The 2017 Camaro ZL1 has lived up to General Motors' hopes by shattering lap record times at the Nurburgring in Germany, a 13-mile circuit where performance cars earn their stripes.
According to Auto Blog, the Camaro recorded a shocking 7:29.60 lap time, more than 11 seconds quicker than the previous ZL1 model.
Beyond beating it’s previous lap time, the ZL1 also eclipsed the McLaren 650S Spider, Koenigsegg CCX, Mercedes-AMG GT S, and their closest rival the Ford Shelby GT350R Mustang, according to Jalopnik.
General Motors brought the new Camaro out to Germany to be tested at the Nurburgring Nordschleife, or the Ring as many people refer to it. It’s rare for a performance car not to record a lap there.
The 2017 ZL1’s speed is a lot faster, perhaps due to its decline in weight and its change in framework, 95 Octane noted.
The new Chevy is impressive under the hood, with its 6.2-liter supercharged LT4 V4 engine, which happens to be the same engine under the hood of the speedy Corvette Z06, Digital Trends noted.
The 650-horsepower Camaro will come as a six-speed manual and a 10-speed automatic, and will not only be able to perform well in straight settings, but will also maneuver greatly around curves and at angles, which was previewed at Nurburgring.
According to Chevy, the ZL1 that was driven around the Ring was still in the process of a few changes, which is an even better sign for its future buyers, The New York Daily News noted.
The 2017 Camaro ZL1 is the sixth-generation of the ZL1 and it includes “a FE4 suspension with magnetic ride control, performance traction management and 20-inch wheels wearing Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3 tires,” The Daily News noted.
“Many fast laps around the Nordschleife are dramatic, with lots of oversteer and steering input,” said Drew Cattell, the Camaro's driver. “Not so with the ZL1, which is extremely planted and stable, almost calm. With Magnetic Ride and great overall chassis balance, the ZL1 is all about being inch perfect at every turn and carrying a lot of speed.”
While the ZL1 has been known to have a design centered around style, the designers got away from that with this year’s model, adding a great deal of substance to the elegance of this more slender model.
According to The Daily News, that substance includes “the front splitter, rocker-panel extensions and rear wing,” which have improved “the aerodynamics of the new coupe.”