2019 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Lightning Lap 2019
Yes, we've lapped a ZL1 1LE before, but now it's available with 10-speed automatic transmission.
Lap Time: 2:45.0
Class: LL3 | Base: $74,190 | As-Tested: $76,380
Power and Weight: 650 hp • 3880 lb • 6.0 lb/hp
Tires: Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3R, F:305/30ZR-19 (98Y) TPC R: 325/30ZR-19 (101Y) TPC
"Didn't you test a Camaro ZL1 1LE two years ago?" Yes, but that was the manual 1LE. This one is an automatic, and this year, Bill Wise came along to see if we could improve on the 1LE's 2:45.7 with the new 10-speed. If you don't know Wise, he's the guy who, in addition to tuning the Camaro, set the ZL1 1LE's 7:16.04 Nürburgring time. With his pointers—it was a lot of him diplomatically telling us to stop being wusses and go faster in the Climbing Esses—we pushed the automatic-equipped 1LE to a 2:45.0 lap, 0.7 second quicker than the manual's best run.
A supercharged V-8 with 650 horsepower and torque means the Camaro really doesn't need 10 gears, but the shifts are so quick and the programming is so spot on that it picks the perfect gear while you're concentrating on braking. There's no need to go to the paddles.
Not having to shift gave us more time to fully appreciate those brakes. They're regular cast-iron rotors clamped by six-piston calipers up front and four-pot grabbers in back, no carbon-ceramics here. Wise tells us he tuned the system to provide full stopping power even after a hard, initial stomp. At triple-digit speeds, most street cars like to be eased (quickly) into full braking, not jumped on. That's not the case with the 1LE. The Camaro allows for a swift kick to the wide pedal. Coupled with the Goodyear gumballs made just for this car, it's almost as if you can't brake late enough. No complaints about brake-pedal travel this time around.
As in the manual version, we found that the stability control's performance modes cut in too much when you go to accelerate out of slow corners. Our solution: Turn everything off. In that all-off mode, you become acutely aware of the car's incredible horsepower and learn to respect it and carefully roll into the throttle pedal. Stomp to slow; carefully roll to go. That's the mantra this car demands.
Full results of the Lightning Lap 2019 Competition:
https://www.caranddriver.com/feature...ning-lap-2019/