Chevrolet Tested the 2016 Camaro at the Nürburgring
When you look at the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro, you might not think that much has changed from the previous generation. Sure, it looks a bit more modern, but the overall shape is relatively the same. But if you believe that not much has changed, you’re sorely mistaken. While on the surface the Camaro might look the same, it’s all new underneath. And it has been tested on some of the world’s greatest race tracks.
Let’s face it, it’s relatively easy for Chevrolet to come up with the parts to make a sports car. All they had to do was take the chassis from the ATS, throw in some MagneRide magnetorheological ride control dampers, drop in the V8 from the Corvette, and you’re good to go. Right?
Well, it’s not quite that easy. While they have all the components needed to make a fantastic driving car, but a good car is more than the sum of its parts. To make the Camaro the best they could, they took it to some of the world’s finest tracks.
From the picture shared by General Motors, you can make out the various tracks where the car was tested. Also, do you see that circle with two lines slicing through it? Yep, they even spent considerable time testing the car on the Autobahn in Germany.
Does that mean the new Camaro will be an excellent driver’s car? It’s too early to tell, but initial driving impressions from people at the launch event seemed positive. But, the last-generation Camaro Z/28 was pretty epic to drive, and even the 1LE made the car extremely competitive.
It’ll be also interesting to see if General Motors was able to set a lap time on the Nürburgring before they imposed the speed limits and banned manufacturer lap times. If they did, they could be one of the last manufacturers on the planet to set a lap time. It could be a unique honor bestowed onto the American car manufacturer.
The Camaro will be sold in Europe, and will have the turbo 4, normal V6, and the big V8 as engine options. Chevy is quick to point out that the V8 is the most powerful engine they’re put in a Camaro in Europe.
The coupe will go on sale later this year, and if you’re interested in a convertible version you can get yours starting early in calendar year 2016.
If you’re holding out for a ZL1 or Z/28, we’re not sure if those variations are coming. Logically both cars would be in production, because Chevrolet would need something to compete with the bonkers new Mustang Shelby GT350 and GT350R, but we haven’t heard too many rumblings about either variant of the Camaro yet.
One thing for certain is that it’s a great time to be a Camaro fan. The new car should outperform and out-behave all the versions that came before it. We can’t wait to get our hands on one for an extended test drive!
What do you think? Let us know your thoughts over in the forums!
