We already know a fair amount about what to expect from the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in terms of power and equipment, but the list of things we don’t know about it is shorter now that GM’s Dealer Reference Guide has been posted on the internet. The guide mostly included tidbits we already knew, but there were a few useful nuggets buried in the 18-page document. The biggest revelation is that the ZL1 will weigh 4120 pounds—271 more than GM’s stated figure for an SS coupe with a manual transmission. We tested a 2010 Camaro SS and it only weighed 11 pounds more than GM says it does, so we expect the ZL1′s weight is fairly accurate. Fifty-one percent of the ZL1’s heft will rest on the front axle and the other 49 on the rear, which is a slight improvement over the 52/48 weight balance of non-ZL1 Camaros.
There were no performance specs in the dealer kit, but given the ZL1 has a 24-hp advantage over the Cadillac CTS-V coupe and weighs roughly 100 fewer pounds we can reasonably expect it to be quicker than that car (a CTS-V coupe ran from 0-to-60 in 3.9 seconds in our testing). Dimensionally, the ZL1 is identical to the SS in length, width, height, and front and rear track (oddly, the SS and ZL1 have a narrower rear track than V-6–powered Camaros). The ZL1 shares its Tremec 6060 six-speed manual transmission with the SS, but gets numerically lower ratios on all gears and a numerically higher final drive ratio.
Moving to the less-technical aspects of the ZL1, nine exterior colors will be available. Forged aluminum 20-inch wheels will be optional (the standard wheels are also 20-inchers), as will a sunroof and a “sueded microfiber” interior package. Unfortunately, the leaked brochure didn’t include any pricing information. The document lists the $49,495 Shelby GT500 as the ZL1′s key competitor, and we figure the ZL1 will top $50,000 by a bit when it goes on sale.
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