General Motors has just released the first details and photos of the new Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Convertible, the latest addition to the American carmaker’s range. The model is the most powerful convertible created by Chevrolet and it’s the convertible version of the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, which is already being sold in the United States since last year.
According to the official press release, the car will make its official debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show and it will be powered by a 6.2-liter petrol engine delivering 580 hp and 754 Nm of maximum torque. Looking at the car’s technical specs we see a vehicle that is better than almost every other convertible in this market segment, like the Aston Martin DB9 Volante, the Mercedes Benz SL 63 AMG, the Porsche 911 Turbo S or the Ford Shelby GT 500. Of course, it doesn’t match the specs of some other supercars like the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport or the upcoming convertible version of the Lamborghini Aventador, but on the other side it also doesn’t cost a fortune like these two models.
And its performances levels were already confirmed on the Nurburgring race track in Germany where the coupe version recorded a time of 7:41:27, better than the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, the Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SV, the Pagani Zonda S or the Audi R8 V10. Some impressive names there that were beaten by the Camaro, so I see no reason why Chevrolet shouldn’t be proud of their creation.
As you probably imagine, in order to create a convertible with performance levels close to the coupe version, the American engineers had to do some serious modifications to the car’s design. Among these changes we have several special body reinforcements and significant structural upgrades, which improve the car’s sound proofing and decrease the level of vibrations when the car is running. There were also some important changes made to the transmission and the car also features the third generation of the Magnetic Ride suspension system, Chevrolet promising a better response time to the driver’s actions.
The standard features list also has a few other impressive elements like the Performance Traction Management package, which includes the magnetic suspensions, launch control, traction control and an advanced electronic stability control system.
The new Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Convertible is scheduled to make debut on the United States market in spring 2012, while the car’s official world debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show will take place next month, on October 18.