New Camaro zl1

General Motors has just revealed exact power figures for its new 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and they’re suitably impressive.

Al Oppenheiser, chief engineer of the Camaro, said, “The Camaro ZL1 delivers supercar performance and technology in the sports-car segment. The answer is GM’s Performance Traction Management (PTM) system fitted as standard equipment.

In a case of automotive striptease, Chevrolet continues to reveal more about the 2012 Camaro ZL1 and updated ZR1 Corvette. Only unseasonal rain today at Chevy’s Milford Proving Grounds prevent us from gushing about the super-‘vette’s glue-like stick thanks to new Michelin Pilot Sport Cup Zero Pressure tires.

Centennial Corvette
More coy is the New Camaro zl1. Missing is the hydraulic power steering pump; the ZL1 uses electrically assisted power steering to free up power and provide an expanded range of variable assist and steering ratios.

It’s part of an upgraded fuel system that accesses even the last cup of fuel during high-g track action.

Manual and automatic transmissions are both in store. Chevy says the auto is a sweetie on the street, launching in second gear and shifting smoothly, but is a tiger on the track with aggressive, high-speed shifts in either auto or the truly manual control.

Durability is enhanced by standard oil coolers for both transmissions and the differential, along with the ZR1 ‘vette’s engine oil cooling system carried over intact.

Chevy stresses these modes provide significantly different performance, ranging from a rain mode to a barely-there track aid. In all, Chevy says 30 percent of the New Camaro zl1 has been upgraded in the ZL1.