, some side skirts, a chin splitter, different grille...not much there to seperate it. Oh, and obviously the badging and wing (which looks not unlike the Terminator spoiler.......).
Fair enough question. :beer:
I DO base a lot of my opinion of performance cars off of their performance. I think a lot of people do. Otherwise, a V6 Camaro or Mustang would clearly be the much more economical option. :shrug:
However, let's look at the ZL1 from a specifications perspective. It has a nice 6.2L V8 with a much-needed kick in the pants from the factory blower. This helps to offset the God-awful power to weight ratio the Camaros suffer from, which I like to call "Challenger syndrome". :-D
Seriously though, we are talking about a $60k - $65k car....unless you are on Camaro5 where everyone got theirs for like $25k driveout.
Anyway, sit inside one and what differences do you see from the SS? The speedometer is a mess past the 100mph mark, you get a nice badge on the steering wheel, there is a boost gauge...but for whatever reason it's in the gauge cluster under the radio...you know...because that's convenient. What else? Nothing...except nice logos on the seats. The interior materials remain, for the most part, unchanged with the exception of the seat covers which are a bit nicer.
Move to the exterior of the car, and what do we have? A nice hood (subjective...I think it looks decent), ZL1-branded rims, quad-exhaust (fails so hard IMO :xpl
What I'm getting at is, if you don't consider the performance of the car, then what are you really paying for? Exclusivity? Not really. All trims of the 5th gen Camaro are flooding the streets as we speak. There's more exclusivity to the 5.0 GT than the Camaro SS. :shrug:
It does get magnetic ride control from the ZR-1 Corvette, but unless you plan on autocrossing the car every weekend, it doesn't really matter either.
The ZL1 is marketed as the "ultimate Camaro"...well...next to the COPO and Z/28. Every bit of marketing for the car talks about performance, so when buyers go to look at one, I'd bet a hefty sum that they are looking for the same thing I am: the performance.
And the truth is, you can get far better performance for far less money elsewhere. And before you throw out the "why don't you get a cheap foxbody and soup it up", I should mention that I would love to do that but have always wanted a Terminator coupe. So that's why I went this option. And there's, I'm sure, people out there that have always wanted a ZL1 Camaro...somehow. And that's fine. Competition makes the world go 'round.
But I will tell you this: If my Cobra was $65k, I would not be driving it. Just as I'm not driving a '13 GT500. There isn't enough car in the total package to justify the price when you can get a 911 Turbo, Aston Martin Vantage, or other high-end cars that are gently used for the same amount of cash.
At least with the Shelby, you get ball-cracking performance and a great namesake, not to mention a car that's instantly recognizable from a distance. With the ZL1, you get the same Camaro SS with a fancy suspension and a blower.
Is that what the 03 Cobra was to the GT in 2003? Some would argue yes. However, the Cobra got a hand built iron block with a blower, unheard of back then for a manufacturer to do and warranty outside of a few exotic brands, and also wasn't $30k more than the base model GT.
So, IMO, based off of the performance of the car and it's price tag, the ZL1 is very poor value for money and a great option for those who want the prestige of owning the top end Camaro (temporarily top end) instead of busting their knuckles, saving tens of thousands of dollars, and building a faster SS Camaro that actually requires knowledge and talent to do.
None of this post was meant to be snarky or offensive to you. Hopefully it doesn't come across as such. :beer:
Fair enough question. :beer:
I DO base a lot of my opinion of performance cars off of their performance. I think a lot of people do. Otherwise, a V6 Camaro or Mustang would clearly be the much more economical option. :shrug:
However, let's look at the ZL1 from a specifications perspective. It has a nice 6.2L V8 with a much-needed kick in the pants from the factory blower. This helps to offset the God-awful power to weight ratio the Camaros suffer from, which I like to call "Challenger syndrome". :-D
Seriously though, we are talking about a $60k - $65k car....unless you are on Camaro5 where everyone got theirs for like $25k driveout.
Anyway, sit inside one and what differences do you see from the SS? The speedometer is a mess past the 100mph mark, you get a nice badge on the steering wheel, there is a boost gauge...but for whatever reason it's in the gauge cluster under the radio...you know...because that's convenient. What else? Nothing...except nice logos on the seats. The interior materials remain, for the most part, unchanged with the exception of the seat covers which are a bit nicer.
Move to the exterior of the car, and what do we have? A nice hood (subjective...I think it looks decent), ZL1-branded rims, quad-exhaust (fails so hard IMO :xpl
What I'm getting at is, if you don't consider the performance of the car, then what are you really paying for? Exclusivity? Not really. All trims of the 5th gen Camaro are flooding the streets as we speak. There's more exclusivity to the 5.0 GT than the Camaro SS. :shrug:
It does get magnetic ride control from the ZR-1 Corvette, but unless you plan on autocrossing the car every weekend, it doesn't really matter either.
The ZL1 is marketed as the "ultimate Camaro"...well...next to the COPO and Z/28. Every bit of marketing for the car talks about performance, so when buyers go to look at one, I'd bet a hefty sum that they are looking for the same thing I am: the performance.
And the truth is, you can get far better performance for far less money elsewhere. And before you throw out the "why don't you get a cheap foxbody and soup it up", I should mention that I would love to do that but have always wanted a Terminator coupe. So that's why I went this option. And there's, I'm sure, people out there that have always wanted a ZL1 Camaro...somehow. And that's fine. Competition makes the world go 'round.
But I will tell you this: If my Cobra was $65k, I would not be driving it. Just as I'm not driving a '13 GT500. There isn't enough car in the total package to justify the price when you can get a 911 Turbo, Aston Martin Vantage, or other high-end cars that are gently used for the same amount of cash.
At least with the Shelby, you get ball-cracking performance and a great namesake, not to mention a car that's instantly recognizable from a distance. With the ZL1, you get the same Camaro SS with a fancy suspension and a blower.
Is that what the 03 Cobra was to the GT in 2003? Some would argue yes. However, the Cobra got a hand built iron block with a blower, unheard of back then for a manufacturer to do and warranty outside of a few exotic brands, and also wasn't $30k more than the base model GT.
So, IMO, based off of the performance of the car and it's price tag, the ZL1 is very poor value for money and a great option for those who want the prestige of owning the top end Camaro (temporarily top end) instead of busting their knuckles, saving tens of thousands of dollars, and building a faster SS Camaro that actually requires knowledge and talent to do.
None of this post was meant to be snarky or offensive to you. Hopefully it doesn't come across as such. :beer:
