In the following video, host PowerNation Daily host Gannon Pritchard says, in regards to the 5th-generation Chevrolet Camaro Z/28, that the 2017 ZL1 raises the bar.
When you just look at its engine output alone, oh boy does it. Actually, the 640-horsepower halo car fires the bar into space with the power of its supercharged 6.2-liter V8. It’s only 10 ponies down from the almighty C7 Z06, a much smaller gap than the one that existed between the last ZL1 and the last ZR1.
Those aren’t the only big numbers attached to the new ZL1, though. In addition to an available six-speed manual transmission, a 10-speed automatic – yes, 10 forward gears – can also be paired with the LT4 up front. That cranks out 80 more lb-ft (640) than the previous ZL1’s engine did, in a car that weighs 200 pounds less than it did in its last generation. A total of 11 heat exchangers keep the weapons-grade powertrain from cooking itself. Six-piston monobloc calipers and 15.35-inch two-piece rotors in the front help prevent the ZL1’s driver from becoming a number himself: a statistic.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
