The racy Camaro we previously caught in camo testing at the Nürburgring and elsewhere finally rolled forth this past weekend at festivities surrounding the Daytona 500, where Kurt Busch spoiled Chevy?s day in a Ford Fusion fielded by Stewart-Haas Racing. Bow-tie fans will take solace in this 2018 Camaro ZL1 1LE (pictured above and in the gallery), the latest and most potent volley in the eternal Camaro-Mustang-Challenger pony-car war.
Combining fresh aerodynamic, suspension, wheel, tire, and weight-saving components with the existing ZL1?s 650-hp LT4 supercharged 6.2-liter V-8, a six-speed manual transmission, and Brembo brakes yields what chief engineer Al Oppenheiser touts as “the ultimate track-day Camaro,” capable of chopping lap times around General Motors? 2.9-mile Milford Road Course by a whopping three seconds.
Doubling up with some of the most prestigious badges from the Camaro?s half-century heritage had us (and most observers) wondering, ?Hey, Al, what about the Z/28"? As a reminder, the illustrious Z-car was born in 1967 as a homologation special supporting the Camaro?s Trans-Am road-racing exploits. For months we?ve speculated that the car which bowed at Daytona would revive the Z/28 nameplate after a couple years’ hiatus. We stand corrected.
But do not count the Z/28 dead. To the contrary, Chevy is patiently saving its most vaunted muscle-car badge for the next bullet: a Camaro with 700 or more naturally aspirated horsepower and ...