The 2017 Camaro ZL1 is poised to challenge the most advanced sports coupes in the world in any measure.

Unprecedented levels of refinement, track capability and drag-strip performance

The 2017 Camaro ZL1 is poised to challenge the most advanced sports coupes in the world in any measure – with unprecedented levels of technology, refinement, track capability and straight-line acceleration.

“The Camaro ZL1 is designed to excel at everything,” said Mark Reuss, executive vice president of Global Product Development. “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.”

Acceleration for the ZL1 is delivered with a new supercharged 6.2L V-8 engine estimated at 640 hp (477 kW), and either a six-speed manual transmission with active rev matching or an all-new 10-speed automatic. Handling capability starts with the lightweight, stiffer structure of the all-new sixth-Gen Camaro, married with Magnetic Ride suspension and an electronic limited-slip differential. Standard technologies include Driver Mode Selector, dual-mode exhaust and advanced connectivity features.

The Camaro ZL1 goes on sale late this year.

Designed for Performance

Functionality defines the Camaro ZL1’s form, with the exterior shaped during more than 100 hours of wind-tunnel testing and on-track validation to improve aerodynamics and cooling for track use. Accordingly, its exterior elements all play a part in managing airflow over, under and through the ZL1.

“The design supports the Camaro ZL1’s exceptional performance and does so with compelling style,” said John Mack, Camaro exterior design manager. “From every angle, the elements coalesce to give the car a purposeful, super aggressive attitude.”

The lower grille opening, for example, offers greater airflow compared to the Camaro SS, and the upper grille incorporates a new version of the “flow-tie” open bowtie insignia. There’s also a new hood, with a carbon fiber insert and heat extractor that pulls hot air from the engine compartment. Additional changes include a larger front splitter, unique rockers, a wing-style rear spoiler and wider front fenders – all tuned to improve aerodynamics for greater high-speed stability.

Inside, there are standard Recaro front seats, along with a sueded flat-bottom steering wheel and shift knob. Chevrolet’s Performance Data Recorder is available. 

Fast with finesse

A cohesive suite of performance technologies tailors ZL1’s performance for street and track. Features include an updated Magnetic Ride suspension, Performance Traction Management, electronic limited-slip differential, Custom Launch Control and Driver Mode Selector. It also has a stronger power-to-weight ratio than its predecessor, weighing 200 pounds less, while offering approximately 60 more horsepower and 80 more pound-feet of torque.

The result is a one-of-a-kind driving experience.

“Driving the Camaro ZL1 is best described as ‘fast with finesse,’” said Reuss. “It is beautifully balanced, with perfect damping and isolation for optimal performance and driver confidence in virtually any situation – from the Pacific Coast Highway to Willow Springs to Pomona.”

Additional chassis features include:

• Unique 20-inch forged aluminum wheels with 285/30ZR20 front and 305/30ZR20 rear tires
• Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires with a compound and construction developed exclusively for the Camaro to offer exceptional grip on the track
• Brembo brakes with six-piston monobloc front calipers – featuring the ZL1 logo – and massive, 15.35-inch (390 mm) two-piece front rotors.

Supercharged performance and new 10-speed automatic

Underhood, the ZL1 features a supercharged LT4 6.2L V-8 Small Block engine, with intake and exhaust systems tailored for Camaro. It is rated at an estimated 640 horsepower (477 kW) and 640 lb-ft of torque (868 Nm).

The LT4 is backed by a standard six-speed manual transmission or all-new, available paddle-shift 10-speed automatic. The 10-speed automatic has 7.39 overall ratio for smaller steps between gears. It enables the LT4 engine to remain at optimal rpm levels during acceleration, particularly when exiting corners, for quicker laps and lightning-quick responses on both up- and down-shifts.

This is the first Chevrolet application of the new quick-shift 10-speed, with unique calibrations and hardware developed exclusively for the ZL1. By the end 2018, GM will introduce the new 10-speed automatic in eight vehicle models.

