Chevy announces Camaro ZL1 1LE package

Need your 650hp Camaro to go faster? 1LE is what you need!

Credit where it's due to the American sports car manufacturers, they sure know how to make European enthusiasts jealous at the moment. Flat-plane cranks, carbon wheels, mega downforce, manual gearboxes and super sticky tyres have seen to that. This is the very latest from the land of the free: the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. And yes that is 'zee', because it's American. He's not Jay Zed now, is he?

Those front tyres!

Anyway, the 1LE takes the standard Camaro ZL1 - already a very fast car with 650hp - and hones it further for the circuit. That's a car already capable of sub-7min 30sec at the 'ring, made more track-oriented. Right...

To create "the most track-capable Camaro ever", Chevy has added to the ZL1 a giant carbon rear wing, air deflectors and front dive planes, the latter giving this car a frankly terrifying front end look. In addition the 1LE pack brings Dynamic Suspension Spool Valve dampers from Multimatic, the same company that helped Ford with its GT Le Mans programme and a version of the passive damper we enjoyed so much on the 'basic' AMG GT. The front ride height, rear anti-roll bar and camber plates are all adjustable, designed to be easy to work on for "a quick return to street settings when the track day ends."

And how's this for function ahead of form? The 1LE forged wheels are actually an inch smaller in diameter than standard, but an inch wider and lighter than the normal wheels. The tyres are Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3Rs, apparently bespoke for this installation and capable of 1.10g. There's also a warning in the press release to not use summer-only tyres in winter conditions "as it would adversely affect vehicle safety". While the footprint grows over a regular ZL1, the new wheels and tyres weigh 1.5kg less per corner; overall weight is down 27kg for the 1LE, thanks to thinner rear glass and a fixed rear seat also.

That spoiler!

With power unchanged - 650hp should be enough for most - Chevy claims that a ZL1 1LE is three seconds faster around its 2.9-mile test track than a ZL1. And yes, it's most definitely still a manual. What on earth would it do at the Nurburgring? And what's the Z/28 going to be like?

The 1LE package will be offered to US customers later this year, with prices to be announced soon. Race tracks of America, you have been warned!