Chevrolet just unveiled the most powerful Camaro and the fastest
Corvette it's ever built in demonstrations at its Michigan proving
track. Fast? You betcha.
The 580-horsepower supercharged Camaro
ZL1 aims "right between the eyes" at Ford's 550-horsepower Mustang
Shelby GT 500, chief engineer Al Oppenheiser said. You'll be able to get
one in the first quarter of 2012.
Meanwhile, the 2012 Corvette
used "barely street-legal" new Michelin performance tires to cut a
stunning 7.seconds off the car's lap time at Germany's legendary
Nurburgring racetrack, Corvette chief engineer Tadge Juechter said.
Neither
car will sell in large numbers, but they should generate lots of profit
from buyers who want the newest, fastest and best. And the hyper-fast
sports cars polish Chevy's performance credentials at the same time the
brand is boosting its reputation for fuel economy with cars like the
upcoming subcompact Sonic, the Volt electric, and the 42-mpg Cruze Eco
compact.
The high-performance Camaro ZL1 is about more than the
brute power of its 6.2-liter V-8. It comes track-ready with features
like a six-speed tap-shift automatic transmission, head-up display,
magnetic ride control, standard oil, transmission and differential
coolers and track-tuned stability control led Chevrolet to draw
comparisons to exotic cars like the $196,800 Audi R8 GT V10.
And
Chevy touted that its Camaro on steroids has more horsepower than a
Ferrari 458, more torque (556 lbs.-ft.) than an Aston Martin DB9 V12 and
a better power-to-weight ratio than a Porsche 911 Carrera GTS.
Take that, Mustang lovers.
The
Corvette's Michelin Pilot Sport Cup run-flat tires have a unique tread
pattern, with the outer third of the tire surface very nearly slick,
like the fastest racing tires. The tires cut a Corvette ZR1's
Nurburgring lap time to 7 minutes and 19 seconds.
