Review: 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Coupe [w/video]

Review: 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Coupe [w/video]:
Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Chevrolet, New Car Reviews
A Racing Circuit Best Reveals The Beast Within



Back in the 1980s, the Chevrolet Camaro was a real badass. The sleek two-door coupe was the epitome of reasonably priced sports cars, easily going head-to-head with competitors like the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am GTA, Nissan 300ZX, Toyota Supra and Mazda RX-7. At the top of the Camaro pecking order was the IROC-Z, an $18,000 American muscle car with a naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 pumping 215 horsepower to the rear wheels. If its five-speed manual gearbox was shifted perfectly, the 3,430-pound coupe could blast to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds leaving nothing but a pile of rubber from its 16-inch Goodyear Eagle VR50 Gatorback tires. At the hands of an expert, the hatchback could lap the Big Track at Willow Springs in 1:44.

Twenty-five years later, the Chevrolet Camaro is again at Willow Springs. But this is no old F-body clunker. Instead, we are holding the keys to a pristine 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, the IROC-Z's direct descendant. Under the hood of this range-topping coupe is a supercharged 6.2-liter V8. But that is just the tip of the iceberg, as automotive engineering hasn't just crept forward since the 1980s - it has advanced exponentially. And thankfully, so has the Chevrolet Camaro.
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2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Coupe [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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