LS1TECH EXCLUSIVE: 2017 Camaro ZL1 at the Indy Motor Speedway
It’s not often that we blast down the main straight of an iconic racetrack in a ZL1. It was a check-it-off the bucket-list kind of day.
The 2017 Chevy Camaro ZL1 has been welcomed with open arms and fanfare galore by everyone that’s laid eyes on it. The shamelessly aggressive exterior has a way of captivating ones’s imagination, making us wish we were cool (and wealthy) enough to drive one.
We recently came very close to making such wishes come true, but not quite. Chevy kindly invited us to the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where we had the opportunity to ride shotgun in the ZL1. Unfortunately, it was up to a pro-driver, and not us, to put it through its paces. Would it have been more epic to drive it? Yes. Do we regret a thing? Absolutely not!
The Monster
Most folks have a hard time calling the Camaro (or the Mustang for that matter) a supercar. Perhaps it’s the whole “muscle car” aura that surrounds the famous American nameplates. But, let me tell you, the ZL1 is a supercar through-and-through.
There’s a mighty 6.2-liter supercharged V8 motor under the hood of this gasoline-addicted American rockstar. The new-generation LT4 produces a staggering 650-horsepower and 650-lb. ft. of torque, which in turn propel the 3,900 pound ZL1 from 0 to 60-mph in just 3.5 seconds. Furthermore, this new breed of muscle-supercar can reach the quarter-mile in 11.4 seconds, and pull 1.02 g’s on the skidpad, which is a hair short of the $200k track-prepped Porsche 911 GT3.
In order to achieve these incredible figures, the 2017 Camaro ZL1 employs clever cooling, aerodynamics, and other engineering solutions. For example, the 6-speed manual transmission rev-matches to simulate heel/toe and keeps the revs up through the corners, while the optional 10-speed automatic shifts in milliseconds and squeezes every bit of performance from the Camaro. During our 0-80-mph run at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, we witnessed just how insanely quick the automatic is, slamming gears at the blink of an eye, and producing sweet staccato shifts. It was beautiful — and violent.
The Experience
After strapping on a Simpson race helmet and a HANS device, we boarded one of the several ZL1s lined up on pit-row. Oh, and like all driving/riding experiences, we had to sign several waivers just in case things didn’t go as expected.
Squeezing into the cabin in full race gear wasn’t easy, but we eventually strapped in and were ready to rumble. In order to launch down the main straight we had to wait for the other drivers to go, and watching what was about to happen to us only made things more exciting. Once it was finally our turn, the driver engaged the launch control, pumped up the revs, and let the computer sort out the rest. After a two second wait, the driver released the brake and we shot into turn one.
As we expected, the experience was over rather quickly, but the lesson in technology continued. The driver then proceeded to explain how the “Custom Launch Control” utilizes the eLSD and “Traction Management” system to customize each launch. The high-tech software can take into account the surface type, the customized launch rpm, and even set a slip target. To most it’s just a take-off, to Chevy it’s a well-calculated formula for top-notch performance.
Farewell…
After experiencing the brutality that is the new 2017 Camaro ZL1, it was time get behind the wheel of the 2017 Corvette Grand Sport, and do a high-speed lap of the famed Indy500 oval. As I said at the beginning, it was truly a check-it-off the bucket-list kind of day!
