April in South Florida can be brutal if you aren’t ready to sweat, but we’re used to the weather at Barrett-Jackson’s Palm Beach Auction. For the past several years, Chevrolet has used the occasion to auction the first production example of a new model to the public. All the proceeds from the sale go to a major charity, so it’s a great way for GM to bring awareness and support to good causes. Never missing an opportunity to have Car #1, Rick Hendrick was on-hand to buy the first production 2018 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. His winning bid of $250,000 sealed his rights to the first car, which was delivered to him on Thursday.
A team from Hendrick Motorsports along with Camaro Chief Engineer Al Oppenheiser came together at the Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant to witness the birth of the new car. If you are wondering what makes the latest Camaro so special, its that it arrives ready to race. Power is from the same 650 hp supercharged 6.2 liter V8 as the Corvette Z06. It also has 650 lb-ft of torque, since GM has finally given up on under rating the Camaro’s engine. Instead of magnetic suspension, the shocks are DSSV units from Multimatic. The front end has quick-change camber settings for track days and 1.1g of lateral grip. A carbon fiber aero kit allowed it to run around the ‘Ring in 7:16.04. Thanks to Corvette Engineer Breann Voss for sending us the pictures and video! If you are looking for the world’s most capable Camaro, our dealers have great incentives on Camaros for sale. Stay with us for all your Chevrolet updates.
