Camaro ZL1 Laps Nurburgring in 7:41.27. Enters Supercar Territory!!

[OldScoolCamaro]

Originally Posted by Shurenuff

I know price talk is the current hot topic with seemingly countless posts addressing the issue, but I'd just like to say this is just a fantastic post and hits the nail right on the head. Nice job

Absolutely...

Originally Posted by OldJedi

I also agree with you 100% and you wrote it eloquently I might add. All of us had our own particular price point in our minds that we felt the ZL1 should cost. The talk that it would be competitively priced with the GT500 led us to start thinking of the $48,000 mark. That idea was quickly dashed by Fbodfather. Slowly the realization that the price might start reaching the $60,000 mark out the door is a very real possibility. $60,000 can buy a lot of car from many different makes. Each of us will have to look within ourselves and our wallets to see if we can justify spending that much money on fulfilling a dream or will another car make us just as happy. It will be a decision each of us will have to make on our own. The question remains, when you wake up at 3:00 in the morning and you walk to the garage door and open it, what do you want looking back at you saying "Let's Ride"?

X2, and wow, nice thought at the finish Jedi....

Originally Posted by Scarrzz

.


I'll be driving my paid off truck until I can afford ZL1. Nothing else will satisfy me.

If ZL1 was a woman, I wouldn't even want to look at another one. I'm that much in love.

Watching that lap was just another confirmation that my heart has chosen wisely.



.

Ain't love grand Scarrzz...!

Originally Posted by Amenti

I"m not certain that I understand all of the discussion about pricing the Camaro out of the hands of working people in the middle class. The existence of the ZL1 does not make the LS, or any other Camaro trim level, extinct. Even at $55K to $58K, I think that the ZL1 rests comfortably, not outrageously, in the highest realm of pony-car pricing.

Most of us posting in this thread want a ZL1 more than they can adequately describe; I'm one of them. Some of those people, the faithful, may have been holding out to buy a Camaro, because they hoped and prayed for the track-ready monster that eventually became the ZL1. Those same people probably had their hopes dashed after predicting that the ZL1 would have a base cost of $48K, comparable to a GT500; and, that's unfortunate. I feel for those people; our brother and sister fanatics.

All of the exaltation at seeing this car come to fruition and the dismay at its as-yet-unannounced cost does not mean that Camaro is any less the blue-collar hero that it's always been. The LS, LT and SS are still there for the taking; and, they will continue to be available well after the ZL1 is released. Some might consider that settling for less; I see it as a reasonable compromise. Many LT and SS owners have modified their Camaros to be more than what rolled off of the assembly line; it does not make them any less the enthusiast, because they did not wait for the ZL1. Some people, including myself, simply realized that their budgets could not support a higher trim level and decided to make the most of what they could get, for it is better to have a gorgeous 5th Generation Camaro than none at all.

The ZL1 is true to its namesake in that it is the highest performing and most technologically advanced Camaro ever produced. For some, therein lies the problem. This manifestation of unbridled awesomeness is more than many of us expected, and more than many of us may be willing to pay for; but, why should it not exist at this price point? There are enthusiasts who are willing and able to pay for this car at a competitive price, and some that will pay yet more to have it. It most likely won't be priced much higher than a GT500 with the SVT package and some other goodies, which I think is fine. I have my Camaro, and I love it even if it can't go around the 'ring in 7:41.

Love what you have; love what you can afford; love your Camaro!










Worship the ZL1! (and get one used in a few years!)

I vote POTD, most excellent....!!!

Originally Posted by htron50

Sumthin tells me that a normally aspirated Z28 may be in the Base MSRP range of about $42,875, add a couple ZL1 options and have it out the door at about $48K. The Chevy folks are creating a gap in price that the Z28 is sure to fill! I can't say its a bad thing either. It's absolutely going to be a rocket in its' own right "if and when" the time comes. Could be a great great vehicle. If some of you are that concerned about the ZL1 price maybe you should recalibrate your dream down a bit. I remember all the talk about the next vision many had, and thought, would be the "Z"... remember, THIS ZL1 is the highest performance Camaro ever produced. How many of you would have really gotten near knowing a ZL1 even existed back in '69. The big block Camaro 396/375 was top dog. Z28 shared that spot or beat it. The ZL1 was out of reach for most.

C'mon Scott, tell em it's not so bad to recalibrate just a bit and maybe, just maybe, it would not be a bad thing... I can tell you that if BOTH were out now, it would be a FUN decision, not so stressfull!

