Intent on demonstrating just how quickly a 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 can sprint down the benchmark quarter-mile distance, a group of engineers recently turned a pair of these ultra-spec vehicles loose on a local drag strip outside of Detroit with impressive results. The best runs of the day netted an 11.94 second/116-mph effort by the ZL1 fitted with a 6-speed automatic transmission while its counterpart with a 6-speed manual cranked off an 11.96 second/117-mph charge, numbers that put both ZL1 variants into some pretty rarefied supercar territory.
Chevy says the Camaro ZL1 models were completely unmodified, fitted with the stock 6.2-liter supercharged LSA V8 that makes 580-horsepower/556 lb-ft of torque and standard-issue Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar G:2 tires. "We know many of our customers will take their ZL1 to the drag strip," said Gordon Rojewski, driveline development engineer… As such, we set out to make sure the ZL1 would perform for them – on the first pass and on the 100th."
"The ZL1 is great at everything and we’re very proud of that," added Tony Roma, Camaro ZL1 program engineering manager. "You can take it to the drag strip and run 11-second quarter-miles all day long. You can also take it to a road course, where it’s balanced, handles well, and does exactly what you want – including lapping Virginia International Raceway’s Grand Course in under three minutes – and yet the ZL1 is sophisticated enough to use as a daily driver. It’s a supercar you can drive every day."
How long will it be before the Blue Oval contingent answers this bit of Chevy quick-timing with some official factory blitz runs of its new 662-horsepower 2013 Ford Shelby GT500? Stay tuned.
