Chevrolet has two bargain supercar eaters in its arsenal. The first is the 650-hp Corvette Z06, which starts at $81,440, and the second is the newer kid on the block, the 650-hp Camaro ZL1 for a measly $63,435. The ZL1 clearly is a steal, as Chevrolet has announced it can sprint to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds and reach a claimed top speed of 198 mph.
Tested at the High Speed Oval at Germany?s Automotive Testing Papenburg GmbH proving ground?a 7.6-mile track with 2.5-mile straights and 49.7-degree banking?the ZL1 allegedly hit 202.3 mph in one direction and 193.3 in the other, resulting in a 198-mph average. The ZL1 earned the impressive mark using the 10-speed automatic transmission and Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3 tires inflated to 44 psi. Chevy also claims that the ZL1 ran the quarter-mile in 11.4 seconds at 127 mph, hit 1.02 g in the corners, and stopped from 60 mph in 107 feet. For reference, our testing of the Corvette Z06 saw it run from zero to 60 in 3.0 seconds, hit the quarter-mile in 11.1 seconds at 127 mph, and grip the skidpad at 1.19 g.
?The ZL1 was developed with high-speed performance in mind, incorporating a balanced aerodynamic package that reduces lift without significantly affecting drag,? Camaro chief engineer Al Oppenheiser said. ?After testing the car in standard settings, which produced the 198-mph average, we set the front and rear camber adjustments to zero degrees and the tire pressures to the maximum allowable sidewall pressure?and sa...