My problem is I'm running out of waiting time......... agewise (not complaining). So, as they say, JUST DO IT. Hmmmm ok. "Why's that old fart driving that thing?"

I am with ya Htron for the Z-28, and a bunch of us are pulling real hard for that gap to filled in the Camaro Gen5 lineup! Nice post.....

Originally Posted by Blue Menace

Golden Bear, you are quickly becoming my favorite person on here for sound, thoughtful comments. Thanks.

Indeed, Bear is very eloquent and makes well thought out presentations...

[ShnOmac]

Originally Posted by Blue Menace

Golden Bear, you are quickly becoming my favorite person on here for sound, thoughtful comments. Thanks.

Originally Posted by Amenti

I"m not certain that I understand all of the discussion about pricing the Camaro out of the hands of working people in the middle class. The existence of the ZL1 does not make the LS, or any other Camaro trim level, extinct. Even at $55K to $58K, I think that the ZL1 rests comfortably, not outrageously, in the highest realm of pony-car pricing.

Most of us posting in this thread want a ZL1 more than they can adequately describe; I'm one of them. Some of those people, the faithful, may have been holding out to buy a Camaro, because they hoped and prayed for the track-ready monster that eventually became the ZL1. Those same people probably had their hopes dashed after predicting that the ZL1 would have a base cost of $48K, comparable to a GT500; and, that's unfortunate. I feel for those people; our brother and sister fanatics.

All of the exaltation at seeing this car come to fruition and the dismay at its as-yet-unannounced cost does not mean that Camaro is any less the blue-collar hero that it's always been. The LS, LT and SS are still there for the taking; and, they will continue to be available well after the ZL1 is released. Some might consider that settling for less; I see it as a reasonable compromise. Many LT and SS owners have modified their Camaros to be more than what rolled off of the assembly line; it does not make them any less the enthusiast, because they did not wait for the ZL1. Some people, including myself, simply realized that their budgets could not support a higher trim level and decided to make the most of what they could get, for it is better to have a gorgeous 5th Generation Camaro than none at all.

The ZL1 is true to its namesake in that it is the highest performing and most technologically advanced Camaro ever produced. For some, therein lies the problem. This manifestation of unbridled awesomeness is more than many of us expected, and more than many of us may be willing to pay for; but, why should it not exist at this price point? There are enthusiasts who are willing and able to pay for this car at a competitive price, and some that will pay yet more to have it. It most likely won't be priced much higher than a GT500 with the SVT package and some other goodies, which I think is fine. I have my Camaro, and I love it even if it can't go around the 'ring in 7:41.

Love what you have; love what you can afford; love your Camaro!










Worship the ZL1! (and get one used in a few years!)

Very good post!

Originally Posted by Shurenuff

I know price talk is the current hot topic with seemingly countless posts addressing the issue, but I'd just like to say this is just a fantastic post and hits the nail right on the head. Nice job

[assasinator]

wonder if it's true the ZL1 had cup tires on it, non stock cooling, and recaros? wonder if a showroom stock car will be close to that time with a pro driving it.

[L99CAMA2011]

Originally Posted by assasinator

wonder if it's true the ZL1 had cup tires on it, non stock cooling, and recaros? wonder if a showroom stock car will be close to that time with a pro driving it.

Actually that ZL1 driven on the ring has a set of Sparco Evo2 seats and a rool bar inside, hmmmm hopefully GM didn't pull one like Suburu did and up the Supercharger boost for these runs on the ring. .

[Mr Twisty]

Originally Posted by assasinator

wonder if it's true the ZL1 had cup tires on it, non stock cooling, and recaros? wonder if a showroom stock car will be close to that time with a pro driving it.

Look at the photos and read the press releases...

[2012ZL1]

Originally Posted by tomsws6

Did anyone notice that the ZL1 actually did a full lap unlike most the the cars that posted quicker time? It ran 20832M (full lap) while most of the vehicles in front of it ran 20300M (sport lap) According to wiki that equals about a 7 sec difference meaning that when compared to the other cars its actually ran a 7:34. Am I reading that right?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...eife_lap_times

Cool discovery..It would seem the ZL1 moves up a few notches...

[Black8]

What a sick ring run! That was the best 7.41 minutes of this year

So how many SS owners will be trading/selling to get one of these monsters?

