The first and only 2012 Camaro ZL1 with a carbon exterior has been purchased in Las Vegas for $250,000 by Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports.
The transaction occurred at the Barrett-Jackson auction Sept. 23 when the iconic Camaro was offered by Fairway Chevrolet-Buick-GMC. One hundred percent of the auction proceeds benefitting the YMCA of Southern Nevada.
Hendrick expected to take delivery of his new Camaro in the first quarter of 2012.
It will be the 69th ZL1 produced at the Oshawa Assembly Plant, in tribute of the legendary 1969 Camaro ZL1, of which only 69 were produced.
"Like the original, the 2012 Camaro ZL1 introduces a performance benchmark for the street and the track," said Russ Clark, marketing director for Chevrolet performance cars. "Offering the 69th Camaro ZL1 at auction was a fitting tribute to the 1969 model, and a great way to benefit such a worthy cause as the YMCA."
The 1969 is the most exclusive and elite Camaro in history. That year, "ZL1" was the code name for the 427-cubic-inch, all-aluminum big-block engine developed for Corvette race cars in the late 1960s, but found its way into 69 Camaros in 1969. The '69 Camaro recently was voted the "best Chevy of all time" in an online contest.
The engine was originally developed as a racing engine for the Can Am series, where early all-aluminum 427 engines had delivered encouraging results in vehicles such as the groundbreaking Chaparral 2F race car. It was similar to Chevrolet's L-88 427 engine, which had an iron engine block and aluminum heads, but the ZL1's aluminum block reduced the engine's overall weight by more than 100 pounds. The ZL1 engine was officially rated at 430 horsepower, but it was known to produce more than 500hp.
The 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is equipped with a supercharged 6.2L LSA V-8 engine that delivers 580 horsepower, and 556 lb.-ft. of torque. The ZL1's power is complemented by track-ready, advanced technologies including exclusive Performance Traction Management and third-generation Magnetic Ride Control.
Article Last Updated: September 25, 2011.
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A sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004.
In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida.
An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast from 2017 to 2024.
