2012 Camaro ZL1 laps Nürburgring in

[@Belgian-Motorsport]

The laptime should be about 5sec. longer because they start and stop the clock in different places. As is says in the description.

[@Asstronut]

Such skill. Ran a perfect lap around it in Forza with all assists turned off, still can't get below 8's.

[@ElectricBlueIX]

Wow! Car looks very solid through the turns! Must be a blast to drive. Glad GM took the time to make this more than just a straight line monster.

[@BeetzMagraw]

Perfectly taken corner at almost 170 mph at the end there, superb driving, awesome skills!

[@CoffeeAndPaul]

Also, the driver handles the corner at 06:55 like a boss.

[@nyelement007]

my only question when it 172mph was the camaro in 6th gear at redline rpm? i hope top speed is 200 not just 180.that would be sad.......

[@JohnDPearson90]

@Rockit181 i researched, the estimated starting price is believed to be 43k, and since it is supposed to be at max in the price range of a gt500 shelby, it will cost at most 55k. And with all the technology put into the zl1, this is surely bound to set a new standard for price/performance

[@TheBulldawg4life]

@V8Supercar1 I did a break down on p/w ratio on another video. Basically it's pointless until you take into account the rest of the vehicle. Tires, tire size, suspension, aero, braking all come into play. The 2011 GT500 has a 6.91 p/w and the ZL1 7.24, yet the ZL1 is .3 faster down the 1/4 mile. The GT500 "adjustable dampers" require you get out of the vehicle and manually change them, that's unreasonable in a race situation and should count against the GT500, but it won't.

[@TheThedragonwarrior]

@gerfall yeah but what people don't understand it is not just about lap times, it is how the feel of the car is around the track in that lap time :)

[@CbusLowRider]

@northerncustomsracin On what track? The fastest lap a Ford GT ran was a 7:40 at the ring. The ZR1 Corvette's fastest lap at the ring was 7:19. Not sure where you got the 5 to 15 seconds faster information lol

[@BEBNC1]

@3XICS not to mention some of these laps are turned with other drivers on the track at the same time. mostly only the manufactures have the coin to privately rent the tracks and patiently select the best weather. 7:19 for the ZR1 is a true representation of the cars ability, not the 7:38 with many unknown conditions that affected that time. no BMW will sniff the Z06 let alone a ZR1, just look at other track comparisons. those autosport times are not comparable, not run under same day conditions

[@HarrisMotorsports904]

@sdstig- tires swirling doesn't always mean the car is at it's limits of performance, it means the driver has pushed it to the limit of that maneuver as well. And the cts-v is another class for luxury. They both look good in my opinion, the zl1 has the potential for a couple more seconds

[@3XICS]

@BEBNC1 I agree with you, what I wanted to say is that you can't compare a manufacturer time (which is the best possible for that car) with a time done by some independent. Also I never said that a BMW would be as fast as a Z06 or ZR1 because they never made a supercar of that caliber but I think the M3 GTS can do better then 7:48. The only manufacturers that post times are Porsche, GM, Nissan, Chrysler and recently Lexus so the rest shouldn't even matter.

[@Loafy23]

I'm not a fan of American cars, muscle cars specifically, but this is very impressive. Nice driving there as well with clean cornering and using the full width of the track to get the best line.

[@TheBulldawg4life]

@jharrypot2004 The LS is really made for track use, ie. Laguna Seca. it's a much lighter and better balanced than a GT500..and has the same tires. It's also got a much higher rev line so it gets to use it's power better.

[@3XICS]

@Flabernat The BMW time was done by Sport Auto which also did a ZR1 time of 7:38 which I don't think you agree with. So unless all times are done by an independent we can never know a cars true potential. Anyway I like the fact that the new Camaro has the performance to backup its superhero status.

[@Lazlo.]

Proud to be an American! I love American Muscle more than anything else on the road,

[@hatchcracker_tv]

Same!

[@sdstig]

@miketothesupra That's because of both it's heritage and (somewhat) due to the fact that's it's front engined. It's always debated on whether the Corvette is a muscle car, sports car, or supercar

[@TheBulldawg4life]

@ajutube2011 The "as-tested" weight of the ZL1 (MotorTrend) was 4020 lbs..not too bad when you consider how much new stuff is on the vehicle.

[@gmatos123]

thumbs up, that was a really intense lap. I've been to the ring several times and its no joke (you make a mistake=you crash) it happens everyday over there.

