The most powerful Camaro in Chevrolet’s history, the 2012 ZL1, recently paid a visit to the notorious Nurburgring race track. Camaro Performance Engineer Aaron Link took the reigns of the 580 horsepower supercharged pony car and set upon a 12.9 mile journey to show just how competent the latest bowtie muscle car really is. On his fastest lap, Link and his production-intended ZL1 set a time nearly 40 seconds faster than a 426 horsepower SS Camaro set a few years ago. When the dust settled, a flying lap time of 7:41.27 was laid down.
In order to do well on the ‘Ring, the car has to do everything well – including acceleration, braking, and lateral grip. Breaking an eight-minute lap in a 2+2 production car is a tremendous accomplishment, and validates that the Camaro ZL1 will truly be track-ready from the showroom,” said Al Oppenheiser, Camaro chief engineer. Link had plenty of help from the ZL1 itself. 556 lb-ft of torque, a six speed transmission, magnetic dampers and massive Brembo brakes were always there to help the Camaro driver accomplish his task.
“The ZL1’s full capability is evident at the Nurburgring,” said Link. “One of the best moments is coming through ‘Fuchsröhre’, or Foxhole. The ZL1 accelerates at an unbelievable rate down through the tunnel of trees, and into a sweeping left-hand corner flat out in fifth gear. You have to have an extremely well-mannered, confidence-inspiring car to take any corner at 160 mph without lifting off the throttle – and the ZL1 was just brilliant.”
Source: Chevrolet
