Car New | 2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Revisited
Late last year, the world got its first taste of the 2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Coupe. Fitted with a 650-horsepower supercharged LT4 V8, sport-tuned suspension and aero-enhancing body bits, it’s simply the highest performing Camaro ever. Now, we’ve had the chance to slip behind the wheel of the just-released ZL1 Convertible and also checked out the equally new 10-speed automatic transmission that can be had as an alternative to the car’s standard Tremec 6-speed manual. We drove both coupe and convertible ZL1 Camaros as part of a 500-mile run that took us from Charlotte to Daytona Beach in conjunction with this year’s running of the Daytona 500.
Except for a mechanical rather than an electronic limited-slip differential in the new ZL1 Convertible (blame it on packaging issues), a revised decklid spoiler to better accommodate the fabric top plus the supplemental bracing found in all Gen 6 Camaro drop-tops, the two ZL1 models are pretty much identical from a mechanical standpoint. While calibration of the ZF electronic power steering and tuning of the standard FE4 Magentic Ride Suspension with Tour/Sport/Track/Snow-Wet settings is body-style-specific to compensate for the Convertible’s extra 200 pounds of curb weight, Chevy made sure the stiffer ZL1-spec ride and handling parameters were at parity — a contention our drive seemed to prove out.
Shod with sticky ZL1-Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires – 285/30 front and 305/30 rear – on 20-inch staggered-width forged aluminum-alloy wheels, both cars are reportedly capable of pulling 1.02g readings in a corner while powerful Brembo brakes confidently bleed speed and can bring either one to a halt from 60 mph in a mere 107 feet. Although our route was geared more towards touring than thrashing, even a modest amount of pushing near the limits left no reason to doubt either of those contentions.
The heart of both ZL1 models is a supercharged 6.2-liter LT4 V8 that makes a heady 650 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque — up 10 output units in each category from Chevy’s original estimates when the car was revealed last year at the New York Auto Show. More importantly, that represents 70 more ponies and 80 extra peak twist units beyond the engine in the Gen 5 ZL1 which also happened to be 200 pounds heavier. When backed by its sweet-shifting 6-speed Tremec manual transmission with Active Rev Match, the free-revving LT4 lets the ZL1 Coupe streak from 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds and go blazing through the quarter mile in 11.8 seconds at 125 mph.
The stats get even more stunning for those who choose the new Hydra-Matic 10R90 10-speed automatic option. Making its first appearance in the new ZL1, the factory claims it can help take the Coupe to 60 mph in just 3.5 ticks and cover the quarter mile in a 11.4 seconds at 127 mph. While the heavier ZL1 Convertible is marginally less swift with either transmission, you’d be hard pressed to feel much of a difference. Beyond amazing off-the-line snap, Chevy says this new close-ratio/paddle-shift automatic serves up quicker cog changes than Porsche’s dual-clutch PDK. It also boasts a Liftfoot Gear Hold feature that hangs onto a given gear when the driver rapidly lifts off the accelerator to prevent unwanted up/down shifts midway through a corner.
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