Al Oppenheiser, lead Camaro engineer, and his team are far from finished with the sixth-generation Chevrolet Camaro. That was the overwhelming takeaway from an interview with Hagerty published on Monday. However, there’s something more Oppenheiser would like to see from the Camaro.
He specifically said he’d like to see a Nürburgring lap time under the seven-minute mark from a Camaro. That’s a tall order, considering the closest shot the nameplate has at it right now is with the 2018 Camaro ZL1 1LE. The track-focused pony car clocked a 7:16.04 at the famed circuit. The time itself is something of a marvel; only a handful of other rear-wheel-drive cars sprinted around the Nürburgring quicker, and they’re all much more expensive.
His comments on a sub-seven-minute time at the ‘Ring followed a lengthy interview over the Camaro’s future and potential new avenues for performance. The chief engineer said a Demon-rivaling Camaro is something to consider, as is a drag package for Camaro SS customers.
One thing is certain: the 2018 Camaro ZL1 is not the end of the line for the nameplate’s performance.
“There’s a lot of bandwidth to play in this segment,” Oppenheiser said.
Perhaps a sixth-generation Camaro Z/28 will have something to say about an even quicker Nürburgring time.
Comments
AWD track monster. Develop a high torque AWD system with a Silverado SS also in mind.
You really want a truck drive line under a Camaro?
We can do better than that. Do a proper chassis for the Camaro and a Proper one for the truck.
No reason to half a$$ing this like in the past with parts bins.
It could be done with RWD anyways with the right tuning and power.
dont need a drive line. just a center diff that can handle high amounts of torque transfer. Nothing about a center diff has to be car vs truck dependent, just like the rwd transmissions used in both applications…
This is a major departure from yesteryear American muscle cars which were great shooting down a straight line, but weren’t very good in handling as Al Oppenheiser’s desires for a sub-7 minute Nurburgring time clearly says this is not your father’s Camaro and this is something that the folks at Dearborn need to remember.
Currently the production car record holder at the Ring is RWD so you in fact do not need to have an AWD system in order to hit a sub 7 minute lap time there. The Porsche 911 GT2 RS is packing 700BHP at a curb weight of 3,241 pounds, honestly the ZR1 Corvette stands the best chance of beating the the GT2 RS lap time at the ring which ran a 6:47.30 as it is powerful enough while being light enough with the right aero bits. Really they are going to need the 8 speed auto in the ZR1 or a DCT in order to have those fast shifts.
The ZL1 Camaro at over 3,800 pounds it is going to need a bit more downforce as well as less weight and probably more power. The ZL1 1LE getting stripped with ceramic brakes and using the 10 speed auto as well as the LT5 engine can beat 7 minutes in my view.