[@junit483]

@nolefoc954 ford already said the 650hp, 5.8 liter shelby is coming. As a 2013 model. On sale fall 2012.

[@TheBulldawg4life]

@iPROFITDON Pretty much. What I'm thinking will happen is we'll see the no-option GT500 run 12.2-12.4 and the SVTPP will be the one running 11.8-12.2. I'm extremely impressed with the ZL1 so far. This 'Ring run, the MotorTrend test against the Boss 302 LS (with a 12.1 1/4 @ 117 in 4000+ elevation!!), and the R&T test against a GTR. Seriously...a freaking GTR lol.

[@TheBulldawg4life]

@jharrypot2004 Agreed. The Mustang has pretty much reached it's peak, and the only way they'll improve on it is to do major changes for the chassis.

[@V8Supercar1]

@TheBulldawg4life: The Ford GT was never competitively pushed around the Nurburgring by a Ford professional tester or driver. Just a German who did a run with other cars the track.

[@AdrenalineJunky17]

@Rockit181 Yes it does! You gotta think, the GT500 has the same suspension package as the GT... WTF? The Z28 and SS Camaros have slightly different suspension packages between themselves, and they both are superior suspension setups than the base V6 models, then the ZL1 has an even better suspension setup, because it is specifically designed for the track like this! They don't just put a Supercharger on the motor, or better exhaust and slap a different badge on it like Ford.

[@rotti12245]

He had his hands full !! I can only hope to be able to drive half as good as that, THRILLING RIDE ALONG !!! KUDOS & TY

[@jhowe67]

@yammieR12003 the production big block chevy's are mainly trucks. they have low rpm but extreme torque. but chevy does however make the largest engine block.

[@josephtalbot125]

@BerriesMcGOO I think it would be better to wait for a z28 camaro for that. The zl1 is targeted at the gt500, not the 302.

[@35057]

@DMKracker Sorry ... but the ZL1 is a CamAro.. I don't understand how people keep mis-spelling that.

[@9b8]

@McFly2015AD Why impressive? The E92 M3 only had a little 4.0L NA V8. Would you like to install a 550-600HP 6.2L V8 into the M3 and rerun the comparison?

[@Plaayboarding]

@gerfall yeah the A soil ? idk if the word is right written ( i mean the thins on the left and right are to big that's true but the rest is okay in my opinion

[@V8Supercar1]

@TheSteveDallas: Yeah thats true. But Corvettes and mustangs are not comparable. They are not in the same class. One is a 2 seat light weight supercar. And the other is a 4 seat muscle car. And according to Car And Driver. The 2013 GT500 comes out this May. And its got a lot of upgrades over the last GT500. Its got launch control, adjustable dampers with the push of a button, adjustable trac control settings, the aerodynamics have been increased, and a small rear spoiler.

[@arustedspork22]

@turboy84 So tell me what happens when the Scalpel and Hammer line up at a stop light?

[@3XICS]

@TBLACK9IN I know, I was just saying that there is a huge gap between the manufacturers time and independent one.

[@400SBCamaro]

How does he hit those turns so nicely? if GT5 is anything like real life i'd need to have my trusty mini-map and damage turned off as I use the walls (and other cars) to careen off of in order to complete the race.

[@zr1vetteman09]

@Drpepper687 im pretty sure the Grand sport vette could do it in the 7:40-7:50s as well.

[@Qweklain]

@yammieR12003 You are correct, Chevy only produces one big block with LS architecture and that is the LSX 454. It is however only an aftermarket block and is not installed in anything from the factory, and never will be as it is an iron design, not aluminum.

[@V8Supercar1]

@Rockit181: Yeah Ford doesn't build 2 seat sports cars currently to compete with the Corvette. But as for as muscle cars. I just wish this ZL1 could have made it to the game sooner. The GT500 has been here since 2007. And now the Zl1. Ford is already planning a new GT500 in late 2012 early 2013 with a new 5.8 liter pushing over 600HP alongside a hardcore Nurburgring track package. This car is gonna be a mixture of the GT500 and the boss 302 LS.

[@3XICS]

@McFly2015AD Well that M3 was tested by Sport Auto, which achieved a time of 7:38 in a ZR1 which I don't think you agree with, so I think that BMW's can be improved.

[@TheBulldawg4life]

@TheSteveDallas I agree completely. Even if the 13 GT500 beats the ZL1 ,which I'm doubting happens, it's still gunna cost more than a fully loaded ZL1 ($59,269) to get the base GT500. Then to actually compete with the ZL1 you'll have to add the SVT Performance Pack, and that runs $4k on the 2012, I'd expect more on the 13.

