Sure, auto shows provide a great opportunity to inspect the latest models in a non-sales environment, while easily moving from booth to booth to check out wares from many brands. But for a car enthusiast, it also means a chance to see the latest dream machines. At a rather practical New York auto show this year, General Motors displayed the latest high-performance variant, the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, to quicken pulses.
The Camaro rollout continues, with the brutish ZL1 joining the line late this year, again using a supercharged V8, track-tuned suspension, super-sticky tires, and the latest go-fast electronics to create an extreme muscle car—one ready to face the Dodge Challenger Hellcat and Ford Mustang GT 350R.
The 6.2-liter engine creates a Chevrolet-estimated 650 horses, routed through either a six-speed manual or 10-speed automatic transmission—the first Chevy to get that gearbox. This marks a 60-hp and 80 lb.-ft. of torque advantage over the previous ZL1—in a car that weighs 200 lbs. less.
To make the most of that prodigious power, the ZL1 has magnetic ride control to actively adjust to road surfaces and driver demands, performance-focused traction management system, electronic-controlled limited-slip differential, launch control, and a driver mode selector.
An argument could made that the ZL1 offers true high-performance for the family, except as we have seen with our own Camaro SS, the back seat is of limited used for passengers. In which case, Chevrolet enthusiasts might as well turn to the 2017 Corvette Grand Sport, unveiled recently at the Geneva Motor Show.
See our complete New York auto show coverage.
The name alone evokes memories of the five history-making 1960s Grand Sports, and even the more recent fourth-generation model, distinguished with a 330-hp LT4 V8, bold graphics, telltale fender hash marks, and rear wheel flares.
Today's Corvette Stingray offers more performance than most drivers could safely explore on the street. The Grand Sport extends that ability by focusing on chassis revisions, with an eye toward track use. The regular magnetic ride control system is augmented with specific stabilizer bars and springs, plus an electronic-controlled limited-slip differential. With meaty Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires, Chevrolet claims the car can pull a belt-straining 1.05g in corners. But if you add the Z07 package, with Michelin Sport Cup 2 tires, carbon-fiber aero package, and carbon-ceramic brakes, the automaker says the car can achieve a staggering 1.2g.
The Grand Sport will be available as both a coupe and convertible this summer. A Grand Sport Collector Edition will be offered later in the year, with a distinctive gray metallic exterior complimented by black stripes and blue hash marks. For Corvette buyers looking to pair race-grade power and handling, there is always the Z06.
Read our Chevrolet Corvette road test. And see our Chevrolet Camaro first drive.
