Muscle car aficionados have been drooling for months over the details of a new high-powered version of the Chevrolet Camaro, the ZL1. Details are slowly emerging about the ZL1, and the car appears to be everything a Camaro-lover could want.

New Camaro has nearly 600 horsepower

When a person buys a Camaro, it isn’t to can pack up the kids and their toys for a cross-country trip to visit the grandparents. The car is built to look good and go fast. A high-end version of the Camaro  for 2012 was announced in February called the ZL1, according to CNN, that would make the typical 323-horsepower V-6 Camaro look pathetic.

The ZL1 Camaro, for starters, will have a 6.2-liter V-8 engine, producing 580 horsepower. The Camaro SS, the most powerful version currently offered, also has a 6.2-liter V-8, but produces 426 horsepower. The ZL1′s closest direct competitor, the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, is capable of about 550 horsepower.

Juicy new details

More information is beginning to emerge as General Motors is slowly releasing details ahead of the 2012 release, according to MotorTrend. A good deal of information is already up on Camaro website and, according to AutoWeek, people who have gotten a hold of an owner’s manual for the ZL1 have also released some other details.

For starters, according to MotorTrend, it will have the Magnetic Ride Control system found in the Cadillac CTS-V line and the Corvette ZR1. It also will have a five-setting traction control system, featuring launch control along with track, sport and race configurations.

The engine is not bespoke, but rather a specially tuned version of the CTS-V’s LSA engine. The ZL1 will have Brembo brakes, with six-piston brakes in the front and four-piston brakes in the rear. It will also have a Boston Acoustic sound system and Bluetooth for mobile phone users.

According to AutoWeek, it will also have a carbon fiber “Mohawk” hood scoop, which General Motors advises owners to be very careful with. Wheels can have five or 10 spokes and it will come with Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires. The leaked owner’s manual cited by AutoWeek also says that ZL1 drivers should be cautious while negotiating curbs, as the ZL1 sits lower than the standard Camaro.

Convertible to follow

The ZL1, according to CNN, should debut sometime in early 2012 as a 2012 model. It will cost, according to AutoWeek, in the low $50,000 range, about $20,000 more than the Camaro 2SS is listed for on the Chevrolet website.

After the standard ZL1 hard-top debuts, a ZL1 convertible will follow sometime in late 2012, likely in time for the release of Chevrolet’s 2013 models.

MCDE Editorial