[@TheHm3]

@dunkindonats You think a Ford GT can hang with a 2012 Zr1 /w PDE package? The Ford GT can barely hang around with the ZL1 in Nurburgring how do you think it will do against a car that done over 20 seconds faster than the ZL1 around Nurburgring?

[@wheelerwheels]

@4b10xs Urm...I think it was able to make that turn at 61-ish mph, that's just me, he made a hard right steep incline at 100 near 0:21

[@yammieR12003]

@jhowe67 I know that. It just irks me when people automatically label the larger displacement lsx motors as big blocks simple because of the displacement. The exterior dimensions of these motors are actually quite compact.

[@c9qjyq3]

Why do they have what gear the car is in blocked on the dash?

[@madman725]

I read somewhere about someone testing the two at Laguna Seca, and he said that over a short distance the GT500 was actually better than the ZL1. He said the ZL1 was better though was because the brakes were designed way better and he felt like they were still there after many laps, while the GT500's felt gone. Thus, the ZL1 had better average time compared to the GT500. Pretty interesting, I think he made the right choice :D

[@Boss1186]

The 2013 model still has it, but I think I read somewhere that they plan to change to an independant rear suspension for the 2014 model...that would be a great thing! I heard on Top Gear that the Roush Mustang has the rear axle replaced by an independant suspension though

[@zr1vetteman09]

@Moneyz28 aftermarket companies can do that stuff all day, be you and me both know how stretched the bore is on that 427 small block and GM said themselves that they went with the 6.2 for reliability issues. but that isnt ur average 6.2 it has been heavily reinforced extensively with all kinds of upgrades on the structure of the standard 6.2 LS3. keep in mind, they have to put a warranty on these things and thats one of their bragging points 5yr-100K even on vettes, whats the porsche? 3yr-36K?

[@gerfall]

@torerobohoyo Camaro ZL1 - 47,000 USD base price, Porsche 991 Carrera S - 96,400 USD base price.

[@TheThedragonwarrior]

@gerfall man u just put a smile on my face i didn't think you would bring this car in this :D

[@JohnDPearson90]

@BerriesMcGOO sorry i should clarify, the new ferrari, the 458 italia

[@blueduster74]

@nate1590 was talking about the GT500, answering someone else.

[@acmotorsport22]

Stock suspension? Looks tight with incredibly flat cornering! The driver has done a few laps of this place before too! I love the handling characteristics of this car in Gran Turismo ... did GM pay GT to make it handle like a BMW or does it actually handle that well out of the box?

[@Lovin_NY93]

my dad has the 2010 camaro...the v6 one. should we trade it in for the ss or the zl1?

[@supersubes]

I understand the motor is not a 427. The comment was made that ZL1 was similar to ZR1. I was simply pointing out where the ZL1 name came from, and it was an all aluminum 427 big block from the late 60's.

[@gerfall]

@TheThedragonwarrior I doubt the rear-engine 911 was less squirrely than the ZL1. Was probably a hassle for them to achieve 7:40.

[@TheBulldawg4life]

@xevious2501 We compared 200x Mustangs to 2002 Camaros. So the Ford GT had 550 hp, the ZL1 has 580. The GT was incredibly lighter, had better tires than anything back then, and most tires now. It was also a mid engine. The Camaro for 1/3 the price is a testament to GM's technology and racing.

[@M3333hp]

VERY impressive lap, especially compared to the bogus Cadillac CSV "record" lap that was claimed on their website but wasn't documented with full video. The ZL1 moved around a lot on its suspension--must be pretty heavy. But it got to 172 MPH (on a slight downhill), which is 1 MPH short of a 1970s Ferrari Daytona top speed of 173 MPH on the level. But still a very impressive lap around this very tough track. Hope it helps put the General back in the musclecar business.

[@Zaffarack]

@AdverbAdjective Also, since when does the Mustang GT500 make more horsepower than the Camaro ZL1? The GT500 makes what I believe is 550bhp, whereas the Chevy makes 580, which is obviously more... Unless you're talking about the 2013 not-yet-made GT500 which isn't actually drive able yet? So how would you know the Engine Displacement? Or even if they can actually pull it off (which isn't really that difficult honestly, anyone can make a big hp engine, it takes intelligence to make it handle)...

