[Tran]

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/

[Rodan]

Awesome!

[Osbornsm]

Good read, little vague.


But always like to see people's motivation behind the Slushbox choice.

[SFV1LE]

Damn it's still so impressive for a ZLE to be that close to cars like the GT3RS and 600LT. At 1/3 or 1/4 the price. Great to finally have a good measure of how much faster the A10 ZLE is, .7 sec over a 2:45 lap. That amounts to less than .5 sec on most tracks which are 1:30-2:00 minutes here in CA, but it's faster as everyone expected.

If they let Bill Wise drive the ZLE I bet he'd beat everything but the Senna, which is from another planet.

[Bow Tie Fanatic]

I want to know where the GT500 is? Ford showed up with 5 tractor trailers loads of cars on March 26th to do “pre lightning lap”testing (I was leaving when all the Ford staff was showing up). I just think it’s funny how they hyped this car up and didn’t even let C&D have a car to use. I guess their test didn’t go so well. The ZLE A10 is just amazing! I know it’s probably wishful thinking but imagine an LT5 ZLE A10.

[URBAN LEGEND]

Great find!

[waterman]

Same driver same day is always the best gauge of head to head performance.

With that said, it's good to see that R&T saw the value of giving the A10 ZLE a shot at LL.

Lightning Lap as we know, is actually a fortunate group of automotive journalists driving some very nice cars on a track. It is magazine fodder and IMHO totally lacks any qualitative/quantitative value.

I agree with SF1LE;Let Bill Wise drive them back to back.

[hotlap]

Originally Posted by Bow Tie Fanatic

I want to know where the GT500 is? Ford showed up with 5 tractor trailers loads of cars on March 26th to do “pre lightning lap”testing (I was leaving when all the Ford staff was showing up). I just think it’s funny how they hyped this car up and didn’t even let C&D have a car to use. I guess their test didn’t go so well. The ZLE A10 is just amazing! I know it’s probably wishful thinking but imagine an LT5 ZLE A10.

You will have to wait for REVan Evan, or some other Ford surrogate, to post an “unofficial” lap time.

Ford Not Interested In Chasing Lap Times With Shelby GT500

Chevrolet isn't shy about such things

Ford’s new 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500 should be one fast machine. Thus far we only have a few vague stats from the automaker to gauge exactly how fast it is, and those estimates only account for straight-line speed. In its GT500 press release, however, Ford was keen to tell us about the car’s suspension tuning, aerodynamic enhancements, and massive brakes. Clearly, this Mustang is designed to be more than a one-trick pony, but according to Motor Authority, Ford isn’t interested in benchmarking the GT500 with official lap times.

Speaking to Motor Authority at the 2019 Detroit Auto Show, Ford Performance Chief Engineer Carl Widmann allegedly said there were “no plans” to go lapping with the GT500, either for benchmark times or records. Reportedly he went on to say Ford hadn’t published such numbers in the past, but that’s not entirely accurate. Almost a year ago to the day there was a bit of excitement over Ford racing driver Billy Johnson setting a lap record at Virginia International Raceway in a Ford GT

It could be argued that it wasn’t an official Ford endeavor, having occurred after Car & Driver’s Lightning Lap testing at the track, but the time was certainly shared by the Blue Oval's PR crew. And then things went strangely quiet when Chevrolet beat that record days later with its Corvette ZR1. That was back when Jamal Hameedi was the chief at Ford Performance, and curiously, he said almost the exact same thing as Widmann.

Chevrolet, on the other hand, has a Camaro ZL1 1LE that can lap the Nürburgring in just 7 minutes 16.4 seconds, and it let the entire world know about it. Ford never officially sent the Shelby GT350 to the Green Hell, but unofficial times had the 526-horsepower (392-kilowatt) Mustang clocking a 7:32 lap. With the GT500 set to make over 700 hp (522 kW) while utilizing segment-leading brakes and aero tweaks up the wazoo, it feels like a tremendous cop-out if Ford doesn’t dip its foot into the pool on this one.

In the report, Widmann did suggest that Ford would send a GT500 to Car and Driver’s next Lightning Lap showdown at VIR, so there could potentally be at least some closure on the big Shelby’s track prowess. But building something as awesome as the GT500 then stepping away from direct competition seems a bit weak to us. Come on Ford, give the people what they want – a proper Mustang-versus-Camaro showdown.

https://www.motor1.com/news/301700/f...-times-shelby/

[ZRacerLE]

I root for all American brands, but god damn Ford is weak!

[Oddspyke]

Ford had no incentive to run the GT500 for lap times. They will sell every one, with huge dealer mark ups. If it was faster at a track than the ZL1, they don't gain anything; it's way more expensive and it's supposed to be faster. If it's slower than a ZL1, it's a PR nightmare. There's no real upside to them engaging.

[Stephen12ZL1]

if Ford understood that enthusiasts are not only watching the lap time, but many other aspects of the car during the lightning lap testing. Straight line acceleration, engine tone, braking behavior, etc, etc can be surmised from the test videos. The overall time is no doubt important but many could care less about the "number". I suppose there were potentially some serious chassis problems and the car underperformed. Think about the Challenger Redeye from last year which was a smoking pile of poo around VIR. I doubt Dodge lost any sales because of their participation in last years LL. Honestly, the Challenger Redeye was one of the most entertaining cars to watch outtakes with huge clouds of smoke as C&D drifted Oak Tree.

[USAFS197]

I think that was a great run. I'm happy to see that he didn't try to shift the car himself. But I do agree with the sentiment posted here that it would have been more advantageous, in an ideal setting, to test both the M6 and the A10 variants back to back, using the same driver. It would have provided more of a tangible and reliable delta between the two metrics posted. Nonetheless, this is the information we have at the moment and it seems as though the difference in time is almost completely negligible and possible to be replicated with either transmission. Now, if we were looking at a 2 second spread, well, then we'd have ourselves a solid winner on our hands, variables be damned.

[angryBits]

Originally Posted by USAFS197

I think that was a great run. I'm happy to see that he didn't try to shift the car himself. But I do agree with the sentiment posted here that it would have been more advantageous, in an ideal setting, to test both the M6 and the A10 variants back to back, using the same driver. It would have provided more of a tangible and reliable delta between the two metrics posted. Nonetheless, this is the information we have at the moment and it seems as though the difference in time is almost completely negligible and possible to be replicated with either transmission. Now, if we were looking at a 2 second spread, well, then we'd have ourselves a solid winner on our hands, variables be damned.

I don't think anyone expects a 2 second difference from a transmission.

[USAFS197]

Originally Posted by angryBits

I don't think anyone expects a 2 second difference from a transmission.

I'm sure that wouldn't be the case but, I was just trying to emphasize how the differences seem relatively negligible, which was to be expected.