Pro driver Randy Pobst hot laps the 2018 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE around Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for Motor Trend's 2017 Best Driver's Car.
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MotorTranscript
00:00 (engine revving)
00:02 How do you make a 650 horsepower Camaro even better?
00:13 Think like a track day weekend warrior,
00:15 which is exactly what Chevy did.
00:17 Stickier tires, stiffer shocks, and a big old wing.
00:20 In fairness, the ZL1 1LE's aero kit
00:23 is much more than just a wing.
00:25 There's a stiff splitter, shin splintering dive planes,
00:28 and the previously mentioned carbon fiber wing.
00:30 That taken together helped create 300 pounds of downforce
00:33 at 155 miles per hour.
00:35 Then you have the specially developed tires from Goodyear
00:38 that provide tremendous amounts of grip
00:40 to go along with all that downforce.
00:42 Finally, the shocks are spool valve dampers.
00:44 The same technology you'll find on supercars like the Ford GT,
00:47 hypercars like the upcoming AMG Project One,
00:50 and honest to goodness F1 cars.
00:53 But how does it all add up on the track?
00:55 (engine revving)
00:57 Yeah, this car stops.
01:14 (engine revving)
01:16 (engine revving)
01:19 Brutally strong power.
01:27 And I like it.
01:30 (engine revving)
01:34 I got a long neck,
01:41 so the visibility out of the Camaro is just fine by me.
01:44 (engine revving)
01:47 Good old manual shifter.
01:53 (engine revving)
01:55 These work.
02:02 God, this thing stops.
02:04 (engine revving)
02:11 The Camaro generates a lot of G's.
02:14 (engine revving)
02:17 In the weeds.
02:26 (engine revving)
02:29 You know what, a pleasure to drive.
02:38 Beast of a car.
02:40 I love pony cars,
02:42 and that right there is the ultimate,
02:44 ultimate pony car right now.
02:46 Yeah, I have my little nits to pick here and there,
02:49 but wow, the power.
02:50 This thing just handles so well.
02:53 It was very much at home on the racetrack.
02:55 I love the huge power.
02:57 It's not a lightweight car, but it handles like one.
03:01 The overall grip was tremendous.
03:02 It was interesting how this car at a similar speed
03:05 would stick to the road over the jump in turn one.
03:09 That's the benefit of that giant wing,
03:11 and we can see these huge dive planes
03:13 on the front of the Camaro.
03:15 I'm gonna say it was not perfectly balanced,
03:17 but when we put it in the context of what it is,
03:19 a front engine, rear drive car with 650 horsepower,
03:23 the traction was incredible.
03:25 It put down power extremely well.
03:27 Tremendous amount of braking grip was available.
03:30 Very, very pleasing and satisfying how late I could brake
03:34 in what is a relatively heavy car.
03:36 Tremendous power going up the hills.
03:38 The bottom line is here,
03:40 Chevrolet has built the ultimate pony car.
03:43 - Meet the supercar killing Camaro.
03:45 The ZL1 one of these time of 134.30
03:49 is not just quick for a Camaro, it's quick for a supercar.
03:52 That time is better than any McLaren
03:54 we've ever ran around with in the Sega,
03:56 save for the million dollar P1.
03:58 It's quicker than any Nissan GTR, full stop.
04:02 Just five short years ago, that time would have been
04:04 good enough to set the production car lap record.
04:06 Again, we're talking about a Camaro.
04:09 Some judges felt that the stiff,
04:11 and we're talking crazy super stiff,
04:13 rear suspension made the ZL1 one of these
04:15 more of a track day novelty than an actual driver's car.
04:19 (car engine revving)
04:22 (car engine revving)
04:25 (car engine revving)
04:28 (car engine revving)
04:31 (dramatic music)