We’ll just start off by saying that this was inevitable. With the 5th-gen on its way out and with a huge gap in supreme levels of performance from the 2016 Camaro (although the 455 hp SS is very appealing), it only makes sense for Chevrolet to up its game to compete with the 707 hp Challenger Hellcat and 526 hp Mustang Shelby GT350.
Recently, an apparent Camaro test mule was spotted donning the obligatory camouflaged wrap, with a group of General Motors engineers aiding in its testing – even using a GMC Sierra push vehicle for testing purposes. Whether or not it’s a ZL1/ZL1 replacement, or a new Z/28 is still up in the air, but we can already assume that if it is indeed a 6th-gen ZL1, you can pretty much expect the Z06 and 3rd-Gen CTS-V’s supercharged LT4 to be nestled between the fenders.
Picking up an extra sixty horsepower and dropping 150-200 pounds off the curb weight of the old Camaro can only mean a lighter, faster and more nimbler ZL1. Unlike the Hellcat which is better-suited for the dragstrip and with the somewhat hardcore nature of the GT350’s track car abilities, the ZL1, if it’s anything like its predecessor, will be more along the lines of a well-rounded GT car. In other words, a serious player, overall, in terms of the dragstrip, street and the road course.
Given the heat extractor on the hood, a serious front splitter and a very tall rear spoiler, we have a feeling that whatever this thing is, it will be one badass Camaro. Time will tell, but we have confidence in the General.
Rick Seitz is the owner and founder of GMEFI Magazine, and has a true love and passion for all vehicles. When he isn’t tuning, testing, or competing with the brand’s current crop of project vehicles, he’s busy tinkering and planning the next modifications for his own cars.