I wish I could but GM will prolly put a 55k price tag on that beast and just go up from there.

[spooky]

anymore photos of this car?

[lbls1]

Originally Posted by Scarrzz

.


I'll be driving my paid off truck until I can afford ZL1. Nothing else will satisfy me.

If ZL1 was a woman, I wouldn't even want to look at another one. I'm that much in love.

Watching that lap was just another confirmation that my heart has chosen wisely.



.

I often associate cars with women. I swear that I've found the one.....until another one crosses the path. I say that I'm leaving one for the other.......and then I have to have both of 'em. The same thing is going thru my head with the ZL1.......I know I don't want to part with my babes for the new fling.

However, If I go for this one I believe it will be the last new car-girl for me for a long while. The big purchase, my existing gfs-cars and other priorities, are going to demand my attention....and money.

[Black8]

Originally Posted by lbls1

I often associate cars with women. I swear that I've found the one.....until another one crosses the path. I say that I'm leaving one for the other.......and then I have to have both of 'em. The same thing is going thru my head with the ZL1.......I know I don't want to part with my babes for the new fling.

However, If I go for this one I believe it will be the last new car-girl for me for a long while. The big purchase, my existing gfs-cars and other priorities, are going to demand my attention....and money.

Agreed.

[lbls1]

Originally Posted by spooky

anymore photos of this car?

Damn everytime I see this shot of the zl1...makes me shake my head. Awesome!

[slick rick]

Originally Posted by spooky

anymore photos of this car?

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=171570

[tomsws6]

Originally Posted by assasinator

wonder if it's true the ZL1 had cup tires on it, non stock cooling, and recaros? wonder if a showroom stock car will be close to that time with a pro driving it.

Not sure if its been pointed out somewere else on the forum but this makes it even more impressive.

is article goes a little more in depth about the lapping session.

http://www.insideline.com/chevrolet/...gring-lap.html

Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Visits Inside Line After 7:41 Nurburgring Lap

Just the Facts:
A Camaro ZL prototype reportedly ran a 7:41.27 lap on the Nurburgring Nordschleife.
General Motors Engineer Aaron Link was the driver; he made 40 laps in three days.
GM's Mark Reuss drove the prototype to Inside Line's photography studio this week.

MARINA DEL REY, California — Hours after announcing the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 lapped the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 7:41.27, General Motors officials pulled up at Inside Line's Los Angeles photography studio on Wednesday in the very same ZL1 prototype. Mark Reuss, president of GM North America, was driving.

Equipped with a full cage and still wearing partial camouflage, the Camaro had genuine-looking grime, apparently residue from two weeks of testing in Germany. Reuss told Inside Line that one of the automaker's top engineers, Aaron Link, made 40 laps of the 12.9-mile course in the car over three days. During his lap sessions, he worked out the parameters for the second most aggressive of the ZL1's five Performance Traction Management driving modes, which govern the behavior of the stability control, electric power steering and adaptive magnetic dampers. Said mode will be called Full Race; it's one step below disabling the stability control entirely.

The car's supercharged, 6.2-liter LSA V8 was reportedly running in stock tune during the timed lap. In the ZL1, this engine is rated at 580 horsepower and 556 pound-feet of torque, making it the most powerful Camaro ever. Predictably, the prototype has the Tremec TR-6060 "MG9" six-speed manual gearbox, rather than the optional six-speed automatic transmission.

Reuss drew our attention to the Camaro ZL1's Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar G:2 summer tires, sized P285/35ZR20 in front and P305/35ZR20 in the rear. "This isn't a cup tire," he said. "This tire has some tread to it." He told us it was used throughout the lap sessions.



Later in the studio visit, Reuss spoke about future plans for the Camaro line.

"The next generation of these cars needs to be something that's quite different," he said. "More mass-efficient and certainly different powertrains. We won't change the car's DNA, but it will represent something quite different."

This quest for greater efficiency will likely result in the use of six-cylinders and forced induction in place of V8s in cars like the Camaro, but Reuss emphasized that GM probably won't go that route with the Silverado and Sierra half-ton trucks.

"Taking cylinders out and boosting it is one approach," he said, "but there are a lot of other approaches on an electrification basis that may be more compelling and I'm not sure they're full-blown hybrids, either."

[1BADZL1]

Originally Posted by IOMZL1

Agreed, nice post!

Can you tell that price is one of the few topics left to debate?

Um. Nope. wait till the week of the 15th to 23rd.