[@Redmailnet]

That driver knows the track really well and he's pretty brave!

[@blueduster74]

@ericlathamable it won't run a road course like that though. live axle is for the 1/4 mile. not that it won't handle well. but those uneven hills and curves bounce them around. makes for a tense drive.

[@SuperColossal33]

The original ZL1 was a 427, it was a first gen Camaro and was the most powerful production car engine (630bhp) ever sold for decades.

[@JohnDPearson90]

@vinniepearl what porsche are you talking about? no porsche even comes close to the price of the zl1, much less the zr1 which beats every porsche except 911 gt2 rs which costs more than double the zr1, 250,000 gt2 rs, 110,000 zr1. And going back to my point, no car at the zl1 price range even comes close to it on the nurburgring, you find a 250,000 ferrari using the same suspension only managing 3 seconds faster on this huge track. Maybe i am wrong, but inform me if i am

[@TheBulldawg4life]

@MyNameIsBucket I'm simply saying that's what i expect to see from the mag's. They were saying the Camaro was outdated the year after it came out, they only said that though so they could pump up the 2011 Mustang GT as new and fresh, even though the car hasn't changed in years.

[@V8Supercar1]

@TheBulldawg4life: Yeah thats true. But new GT500 does have different suspension settings thats controlled with the push of a button. In my opinion you really cant compare the 2011 GT500 to the new one, because the suspension, down force and aerodynamics have all been improved in the new car.

[@bluehector2704]

I might be wrong, and please correct me if I am, but the timing starts at the end of the T13 grandstand (just before the braking zone) and ends at the start of this straight. So the comment saying this is the full 20.8km surely if incorrect! Is this not the standard course of 20.6km that most manufacturers test on?

[@TheBulldawg4life]

@xevious2501 I'm speaking of those factory Vette's. Much of the tech that went into making the Vette's what they are is in the ZL1, just like the Z06 and ZR1.

[@jhowe67]

@tytanfamily does that make Buick Asian?

[@corvettesolos]

It's hard to even comprehend the skill required to make a car dance like this around the nurburgring. I watch these videos to see the drivers at work....and for the symphony of exhaust noise....

[@3XICS]

@JohnDPearson90 No it's not because the time of the R8 and the 458 was done by Sport Auto which is always slower than the real time, just look at the ZR1 time they posted.

[@jhowe67]

@irokatcod4 why not get the ZL1? the new badA on the block

[@own1911]

Can you post me a stiffness value for front and rear springs in N/mm?

[@Zaffarack]

@BerriesMcGOO Which is quite a bit... The Camaro is amazing because it weighs a shit ton (over 4,000 lbs) and still manages to utilize the full muscle out of its Chevy big block. Along with this, it can actually TURN, based on the formerly mentioned characteristics that I mentioned. Hope this answers at least some of your questions, I can't write in detail on a KZbin post lol. Like I said, try checking out some articles or wiki's on automobiles and racing mechanics/tunes...

[@gerfall]

@TheThedragonwarrior This is a Camaro, not the Corvette (which is the ZR1). This is a 47,000$ American muscle car. The ZR1 is a 120,000$ "supercar" (if you can call it that) and it went around the Nurburgring in 7:19.

[@BEBNC1]

@427sir yes it can, they used the long segment of the burg (+700 extra feet 68,320ft) compared to the 67k segment that all the runs have been done on lately by the z06/zr1/viper/LFA/porsche. This is going to be an AMAZING $50k car. The should be able to get 7:35 with ease. Mustangs, y'all are screwed for the next few years on the tracks.

[@BEBNC1]

@3XICS i disagree somewhat, each manufacture should select either the best engineer/driver for that type of vehicle and let them put it through its paces. independents can be biased in that there drivers might be more acquainted a certain type of car and independents can only get there hands on cars for limited time spans and possibly under adverse weather/track conditions. This is why you see so much variability between independent times vs other independents. let the manufactures handle it

[@Rockit181]

@JohnDPearson90 Are you sure it's 50k? Where'd you get that info from?

[@santanoreal1096]

@TheBronx1313 ik it looked like it ran out of breath and just stopped pulling

[@2jzgtejza80]

I was expecting something like that, 7:40-7:45, even before this video released. Car with tuning package almost as identical as ZO6 with Zo7 package. Finally Camaro worth buying.

[@iPROFITDON]

@TheBulldawg4life Not sure. The GT500 will no doubt have the power to beat it, but if it can put it down well enough to do so is the question.

