Part of what made the Chevy Camaro ZL1 1LE’s blistering Nürburgring lap so impressive was that it was set with a manual car—because the ZL1 1LE was only offered with a six-speed manual up until that point. Now, there’s an automatic transmission option coming.
Beginning at the end of February, buyers will be able to check the box for a 10-speed auto option to be fitted to their Camaro ZL1 1LE at an additional price of $1,595. Armed with this transmission, according to Chevy, the car set a lap that is “more than one half second faster than the standard manual” on the 2.9-mil Milford Road Course.
There will be paddle shifters for those wanting to manually select the right gear, as well as a new transmission oil pan and an extra cooling duct for the steering gear. It’ll have unique track mode calibrations and Chevy tells us that drivers will “always in the perfect gear when rolling on or off the throttle.”
We’ll have to see about that, though. I haven’t yet experienced a 10-speed automatic that I’ve liked very much.
And what exactly do you get on this Camaro with the alphabet-soup name? As a refresher, the ZL1 1LE features extra aero bits, adjustable suspension, forged aluminum wheels and a 650-horsepower V8 engine. It’s more than enough to cause some ruckus.
And now you don’t even need to operate a clutch pedal to do it.