Watch a 2019 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE prove its power in a half-mile top-speed dash.
Sadly, the Chevrolet Camaro is currently slated to be discontinued sometime after the current generation, which should be around 2023. Sales of the Camaro keep falling compared to the Mustang and Challenger, its two muscle car rivals, to the point where GM just doesn’t see the point in competing anymore.
But in the meantime, we still have the Chevy Camaro ZL1 as the best Camaro that money can buy, and while visibility from inside the cabin can be troublesome with its incredibly thin window line, there’s no denying this car’s power.
Under the hood is a 6.2-L supercharged V8 taken straight out of the C7-gen Corvette Grand Sport. That’s 650 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque. Zero to sixty takes just 3.5 seconds on its way to a top speed of 190 mph.
Power is routed through either a 6-speed manual or a 10-speed automatic transmission. This particular model is the 6-speed with the short-throw shifter from the 1LE performance package. That also brings it a set of Multimatic DSSV shocks, a new aero kit including front splitter, dive planes, and a larger rear wing, as well as 19-inch forged aluminum wheels with Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires.
Put it all together and you’ve got the fastest Camaro there ever was.
And to prove it, we have one taking a half-mile top speed test at the Johnny Bohmer Proving Grounds. It was a hot one on the day of the test with temperatures in the afternoon climbing to 88 degrees F (31 degrees C), but that didn’t seem to hinder the Camaro in any way. Off the lime, the car smoothly accelerates so that 100 mph comes and goes in just a few seconds. Only after 120 mph does the Camaro even seem to struggle.
By the time the half-mile marker arrives, the Camaro reaches 141.692 mph. That’s fast, but we’d love to see this Camaro reach for its all-time top speed in a longer run.