Watch out for the big, bad sports car from GM.
The muscle cars from the “Big 3” have always been regarded as straight-line performers. They were simple, heavy, rear-wheel drive monsters that could lay down some mean acceleration numbers. But, when they were asked to make a turn, things got a little hairy. Now, Chevrolet is ditching that stereotype with the new 2014 Camaro Z/28 and there’s video evidence from its latest trip to the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife to prove it, where all four Camaro wheels grabbed the pavement to an impressive lap time.
The Nürburgring Nordschleife is regarded as the best way to measure a car’s overall performance. Automakers have brought their cars here for decades to fine-tune numerous aspects and get the fastest overall time. During a cloudy and rainy day, the Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 was able to somehow get enough traction with all four Camaro wheels and make its way to a very impressive 7:37.47 overall time – four seconds faster than its supercharged Camaro ZL1 sibling.
What makes this feat even more impressive is the fact that the 7:37.47 lap time is faster than the new 991 Porsche 911 Carrera S and the Lamborghini Murciélago!
“One of the challenges of testing at the ‘Ring is that the track is so long that conditions can change radically in a single lap,” said Al Oppenheiser, Camaro chief engineer. “Adam Dean, the development driver for Z/28, did a heroic job driving in deteriorating conditions. Based on telemetry data from our test sessions, we know the Z/28 can be as much as six seconds faster on a dry track.”
The formula for the Z/28 is pretty simple and follows much of the muscle car formula. Driving the rear Camaro wheels is a 7.0-liter LS7 V-8 engine from the GM family. The engine is rated at 505 horsepower and 481 lb-ft. of torque while utilizing a number of lightweight, performance-oriented engine internals. A number of comprehensive chassis updates from the Camaro wheels to the shocks and struts help make the sports car more nimble and achieve 1.08 G of lateral acceleration while Brembo carbon ceramic brakes bring it to a sharp halt.
The Chevrolet team spent over a week at the Nürburgring, while racking up over 10 hours and 1,000 miles on the asphalt as they fine-tuned everything from the Camaro wheels to the driver’s strategy to achieve the lap time. In the end they were able to get an astonishing time that will likely be quicker when they finally get a dry track.
httpv://youtu.be/qj1h75vA1Jw
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