2018 Camaro ZL1 1LE Ranks 4th Among Best Driver’s Cars

Motor Trend puts the track-ready Camaro ZL1 1LE among supercars with that result.

The old world of automotive performance never equated “Camaro” with the word “supercar.” However, the incredible capability of the 2017 Camaro ZL1 1LE finds those two words bandied about together frequently. And nowhere was that more evident than Motor Trend’s Best Driver’s Cars 2017 comparison.

The track-ready ZL1 1LE stacked up extremely well against some of the best and most exotic cars in the world, finishing fourth in the results. With an extraordinary 1:34 lap around Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, this most fearsome Camaro has etched its name as one capable, badass pony car.

In fact, Motor Trend test driver Randy Pobst called it “the ultimate pony car.” Your move, Ford.

Pobst seemed most impressed by the hulking Camaro’s braking ability. “It’s not a lightweight car, but it handles like one,” he said in his post-lap debrief. In the video, the car far exceeds 1.0 G in both braking and corning. That’s high praise for a nameplate long associated with carriage-like cornering ability and floppy chassis design.

This 1LE performance package of the ZL1 now comes with stickier tires, bigger brakes, trick spool-valve dampers, and acres of aerodynamic devices to hustle around road courses. With dollars-per-capability add up to one of the most insane bargains in track day street-car history.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, Chevy’s supercharged LT4 V8 powers the ZL1. That makes 650 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque. Motor Trend tested the ZL1 1LE with a six-speed manual transmission, but customers can also order the new 10-speed automatic to handle the power.

Who beat the Camaro in the Best Driver’s Car competition? Well, a Ferrari 488 GTB, a Porsche 718 Cayman S, and a Porsche 911 S. That’s not bad company for a pony car. Not bad at all.