To create the 2018 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, Chevy took one part Camaro ZL1, another part Camaro 1LE, and stirred. The resulting supercoupe is a delicious combination of high horsepower and raw performance.
The ZL1 1LE plays at the opposite end of the muscle-car spectrum from the forthcoming Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, opting to clip apexes as opposed to ripping off epic quarter-mile runs. Still, the ZL1 1LE won’t be a one-trick pony car. Thanks to the rip-snorting 650-hp supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 engine it shares with the standard ZL1, we expect the hard-core Camaro to hold its own at the drag strip?although the fact that Chevy plans to offer the model exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission may cost it a tenth of a second or two.
Compared with the standard ZL1, the 1LE sheds a claimed 60 pounds, owing to thinner rear-window glass, a fixed (rather than folding) rear seatback, and lighter wheels and dampers. Additional downforce comes in the form of a massive fixed rear wing made of carbon fiber, air deflectors and dive planes fitted to the car’s nose, and a set of sticky summer tires?a new breed of Goodyear rubber dubbed Eagle F1 Supercar 3R?mounted on lightweight, staggered 19-inch forged-aluminum wheels (11 inches wide up front, 12 inches wide in the rear) to help keep the big beast stuck to the ground. Spool-valve dampers, made famous by Formula 1 racing teams and the last-gen Z/28, sit under adjustable camber plates in front and work with a...