Finally – and unlike some competitors – there’s no need to purchase an optional package to make the ZL1 track ready. Track capability comes standard, with features including an impressive 11 heat exchangers for optimal powertrain cooling.

UPDATE: Chevrolet today revealed the 2017 Camaro ZL1 convertible. It offers comparable performance to the coupe model, thanks to the Camaro’s modular and rigid body architecture, which was designed at the outset to support a high-performance convertible. As a result, only a few minor structural differences separate the coupe and convertible models, enabling the coupe’s track-honed chassis and driver control systems to carry over unchanged. The Camaro ZL1 convertible goes on sale in early 2017.

First Restored Corvette, the "Blue Devil" is the first finished car after sinkhole damaged eight cars.

TMW COMMENT - This is great news to see that the cars have been restored to their former glory, I am a little upset that the entire batch of damaged cars will not be repaired, as these cars should be kept in the condition before the hole appeared, this is our fourth post on the sink hole, please read the others here.

SINKHOLE DESTROYS MUSEUM 

FINAL CORVETTE RESCUED FROM HOLE 

CORVETTE MUSEUM RECEIVES HUGE DONATION

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Corvette ZR1 ‘Blue Devil’ debuts at SEMA Show on way back to museum

Chevrolet today unveiled the restored 2009 Corvette ZR1 that was damaged earlier this year when a sinkhole developed beneath the National Corvette Museum. It’s on display this week at the SEMA Show, before heading back to the museum in Bowling Green, Ky.

The ZR1, nicknamed the “Blue Devil,” is the first of the eight cars swallowed by the sinkhole to be restored. One of two show cars used to introduce the all-new Corvette ZR1 in January 2008, the car was on loan from Chevrolet to the National Corvette Museum when the sinkhole developed.

Museum personnel were alerted about motion detectors going off in the Skydome area of the facility on the morning of Wednesday, Feb. 12. They arrived to find a sinkhole measuring about 45 feet wide, 60 feet long and up to 30 feet deep – and it had swallowed eight Corvettes.

Three weeks later, the ZR1 was pulled out of the sinkhole. Despite falling nearly 30 feet, it started and drove out of the Skydome under its own power.

“After that unprecedented event, the ZR1 was the first car to be lifted out of the sinkhole,” said Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president, performance vehicles and motorsports. “It was great to recover it, bring it back to Chevrolet and begin the restoration of this significant Corvette.”

The ZR1 remained on display at the museum until September, when it was returned to Chevrolet for restoration. The damage included:

• Cracked carbon-fiber ground effects and a broken passenger-side rocker panel
• Damaged passenger front fender, as well as cracks in both doors
• Cracked windshield, hood window glass and passenger headlamp assembly
• Bent rear control arms on the driver’s side
• Cracked oil lines to the supercharged LS9 engine’s dry-sump oiling system.

Six weeks after work began, the restored ZR1 was started for the first time at the General Motors Heritage Center.

Two other cars will be restored next year – the 1-millionth Corvette and a 1962 Corvette – while the other five will remain in their as-recovered state to preserve their historical significance. They will become part of a future display at the museum.

Top ten fastest Nurburgring lap times by production cars

Auto Express charts the top ten fastest production car lap times around Germany’s formidable Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit

The Nurburgring Nordschleife in the Eifel mountains region of Western Germany is widely regarded as the most challenging race circuit in the world.

The fiercely undulating 12.9-mile lap through dense, light-starved pine forests has grown into a favourite proving ground for the world’s car manufacturers. And the Nurburgring lap time has become a key measure by which the fastest performance cars on the planet are judged.

It never takes too long after the covers are drawn back on a new hypercar or extreme lightweight track weapon for the question of its Nurburgring lap time to be raised. How quickly can the newcomer complete a lap of the tortuous Nordschleife circuit and where does that place it in the list of the fastest production car laps of all time?

The Nurburgring circuit itself has recently changed hands for £84million and with a gaggle of insanely powerful new hypercars emerging onto the scene, reputations to build, the list of the top ten fastest Nurburgring lap times could be in for a shake-up.

