Lap Time: 2:45.0
Class: LL3 | Base: $74,190 | As-Tested: $76,380
Power and Weight: 650 hp • 3880 lb • 6.0 lb/hp
Tires: Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3R, F:305/30ZR-19 (98Y) TPC R: 325/30ZR-19 (101Y) TPC
A supercharged V-8 with 650 horsepower and torque means the Camaro really doesn't need 10 gears, but the shifts are so quick and the programming is so spot on that it picks the perfect gear while you're concentrating on braking. There's no need to go to the paddles.
Not having to shift gave us more time to fully appreciate those brakes. They're regular cast-iron rotors clamped by six-piston calipers up front and four-pot grabbers in back, no carbon-ceramics here. Wise tells us he tuned the system to provide full stopping power even after a hard, initial stomp. At triple-digit speeds, most street cars like to be eased (quickly) into full braking, not jumped on. That's not the case with the 1LE. The Camaro allows for a swift kick to the wide pedal. Coupled with the Goodyear gumballs made just for this car, it's almost as if you can't brake late enough. No complaints about brake-pedal travel this time around.
As in the manual version, we found that the stability control's performance modes cut in too much when you go to accelerate out of slow corners. Our solution: Turn everything off. In that all-off mode, you become acutely aware of the car's incredible horsepower and learn to respect it and carefully roll into the throttle pedal. Stomp to slow; carefully roll to go. That's the mantra this car demands.
SEE THE VIDEO AT: CAR AND DRIVER