Lead Camaro engineer Al Oppenheiser alluded to the fact that he always expects rivals to punch back at his team’s work. The latest and greatest is none other than the 2018 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and track-focused ZL1 1LE. Well, Ford is winding up because new CAD drawings seemingly depict the brand’s next potent pony car’s engine.
Ford Authority reported last Friday that the new CAD drawings appear in 2018 wiring diagrams for the Shelby GT350. However, we all know the GT350 does not offer a factory supercharger. It’s very likely the new engine is indeed based on the GT350’s flat-plane crank 5.2-liter V8, but Ford Authority expects a more traditional cross-plane crankshaft.
In terms of outright power, the last GT500 already eclipsed the current Camaro ZL1 with 662 horsepower to the Camaro’s 650 hp. The next high-power Shelby GT500 may take things to a whole new level and produce a power figure closer to 800 hp, though that’s far from confirmed at this point.
Aside from any other surprise Camaros, we’re still missing a sixth-generation Z/28, which could sit atop the Camaro hierarchy with even more power. However, we haven’t heard or seen anything to suggest the next Z/28 will arrive in the near future. To borrow Oppenheiser’s phrase, we certainly expect his team to punch back at Ford sooner rather than later, though.
Comments
800hp is great and all but not when the car weighs 4000lbs. Al and the Gang needs to take an SS1LE and make it 300lbs lighter and toss in a 500hp+ V8. Call it the Z/28 Beat that GT500 around a track with 250hp and 550lbs less than the stang. And it’s not about the numbers either. How often are you going to use 800hp? Not very often. What about 500 hp? Still not often, but it’s a lot easier to reach lesser limits on the streets. Now which car would you rather drive on a twisty backroad or just around town: a 3450lb car or a 3900lb car? And when you do go to a track, the Z will not only run laps around the GT500, but it’ll last twice as long on track.
And then there’s gonna be a 1LE version. DSSV dampers, lots of downforce, Carbon Ceramic brakes, a more open front end for extra cooling, and a lot more weight taken out of the car. that’ll run laps and laps and laps around any GT3RS or AMG GTR at any track.
It isn’t about having the most power or the best performance numbers though. Just ask Lotus.
Sounds like BS to me…
Chevrolet’s ace in the hole is the new 755 horsepower LT5 developed for the C7 Corvette ZR1 as there’s no reason why the Camaro couldn’t get access to the new engine as well.
I expect a Z/28 with a high reving DOHC small cube high horsepower car, imagine the sound of that !!!
I expect the Z/28 to have a high horepower, high reving DOHC V/8 with small cube engine , imagine the sound of that..!