Below are the fastest Nurburgring Nordschleife laps as they stand now…

10. Porsche 911 GT2 RS – 7:24s

The legendary Porsche 911 manages to squeak onto the fastest Nurburgring lap times list in GT2 RS form. The 997 generation model has a twin-turbo flat six generating 612bhp and weighs 70kg less than a standard 911 GT2. It clocked 7:24s in 2010.

9. Chevrolet Corvette C6 Z06 – 7:22.68

The Corvette C6 Z06 is one rung down the Corvette C6 performance ladder from the ZR1 with ‘only’ 505bhp from its all-American V8 powerplant - but it was only 3 seconds slower around the lap when the cars were tested together in June 2011.   

8. Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1 – 7:19.63

The Corvette C6 ZR1 is a car with a 638bhp V8 and Nurburgring pedigree that you can pick up for a fraction of the price of most European supercars, but that didn’t stop it showing them the way around the Nordschleife with a 7:19.63s lap in 2012.

7. Donkervoort D8 RS – 7:14.89

The Donkervoort D8 RS (D8 GT pictured) looks like a Caterham Seven on steroids but a 267bhp turbocharged 1.8-litre Audi engine brings supercar performance levels out of the lightweight machine. The second and fastest of the car’s two lightning Nurburgring lap times was set in 2006.

6. Lexus LFA Nurburgring Package – 7:14.64s

The Lexus LFA is an engineering masterclass by Toyota with a carbonfibre body and a purpose-built V10 engine that revs to 9,000rpm. The Nurburgring Package models feature a 10bhp power boost to 563bhp, a recalibrated transmission and various other tweaks. It lapped the ‘ring in 7:14.64s back in 2011.

5. Dodge Viper ACR – 7:12.13

The Dodge Viper SRT10 has the kind of bonnet that can only hide a 600bhp V10 and that’s exactly what the ACR version used to attack the Nurburgring in 2011. With weight-saving modifications, enhanced aerodynamics and retuned suspension, the ACR model set a formidable 7:12.13s lap.  

4. Gumpert Apollo Sport – 7:11.57s

Awkwardly named and awkward to look at, the Gumpert Apollo makes up for any perceived lack of finesse with brutish pace. The Sport version set a 7:11.57 lap in 2009 powered by a 710bhp a twin-turbo V8 engine.

3. Nissan GT-R Nismo – 7:08.69s

Nissan claims that the 7:08.69s lap time recorded by its monstrous 2015 GT-R Nismo is a Nurburgring lap record for a ‘volume production car’.

It’s certainly a more affordable and usable prospect than the majority of cars on this list but the record breaking GT-R Nismo was furnished with various “track options” to save weight and improve aerodynamics. The Nurburgring lap time is all about bragging rights, so who can blame Nissan for trying?

2. Porsche 918 Spyder (Weissach Package) – 6:57s

While McLaren was being unusually coy about the Nurburgring lapping prowess of its P1 hybrid hypercar (it will only say that the P1 has done a sub 7-minute lap), Porsche rocked up and clocked a 6:57s lap in its 918 Spyder. 

With a combined 875bhp and 944lb ft of torque, the all-wheel-drive machine blitzed the ‘ring in September 2013.   

1. Radical SR8 LM – 6:48s

The 450bhp V8-engined Radical SR8 stretches the definition of a road-legal production car to the limit with a 690bhp per tonne power to weight ratio.

It looks like a race car and you certainly wouldn’t attempt to use one on the school run but it ticks the necessary boxes to qualify and completed an incredible 6:48s lap in 2009 to install itself at the top of the Nurburgring lap record tree.

Radical has actually held the Nurburgring production car lap record since 2005 when a standard SR8 recorded a 6:55s time. That remains the second fastest lap ever but for how long? Over to you, Ferrari LaFerrari and Konigsegg One:1. And come on McLaren, spill the beans on the P1's lap time - we know you want to.  

REPORT HERE