The Chevrolet Camaro is back in Vegas at the SEMA Auto Show and just like last year, it brings plenty of iterations for the Bumblebee base vehicle.
The 1LE Concept is a modern-day take on the legendary 1LE option code designation that Camaro fans the world over have come to love. It’s only a concept - major bummer! - but it does combine the best of both worlds from the SS and the ZL1 to offer a true race-ready program.
“The Camaro 1LE concept is all about the track,” said Al Oppenheiser, chief engineer for the Camaro. “It’s an all-out race car package that pays tribute to that special option from the past.”
Dressed in a Victory Red finish with a flat black hood and hash mark extensions, the Camaro 1LE Concept is the picture of awesomeness. The car also carries a satin black splitter, rocker panels, a rear spoiler, a sport suspension system that features Magnetic Ride Control, a shock tower brace, dual exhaust outlets, and a set of 20" racing wheels wrapped in Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar G tires with Brembo brakes.
Inside, the Camaro 1LE Concept was dressed in a black leather light stone stitching. It also has a graphite silver doors and instrument panel inserts, a ZL1 flat-bottom steering wheel and shifter, and a Chevrolet Accessories pedal kit.
There’s no telling what kind of powertrain it has, but rest assured, we’re frothing at the mouth just thinking about all the possibilities.
Updated 11/08/2011: We have added new images of the Chevrolet Camaro 1LE Concept from its official debut at the 2011 SEMA Auto Show. Check them out in the picture gallery.
Galpin Auto Sports has proven their soft hands when it comes to the Ford Mustang, and at the 2011 SEMA Auto Show, their newest program for the Mustang Boss 302 will showcase the company’s talents for the world to see.
Designed by Steve Carpenter, the program is being touted as the world’s first widebody kit for the Boss 302. It’s called the Boss 302-X and as the name evidently suggests, it comes with a comprehensive program that features aesthetic and performance enhancements.
Speaking about the former, GAS went to work and first built a steel widebody panel by hand, one that literally added nine inches to the overall width of the car. From there, the panel was given a Matte Orange Pearl PPG paint finish, complete with the Mustang Boss’ unmistakable graphics. Then, GAS outfitted the muscle car with a set of one-off 20" wheels wrapped with Pirelli P Zero tires; they also added a six-point roll cage on the exterior to go with Recaro seats that come with custom embroidered logos.
And last but not least is a ProCharger supercharger system, which Galpin Auto Sports ever so nicely put under the hood of the Mustang Boss 302-X. Living up to its ’X’ moniker, the supercharger system was able to take the output of the muscle car’s 5.0-liter V8 engine that produced 440 horsepower and spike it into the vicinity of 780 ponies.
As comprehensive auto modifications go, this one by GAS is proof as to what a perfect Mustang tuning program should look like.
The most powerful Chevrolet Camaro is taking a turn to the dark side and we couldn’t be any happier.
No, it’s not becoming evil, although it’s about as mean and menacing as a Camaro can get. What we’re talking about is the first 2012 Camaro ZL1 special edition model: the ZL1 Carbon Concept.
To begin with, the ZL1 Carbon Concept already has everything the standard ZL1 possesses, including the massive 6.2-liter LSA supercharged V8 engine that produces a gnarly 580 horsepower and churns out 556 lb/ft of torque. But more than that, the ZL1 Carbon Concept carries plenty of unique style features that Tony Roma, program engineering manager for the Camaro ZL1, attests to. “This concept’s dramatic appearance matches the extreme performance capabilities of the Camaro ZL1,” he said.
The highlight of the ZL1 Carbon Edition’s design is the Ashen Gray paint finish, which is then complemented by an array of carbon fiber elements, including an exposed-weave carbon fiber “Mohawk” hood insert, a carbon fiber rear spoiler with stainless-steel wicker bill, and carbon fiber inserts on the interior door, and instrument panel. The car also has dual exhaust outlets with active exhaust and diffuser and a new set of lightweight 20" Satin Black wheels with machined faces and Brembo brakes.
On top of that, the ZL1 Carbon Edition also comes with a Jet Black leather interior with suede microfiber seat inserts and Torch Red stitching, a suede-trimmed flat-bottom steering wheel and short-throw shifter, a carbon fiber-trimmed shift knob, and ZL1 pedals.
UPDATE 11/08/2011: One of the cars that caught our attention at the 2011 SEMA Show was definitely this Camaro ZL1 Carbon Edition. The black exterior combined with carbon fiber highlights fit just perfectly with a powerful car like this one. And we have added real life images as a proof of our statement. You can find them in the picture gallery provided!
Some say the Chevolet Camaro looks great, others say that it needs some work. For those people, we have proof that things can get incredibly better with a carefully selected collection of accessories with Chevrolet’s Camaro Red Zone Concept to be displayed in SEMA this week. According to the company, this new concept "debuts a new, heritage-inspired stripe graphic that will be available soon."
The first thing anyone will notice about this incredible concept is the Crystal Claret exterior color with black convertible tonneau cover and silver heritage stripe. There is also a new set of Chevrolet Accessories 21x8.5-inch silver/polished-face wheels, Chevrolet Accessories body-color grille, and a convertible wind screen. The interior adds titanium leather interior with Silver Ice accents, a black soft instrument panel insert, Chevrolet Accessories Silver Ice door and instrument panel inserts, and Chevrolet Accessories floor mats with silver "Camaro" logos. To add an even meaner look, the concept has also received a suspension lowering kit by Pedders and a polished strut tower brace.
"This is a Camaro for those who want great looks and a performance personality," said designer Adam Barry. "It’s a simple yet dramatic statement that is uniquely Camaro."
We often associate the quality of a tuning build by the amount of work done by an aftermarket company on a certain car. Using that logic, the boys over at Hess Motorsports did a hell of a job on a Camaro considering that they apparently spent close to $400,000 in research and development just for this car alone.
Some people will call that ridiculous. We call it genius mixed with very, very deep pockets.
Nothing was apparently off limit for this one-off muscle car. We found out that Hess Motorsports left no stones unturned in turning this Camaro into a rollicking piece of madness on four wheels. The exterior was painted with a custom Jet Black finish that was custom brushed with 1st generation strips and clear coated four times over with high-end clear coat. Hess Motorsports also added a new front bumper, grills, side gills, and shaved doors, to name a few of the body modifications done. Even the interior was spent on lavishly, complete with CTS-V Recaro seats, interior Porsche leather, their custom one-off Double Din that was crated from the Cadillac DTS, and HVAC controls with a Pioneer Navigation system.
Then there’s the matter of the engine, it was treated to a hybrid LS9/LS7 7.2-liter powertrain that literally leaves us dumbfounded as to how they managed to accomplish it. The output for the Chevrolet Camaro is being kept under wraps, but considering that what we’ve described is only the tip of the iceberg as far as the full-scale of modifications are concerned, we’re going to hold our breaths until its debut at the 2011 SEMA Auto Show to find out where the full $400,000 went.
