Rumor: 2012 Chevy Camaro ZL1 May Pack Over 570HP

Since the pre-production ZL1 Camaro was revealed we heard many speculation as to the final numbers for horsepower and torque for this awesome Chevy. For the moment this is all we know:  in the 2011 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, the LS9 engine produces 638 horsepower and 604 pound-feet of torque. In the 2011 Cadillac CTS-V, the LSA engine cranks out 556 horsepower and 551 pound feet of torque.

Knowing that the two powerplants are very similar, the Corvette engine benefits from a slightly higher compression ratio (9.1:1 versus 9.0:1) and a higher capacity supercharger (2.3-liter versus 1.9-liter).  The potential for the LSA motor to make more horsepower in the Camaro ZL1 is certainly there, if Chevy’s engineers or marketing staff deem it necessary.

The unconfirmed rumor is that the LSA engine in the Camaro ZL1 has just completed SAE testing, and the numbers indicate an output of “over” 570 horsepower. He hope that Chevy won’t keep this a secret for long, so look for pending confirmation that the ZL1 will top Ford’s Shelby GT500 in horsepower, at least for the time being. Another rumor is that Ford’s next Shelby GT500 will have a 650 horsepower turbocharged powerplant, so we’ll see a nice competition if it’s so.

Source: LSX TV