[@RoboTekno]

I like how we hear the tires squeal just when the dot goes out of the circle :P

[@V8Supercar1]

@TheBulldawg4life: But what I'm saying to you is they never did it in perfect track conditions like GM, Nissan and Porsche is now doing. Ford never really cared about Nurburgring lap times then. No one was even advertising their car with Nurburgring lap times during that time. But that of course, is changing with Ford starting with the 2013 GT500.

[@SCROGY]

Oh and BTW: Check out what switching to IFS does to what was originally a decent vehicle in the Toyota Landcruiser. Sales took a massive dive with the switch to IFS. At least Jeep was smart enough to realise that progress for the sake of progress isn't always an intelligent path. Solid axles are just plain better for the average off roader.

[@FriggnDiggn]

what modifications were made to this car?

[@TheBulldawg4life]

@V8Supercar1 I'm simply pointing out that a GT500 with a better power to weight ratio than the ZL1 got destroyed. The new GT500 should be able to beat the ZL1 at the drag strip, that's what it's designed to do..but as soon as you leave the strip to go home the suspension under the ZL1 proves its value.

[@whothaplaya]

@sdstig Performance wise they are equal but the CTS-v is not as luxurious as the E63 M6 and RS6 because the CTS-V is being sold at 25k cheaper then the rest.

[@SANYUR]

I like the ending with the instrumental tune, sound's cool like Camaro style.

[@redghost105]

not only did they use nearly the same technology for this car, they nearly named it after the Zr1, and Ive heard in a few interviews with the designer its supposed to be "Zr1 like performance"

[@Zaffarack]

@BerriesMcGOO I'm assuming that you just went to Google, found the top time of the 458 Italia and posted here to look like a smartass. I'm fairly confident that John was talking about the 7:38 (ish) lap time originally set by a driver of the Sport Auto magazine, which IS around 3 seconds of the ZL1's 7:41:27... Hopefully next time you will do a little research before posting (if you did not already know the times). In either case, the American made $55,000 base ZL1 is an absolutely stunning car.

[@sniper2520091]

@velflo3 it toped b4 that got up the last few mph in the downhill

[@V8Supercar1]

@AdrenalineJunky17: My only issue with this car. Is that its so late to the game. The GT500 came out in 2007 and now its 2011. And the funny thing is that Ford is already building a 2013 model GT500 with a 5.8 liter pushing over 600HP with a hardcore Nurburgring track package of its own.

[@TheBulldawg4life]

@V8Supercar1 SportAuto (German auto mag) ran the GT at the 'Ring and only managed 7:52, these are the same guys who tested the Gumpert, Ferrari's, Audi's, Porsche's, Pagani's, and basically anything else they get their hands on. They know what they're doing, and have more experience at the 'Ring than anyone Ford would've had drive the car.

[@JohnDPearson90]

@vinniepearl i will agree, a rainy day is in favor of the audi, and the audi under those conditions would be better, but that is the advantage of awd. under dry conditions in which most cars are tested, awd looses its advantage because most tracks are not geared for lower speeds, like the nurburgring. none the less, the audi and camaro have over 530 hp so this is not a test of low speeds. big disadvantage of awd is mechanical complexity and less power to the rear wheels

[@Boss1186]

It's not a tuner it just has "Shelby" written on it but it is done by SVT

[@viperGT55]

@AdverbAdjective Your link doesn't work...

[@IrishmenV8]

Check out the 2012 COPO Camaro.

[@TheThedragonwarrior]

@gerfall from what i hear Porsche is known for their road feel. The ZR1 (not ZL1 didn't hear about this one yet) could kill you if you don't know how to drive it because it doesn't provide the driver with feed back. If the corvette which is wider and lower than this one feels like this I wonder how this will do on feel wise?

[@boostedfoxbody92]

the supercharger is the difference not the heads. the vette uses a 2.3 at 10.5 lbs of boost the caddy uses a 1.9 at 9.0 lbs of boost

[@QuickGaAaamezorSTUdioQG54B1TCH]

WOW...this lap was awesome :) i've got to be honest - after watching Jim Mero's ferociousness with the ZR1 vettes - would love to see how he'd handle this beast llloll!

[@hayksamvelyan]

@gerfall They even removed the rear view mirror

[@MyNameIsBucket]

@TheBulldawg4life I don't know where they get off saying that about the looks. The Mustang is 1960s derivative and the Camaro is something we've never seen before.