Chevrolet will put the storied Camaro namesake out to pasture after six generations of rivalry with the Ford Mustang. However, before the automaker closed the book on the muscle car model, it produced a version with world-class track manners and volcanic acceleration. Meet the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and its 1LE package, the fastest street-legal production pugilist in the model’s history. 

What is the fastest stock Camaro ever?

The fastest stock Chevrolet Camaro ever is the ZL1 from the sixth-generation lineup. No wonder, either; it’s also the most powerful production model in the namesake’s history. The 2023 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 produces 650 horsepower and that same figure in torque from its supercharged 6.2L V8.

Better yet, Chevrolet took the ZL1 one step further with the 1LE trim, a package that elevates the ZL1’s lateral grip into supercar territory. In testing, Car and Driver managed to coax the Chevrolet model in and out of corners at 1.18 gs of lateral force. Of course, that’s the point of the ZL1 and its 1LE trim; it proves that muscle cars can be adapted to track work. 

How fast can a Camaro ZL1 go?

The Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 from the sixth generation can hit 60 mph from a standstill in as little as 3.4 seconds. Moreover, the supercharged Chevy model will cross the line at the end of a quarter-mile drag in 11.5 seconds. Chevrolet claims that the track star will top out at 190 mph. 

However, the ZL1’s home isn’t the drag strip; it’s the track. When a 2018 model assaulted the storied Nürburgring in Germany, it laid down a lap time of 7:16.04, per AutoGuide. That makes the ZL1 one of the fastest American cars ever to take on the “Green Hell.” Better yet, its lap was faster than world-class performance staples, like a Porsche 911 GT2 RS and a Ferrari 488 GTB. 

Which is faster, the Camaro ZL1 or a Hellcat?

The Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat always enters the conversation when discussing superpowered muscle cars. However, even with 717 horsepower on tap, a Challenger Hellcat can’t outsprint a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. The ZL1 1LE will hit 60 about 0.2 seconds faster than a traction-limited Hellcat coupe’s quickest times. 

Are there any non-street legal Camaros faster than the fastest production ZL1? 

While there aren’t any production Chevrolet Camaros that will outrun a ZL1 around a track, the automaker produced a drag car with a throwback moniker that fans love: COPO. The latest COPO Camaros pack a library of V8s, but the king-of-the-hill has a new 1,004-horsepower COPO 632 engine.

Of course, the COPO models are track-only applications, whereas the ZL1 is the bleeding edge of the road-going Chevy Camaro.