroics, but it has been GM’s latest torque-converter-based automatics that have lead to quicker acceleration and often faster lap times than their three-pedal cars. Compared to the 8L90 found in the Camaro SS, the 10-speed offers an even wider overall range of ratios, at 7.39 compared to 7.02, but the extra gears make for smaller steps between gears. It allows the LT4 to keep its rpm up where its making boost and its power is optimal. Chevrolet says this is especially helpful on the track when exiting corners. GM will have the new 10-speed in eight models by the end of 2018 and says it’s even quicker-shifting that the 8L90.
When we got our own turn to sit shotgun for a hot lap with Camaro engineer Aaron Link behind the wheel, our main concern was whether or not we should have our helmet’s visor down or not. Link is a serious hot shoe, and piloted the fifth-generation Z/28 to its 7.37 lap time under less than ideal conditions.
So where does the ZL1 stand in the Camaro lineup? Mark Reuss said, “The Camaro ZL1 is designed to excel at everything. It’s a 2+2 coupe offering incredible performance – acceleration, handling and braking – with the highest levels of technology and perfect chassis damping, making it suitable for everyday driving. It will compare well to any sports coupe, at any price, and in any setting.” That confidence comes from lap times that best the fifth-generation Z/28, thanks in part 20-inch forged aluminum wheels unique to the ZL1 that wear 285/30ZR20 front and 305/30ZR20 rear Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires with a compound and construction developed exclusively for the Camaro. Behind the 20-spoke wheels are Brembo brakes with six-piston monobloc front calipers and 15.35-inch two-piece front rotors, with 14.37-inch rotors in the rear. On our hot laps the massive rotors were glowing red in the twilight but displayed no signs of fading.
The 2017 ZL1 is tunable to meet the demands of the track or the street, with standard Magnetic Ride suspension, an electronic limited-slip differential, dual-mode exhaust, and Driver Mode Selector. There’s also a launch mode, which we’d love to put to test in the new 10-speed.
