Just in case 426 horsepower from a Camaro SS is not enough, SLP By Graeme Fletcher, National Post Drive - There's an old refrain that goes: "Anything you can do, I can do better." Welcome to the Camaro ZL585, a vehicle produced by SLP Performance Parts Inc. of Quebec. This company starts with a Camaro SS, which is no slouch in the first place, and imbues it with mega-horsepower. It is a wicked car in a very pleasant way.
The tweaking starts under the hood with the addition of a cold air intake and a monster Eaton 2300-series high-output supercharger that's similar to the one found in the Corvette ZR1. Ramming the air into the Camaro SS's 6.2-litre V8 engine bumps the horsepower for the manual transmission model to 585 hp from 426. However, that tells only part of the power story -- the torque figure jumps to a stump-pulling 597 pound-feet at 4,164 rpm from 420 lb-ft! Now that is enough to grab the driver's attention in a hurry.
Obviously, peeling rubber is something the ZL585 does only too easily. Pull away in first gear, short shift to second, get on the power and the tail twitches as the electronic stability control system works overtime to prevent the P295/35ZR20 rear tires from melting in a blue haze -- too many of these smoke-inducing romps will put a serious crimp in the life expectancy of the rubber!
To state the obvious, the Camaro ZL585 is one seriously fast machine. It runs to 100 kilometres an hour in less than four seconds and has a claimed quarter-mile time of 11.5 seconds with a terminal speed of 195.6 km/h! These numbers make it appreciably quicker than the Ford Shelby GT500. The exhaust (an aptly named axle-back Loud Mouth II add-on) is both a boon and a bane. The boon is the glorious sound it makes whenever the engine is doing its thing, even just idling. The bane is, likewise, noise. In this instance, it's the annoying drone that surfaces at 1,750 rpm, which is right at highway cruising speeds (120 km/h). This makes it a monotonous companion on a long drive. I ended up either puttering along at 100 km/h or stepping it up to around 130 km/h to get away from the resonance.
The suspension has also been reworked to improve the Camaro's already tight-handling characteristics. The Eibach springs drop the ride height by 25.4 millimetres. This lowers the centre of gravity and improves the overall balance. The P255/40ZR20 front and P295/35/ZR20 rear Michelin PS2s then add tremendous lateral grip. The combination gives the ZL585 a remarkably dialled-in feel, even when driven toward the limit.
The other key option on the tester, on loan from Automobiles Paille Inc. in Berthierville, Que., was the Brembo GT brake package (the six-piston front calipers clamp down on 5-inch cross-drilled two-piece rotors). The extra stopping power, and the fact it is basically fade-free, should be considered a must given the power at play. Stopping a heavy 1,749-kilogram car takes some doing at the best of times. Impromptu testing pegged the stopping distances from 100 km/h at a short 39.6 metres.
Cosmetically, the ZL585 earns a functional rear deck lid spoiler, some very nice 20-inch Red Line rims and a composite hood complete with the requisite go-faster stripes. The discreet scoop at the front hood is functional -- the cold air that's forced in through the slit displaces the hot air in the engine bay, which lowers the under-hood temperature. Finally, there is a curb-killing front air dam. It really is over-kill as the car sits so low to the ground that a tall speed bump becomes a challenge. It is the one thing in the ZL585's make-up I could live without.
Inside, the seats are covered in an attractive houndstooth fabric. There are ZL585 logos on the headrests and floor mats, the shifter has a short-throw kit, which is great when rowing through the gears quickly, and a badge on the dash identifies each car -- in this case, Pilot Car #1. The rest of it is all Camaro, meaning everything is oversized and a bit mechanical in nature.
The nits are fairly minor. First, the seats could do with more base and backrest bolstering. Second, there's no boost gauge. True, it would be difficult to integrate the gauge into the Camaro's dash as well as the rest of the components, but it would cap things off nicely.
The Camaro ZL585 is an impressive car that oozes machismo. It has the right handling and stopping power needed to harness those stampeding stallions. The ability to out-brake a supposedly sportier car heading into a corner and then leaving it for dead when powering out of it proved to be a real giggle -- so many dismissed the ZL585 as just another Camaro.
All of this ability does come at a price. The base Camaro SS starts at $38,515 (including freight). The ZL585 pckage adds another $24,995, plus $5,995 for the Brembo brakes. A number of other items brought the as-tested price of the ZL585 to just less than $73,000.
Only 500 of these limited-edition Camaro ZLs (the upgrades are offered on both the manual and automatic versions of the coupe and convertible) will be built, 55 of which have already found homes.
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