Camaro ZL1 Chief Engineer Al Oppenheiser To Mustang Fans: “You’re Welcome”
10
Sponsored Links
The 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 parade experienced a torrential downpour with official news from Ford’s camp stating that the 2013 Mustang Shelby GT500 will be producing a titanic 650 horsepower. That’s a highly significant 70 horsepower advantage to the 580 horsepower that will come out of the ZL1.
In light of this event, ZL1 chief engineer Al Oppenheiser released a statement tipping the competition for their leapfrogging in horsepower, but stood behind his team and project in saying that the 2012 ZL1 will “set the performance benchmark for the segment.” Of course, the best way we can gauge this claim is to see how the new GT500 will do around the Nürburgring.
Sponsored Links
Ok, so I own a 2012 Mustang GT and my brother has a 2011 Camaro SS. We switch off every couple of weeks just for funn. Once you get passed the Camaro’s squished cabin (visibility) and worse interior than the Mustangs, your realize that it’s a better car.
The Mustang is still stuck with that stupid solid rear axle. And no matter what people say about it and how much work Ford put into it, it’s still not on the same playing field as the Camaro’s independent rear suspension. Plus, when I hit triple digits in the Camaro, it feels much sturdier than my Stang… you can thank the Camaro’s weight for that.
Until Ford swaps the solid rear for an independent one, the Camaro drive better.
Unless you’re planning on dragging it every weekend with 600+ horses (not from the factory).
That’s from a current Mustang owner who drives a Camaro ever two weeks…
Right there with ya, bud. That solid rear axle doesn’t kill the Mustang, but its presence is definitely noticeable.
I really like Al’s statement. It’s personal while providing enough confidence for future ZL1 owners who were shocked at Ford’s power advantage.
As per Radek’s analysis, the ZL1 will be more fun to drive… and not just in a straight line.
“The Mustang has been playing catch up since the moment the fifth-gen Camaro arrived in 2009. Since then, Camaro has been the best-selling sports car in America, indicating that consumers know which car offers the best performance, style and safety.” I think most people felt the Camaro was playing catch up for the seven years after Chevrolet had given up on the Camaro. It wasn’t until Ford showed them there was still a market for “pony” cars. And the fact that it has out sold the Mustang for the last two years has more to do with seven years of pent up demand. “The days of “no replacement for displacement,” are over” Hmmmm is that why the ZL1 has the largest displacement??? Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that the Camaro is back and kicking imported butts, but every test that I have seen in every car magazine picks that Mustang as the better car even with a “solid rear axle”. Competition is good!!
Well said, Mike. The Camaro was non-existent for almost a decade — and one of the biggest reasons it made a comeback was thanks to the Mustang’s success.
Also, I think that when Al mentioned “no replacement for displacement”, he was referring to pure power vs. agility. As in more power doesn’t necessarily result in a better vehicle.
That said, the mags that pick the Mustang over the competition don’t always have to live with the car for more than a week… having driven the 2012 Mustang for over a month, I can say without a doubt that it’s quicker and more nimble than the Camaro — but that solid axle lessens the experience when the road gets uneven.
Great comment. Puts things in perspective, and to be honest, I have a feeling the Camaro’s interior treatment will change soon once GM feels it doesn’t need that “retro” kick anymore. I guess now, we just have to wait and see.
but the fans will not care about Nürburgring because the will not dive it on Nürburgring
dive it on road
That’s not the point. The Nürburgring is the ultimate proving ground for sports cars. If a car can perform well on the ‘Ring, then it can perform on any other track.
If the specs Ford puts on paper for its cars is anything like the bogus specs they give their trucks the ZL1 wont have any problems beating the GT500.
I’ve driven a Mustang with that live axle and I can say that I was impressed with how stable it was. I was expecting a near-truck experience. I put it into a tight left turn and planted the throttle and all I got was a few chirps of the tyres, no tail-happiness at all. However…that was the 4.0L V6. Nothing even close to what we’re talking about here. The laws of Physics are absolute and cannot be bargained with. That live-axle can only put up with so much before it starts to show its Model T ancestry.
Model T ancestry — nicely-put, sir.
The SRA in the ‘Stang shows its true colors in two ways for me:
1. The ride is unnecessarily rough on rough surfaces; much more so than in a Camaro with an independent rear, and
2. During hard handling in the twisties and hitting an uneven spot in the road. The front goes over well but the rear, upon hitting the uneven area, goes in and then “jumps” out a bit.
Overall, I don’t mind the first scenario, since a rough ride is part-and-parcel of a sports car; but it’s the second one that I really don’t appreciate.