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SEE VIDEO AT:http://www.motortrend.com/av/roadtes...deo/index.html

You don't have to be a Camaro fan, or even a Chevrolet fan, to appreciate the 2012 Camaro ZL1. You may well think the Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 is the greatest car ever built, but you still read every word of our ZL1 first look to see what Ford's up against. Get ready to see new super Chevy in a whole new light.

You see, we were able to schedule a little private time with the ZL1 following its big debut at last month's 2011 Chicago auto show. Think of it more as a sensual massage than a one-night stand. Chevy wasn't going to let us get all handsy with their latest star, but a private modeling session? Why not? Chevy brought the car, we brought the cameras and a good time was had by all in the strategically-lit room.

How could it not be fun? After all, this is the Camaro we've been asking Chevy to deliver since we first drove the fifth-generation SS. It's the car we enthusiasts would build if we could pick through GM's parts bin without having to pay for it. Carbon-ceramic brakes and magneto-rheological shocks cribbed from the mighty Corvette ZR1? Check. A 550-horsepower LSA supercharged V-8 cribbed from the giant-killing Cadillac CTS-V? Check. Aggressive, but restrained styling? Check, but to be fair, they could've taken it a step farther. A steering wheel and shift knob we'd actually want to hold? Double check. Nice to hear the guys at Chevy were listening.

As we alluded to, though, this was a first date in suburbia, not a Vegas fling. Chevrolet wasn't about to throw a bunch of "drive it like you ain't payin' for it" journalists the keys to their only prototype for a romp in the neighborhood. We were, however, able to pry the keys from the car's handlers long enough to fire up the ZL1 and take in its aural delights.

Join us, then, by proxy. Fire up the video and hear the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for the first time as it roars to life and gives us just a little tease of musical chops. Tease. We'll be back for more when Chevrolet decides to let its latest offspring venture out in the world and date the jerks, but for now, enjoy the happy ending.

VIDEO: http://www.motortrend.com/av/roadtes...#ixzz1HxCoYZhN