Chevrolet Camaro Adds More Performance At Chicago Auto Show

From grocery getter to weekend racer, Chevrolet’s new 1LE performance package will transform an already great pony car into something that will gallup through weekend tracks.

Chevrolet will debut the Camaro 1LE track package at the Chicago Auto Show Thursday and for the first time the Camaro 1LE will even bolster the 3.6L V6 models with tighter suspension, Goodyear Eagle F1 tires, Bremebo brakes with four-piston calpers and a slew of other performance features that will make the competition fear the satin black hood that marks these Camaros as track-ready monsters.

The 6.2L Camaro SS 1LE will become even more formidable on the track. The 455-hp race will feature magnetic ride control, unique forged 20-inch aluminum wheels, Brembo brakes with six-piston monobloc calipers around 14.6-inch front discs.

“The Camaro 1LE packages follow a recipe any track-day enthusiast will appreciate,” said Camaro chief engineer Al Oppenheiser in a news release. “Start with a lightweight, stiff structure and then add higher levels of suspension stiffness and damping, more aggressive tires, higher downforce, more powerful brakes and more cooling.”

Since arriving last year, the Camaro has drawn high praise. Built on the excellent Cadillac ATS platform, the new Camaro is lighter and infinitely more tossable than the outgoing model. The 1LE package should help any weekend track enthusiast win bragging rights in friendly races.

In Chevrolet testing, the new Camaro SS 1LE drove the Big Willow track at Willow Springs International Motorsports Park in Rosamond, Calif., three seconds faster than the its SS counterpart.

Other enhancements on both cars include an engine oil, transmission and differential cooler, dual mode exhaust tone, a graphite splitter and diffuser, and an optional PDR video data recorder that will provide video and track analysis for even better performances in the future, as well as some great Youtube clips.

Inside the 1LE cabin, drivers will grab a suede wrapped steering wheel, the leather wrapped short throw shifter to the six-speed manual transmission, and sit in heavily bolstered Recaro racing seats.

Before Chevrolet added the 1LE performance package, the Camaro was pretty good on the track. Now, it’s a whole lot better.