2017 Camaro ZL1 Crushes Old Nurburgring Record by 11 Seconds

Corvette or Camaro? The family rivalry continues as the ZL1 lapped the ‘Ring in 7:29.60, eclipsing the old ZL1’s time by nearly 12 seconds and closing in on the old Z06 Corvette’s time of 7:22.

The Camaro ZL1 shares the LT4 powerplant from the Corvette Z06. It’s a supercharged small-block V8 that produces 650 lb-ft of torque and an equivalent amount of horsepower at the crank. The big changes this year are mostly behind the flywheel. While available with a 6-speed manual, the 10-speed automatic is new and (as you’ll see) is quite capable of dailing in fast laps.

It’s worth noting that the driver is clearly a monster bred for track duty in Chevy’s race-driver kennels disguised as a human being in a racing suit. No, a normal person will not likely complete the ‘Ring in under 7 and a half minutes. Most people couldn’t do that while playing Forza on Xbox. The point of these fast lap videos is to get a good idea of how the ZL1 handles on a road course through all manner of conditions. A great driver means we can see how well the car handles near it’s limit.

It doesn’t freak out on power through the corners; it’s weight transitions nicely in the off camber sections; most importantly, it always seems to be in it’s power band. There’s a lot of power evident in the not-quite-as curvy sections as the Camaro happily speeds up to 150mph (and clearly as he approaches 180 on the big straight), but the needle rarely dips beneath 5500 rpm ever—only under heavy braking does it brush again 4 before tearing it’s way back to redline. It’s constantly at peak power thanks to the the transmission’s 10-speed spread.

Put simply, the ZL1 continues to be the best value for performance bar none. Is it faster the Corvette ZR1? Well… No, but hey. There’s always room for improvement.

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