2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Leaving the other debuts of the Chicago Auto Show in the dust is the brand-spanking new Camaro ZL1 - the most powerful Camaro ever. This beautiful beast is powered by a LSA 6.2L supercharged V-8 engine that provides enough juice to get our hearts racing and our fingers twitching to grab the wheel.

"Camaro ZL1 is about high-tech performance and design, and is a type of car no one has ever brought to this segment previously," said Rick Scheidt, vice president of Chevrolet marketing. "It’s the most technically advanced Camaro ever, so we’ve chosen a name from the most elite and exclusive Camaro in history."

The Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will be distinguished by a new front fascia, hood with air extractors, and a signature center section constructed of carbon fiber rendered in satin black finish. Completing the look is a set of 20-inch wheels and exhaust tips with ZL1 badge on the grille, hood, and brake calipers.

UPDATE 09/13/11: The Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is considered the most powerful Camaro in the market today so the people at General Motors are working extra hard to ensure that every nook and cranny of the muscle car is on the up and up. For four hours a day spread across six days, the Camaro ZL1 was put through all sorts of tests, pushing every ounce of it to the limit. Now, Chevrolet has released a video that shows the Camaro ZL1 hard at work during testing. In this particular test, the Camaro ZL1 is taken for a 24-hour track test on the grueling Milford Road Course located on GM’s Proving Grounds in Milford, Michigan.

Exterior

The new and most powerful Camaro will get a redesigned fascia and aluminum hood with a raised, carbon fiber insert, a front splitter, and new vertical fog lamps with air intakes designed for brake cooling. The hood features front-mounted air extractors with the center section made in satin black carbon fiber. Headlamps will be High-Intensity Discharge HID models in order to provide plenty of light out front. Distinguishing the rear as well as providing more downforce will be a larger spoiler and diffuser. Newly designed 20-inch forged aluminum wheels will help to complete the aggressive look of the ZL1.

Interior

On the interior, the ZL1 will only be offered in black with black leather sports seats with microfiber suede inserts. ZL1 logos decorate the front headrests and microfiber suede covers the instrument panel. Other interior features include a redesigned steering wheel, alloy pedals, a Head-Up Display with unique performance readouts, and the "four-pack" auxiliary gauge system featuring a boost readout. A heads-up display will be available to display unique performance readouts straight onto the windshield allowing the driver to stay focused on the quickly approaching horizon ahead.

The Camaro ZL1 will come standard with six-way power driver and passenger seats, a unique instrument panel, door panel inserts, and ZL1-logo sill plates. New technology can be seen in the steering wheel audio controls featuring Bluetooth capability, Wireless PDIM and USB-port, a Boston Acoustics premium audio system, rear parking assist, and a rear camera system (displayed in the inside rearview mirror). The year 1969 introduced the world to a minimalist muscle machine named the ZL1 – 2012 will see the rebirth of that moniker with higher power and an interior packed with more technology than a BMW.

Engine

Previously, it was reported that the Camaro ZL1 will be packing 550 horsepower and 550 lb/ft of torque from its LSA 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine. But now the word is that it’s got more ponies under its hood than we initially thought. Instead of 550 horsepower and 550 lb/ft of torque, the Camaro ZL1 will carry 580 ponies at 6,000 rpm and 556 lb/ft of torque at 4,200 rpm.

According to Chevrolet, the improved output comes as a result of "a unique induction system, with a lower-restriction air filter, dual ‘bell mouth’ inlet paths, and improved airflow through the supercharger housing."

Other changes made on the engine include a higher-efficiency supercharger intercooler and electric power steering system, which consume less engine power than hydraulic-steering systems.

Having said that, the engine is still mated to a Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual transmission that uses a 240-mm dual-mass flywheel matched with a 240-mm twin-disc clutch system to provide excellent shift smoothness. In order to harness all this power the new ZR1 will also have Magnetic Ride Control offering two settings depending on how quickly you want to get to work that day. Brembo brakes will be used on all four wheels with six piston calipers out front and four piston units at the back.

Prices

The new Camaro ZL1 will go on sale at the beginning of 2012. Prices will be announced at a later date, but we imagine that it will be priced somewhere around the competition and about $15K higher than the SS model. If we are correct and this comes in priced in the $50,000 region, than it will not be a cheap thrill like an SRT8 Challenger, but could set new performance records for Chevrolet and the industry.

Competition

Any muscle car fanatic will tell us that the most important competitor for any Camaro will be its Ford Mustang counterpart. The Camaro ZL1 specifically has its sights set on the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. The GT500 is powered by 5.4 Liter supercharged V8 that produces 550 HP and 510 lb-ft of torque which only provides the Camaro with a slight advantage off the jump. With numbers so similar, we can only imagine that the ball is now in Ford’s court to come out with a new model to blow Chevrolet out of the water. It has been a long time since Chevrolet has had an answer to the mighty GT500 and we look forward to the ongoing muscle car wars.