No, it’s probably not actually called a “Zxx” but is rather a replacement for the ZL1 or Z/28. Without so much as a hint from GM or Chevrolet on what the next level of Camaro performance will be, there is certainly a higher-performance model currently being tested! In fact, we wouldn’t expect anything less from Chevrolet.
Our friends over in Europe recently spotted this camouflaged 2017 Camaro making its rounds around the defunct racing circuit just yesterday. At first, we figured it to be the 1LE, the track-prepped version of the SS with improved braking and cornering abilities. It would be the easiest to produce for GM, just taking something that’s largely already in production to the next level.
However, if you crank up the volume and dial in your hearing aid, you can hear the growl of the exhaust and a slight hint of blower whine right at the 0:33-second mark of the video. Given that, it only makes sense to consider this car as the new ZL1, or at the very least, a ZL1 replacement in the event that Chevrolet decides to switch up the moniker for the new generation car.
Forget the LSA, because under the hood you can expect the 640-650 hp LT4 – considering the fact that it’s a direct carryover from the new CTS-V and there isn’t a 7-liter GEN-V in the works (that we know of). Plus, LS-series powerplants are no longer being installed into new product.
With a 200-250 pound weight advantage and a sixty-seventy horsepower improvement over the old LSA engine from the previous car, the performance differences (both on a track and in the inevitable quarter-mile drag) could, and should, be rather substantial.
Of course we’re only speculating, and in no way are here to say for certain what exactly is happening here until we know for sure. Until them, listen to this thing scream around the ‘Ring, while the GM tester collects data and feedback from the next big thing from Chevrolet!
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.
