We’re living during an era in the auto industry where yesterday’s ludicrous is today’s norm. Case-in-point the 2012 Camaro ZL1. When released, its 580 horsepower seemed near supercar territory. However, after just a few years, the ’12 ZL1 has been bested several times over by the Shelby GT500, Hellcats, CTS-V and now its newer Z06 and ZL1 siblings. So what’s a horsepower junky that wants to stay on top do? Enter Hawks Motorsports’ Sinister Package.
If the name Hawks Motorsports sounds vaguely familiar to you, that’s because it’s the long overdue rebranding of Hawks Third-Gen who has been providing performance across the late-model GM portfolio for years now. Here you can see and hear Hawks working its magic on a 2012 Camaro ZL1 to the tune of 691 RWHP and 685 RWTQ.
With the modern rendition of the Detroit horsepower war in full-swing, many enthusiasts are looking for a turn-key solution for upping the ante on their modern muscle car while maintaining factory-like performance and quality. This is just what Hawks had in mind when creating its Sinister Package.
Starting with a Airaid cold-air Intake and American Racing 1-7/8” Headers gets the ZL1 breathing a little easier. Then a 160° thermostat, 85-lb./hr injectors, NGK Iridium Spark Plugs, and 8.5mm ignition wires are added to support the fun that comes next. Finally, a cam kit with a Hawks custom grind, 10% overdrive harmonic balancer, and romp on the dyno for a custom tune leads to the all-important horsepower bragging rights number.
The combination of optimized cam events, added boost, tried-and-true supporting mods, and a professionally dialed-in tune bring the 5th-Gen ZL1 right up to and beyond today’s best out of Detroit. Quite a package to feed ZL1 owners’ horsepower cravings.
Fascinated with anything on wheels since he could walk, Colby’s obsession quickly narrowed to late-model GM muscle. Modifying, breaking, and fixing project cars over the past 15 years has been his hard knocks education toward a BS degree in Car Guy.
