The Camaro ZL1 Is Damn Near As Fast As An M4 GTS Around The 'Ring

If there’s any car that’s responsible for kicking the whole ‘muscle cars* can’t turn’ mantra in the nethers, it’s the Camaro. The previous generation Z/28 and ZL1 both took some serious scalps at the Nurburgring, and now the current ZL1 has laid down an astonishing time at the Green Hell.

Its 7:29.60 lap is not just 11 seconds faster than the old ZL1, it’s also incredibly close to the stupidly expensive, stupidly focused M4 GTS, which belted out a 7:27.88 effort last year. Once the even more track-friendly Camaro arrives - the Z/28 - this ‘Murican institution stands a very good chance of beating the BMW.

So, what’s behind the speed? It’s mostly down to more power and less weight: we’re talking 640bhp from the ZL1’s 6.2-litre ‘LT4’ V8, and a 100kg drop.

(*Yes I know it’s technically a pony car, but us Brits are a little more liberal with the use of the term ‘muscle car’…)