2002 Camaro ZL1 Prototype
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As sad as it is to mention it,
General Motors has confirmed
that they have no current plans to produce an LS6 powered F-body
while being assembled at the St. Therese factory. What
if a company outside of GM decided to make arrangements
drop the ZO6 engine into a current year F-body? Enter
GMMG and the 2002 Camaro
ZL1 prototype... |
THE ORIGINAL COPO ZL1 CAMARO 
In 1969, a Chevrolet dealer named Fred Gibb
worked a deal with GM to produce 50 Camaros with special high-performance
upgrades, mainly an all-aluminum 427 engine (COPO 9560). Little
did Fred know that by the time the extra performance upgrades were
added up they would total over $4,000, more than the cost of the base
Camaro itself. Needless to say, the 1969 ZL1 Camaro was not
a hot seller
with a window sticker price of $7,200. Gibb sold only 13 and
the rest were sent back to GM to be redistributed to other high-performance
Chevrolet dealerships. In addition to the first 50 built,
a few other dealerships placed orders for the ZL1 and the final production
total for the 1969 ZL1 Camaro ended ironically at 69. Most of
the ZL1s were used for racing and many were wrecked or highly modified.
Chevrolet considered making the ZL1 as a regular production
option and created two prototypes. However seeing how the market
could not support a $7,200 Camaro in 1969, GM scrapped the idea. Today,
the original ZL1 Camaro is one of the most sought-after Camaros of
all time
GMMG AND THE ZL1 HERITAGE
 GMMG,
the same company responsible for the Dale Earnhardt Intimidator SS
among
others, has created a prototype of what could be the next ZL1
Camaro. GMMG wanted to create a car to compete with and ultimately
destroy the new Ford Mustang Cobra R, but do it mainly using parts
that carry a GM part number. In order to make the car true to
it's heritage, GMMG managed to get in touch with a few 1969 ZL1 Camaro
owners and asked them what they thought a new Camaro would need to
have in order to be  worthy
of wearing the ZL1 badge. Some actually said the car had to
be flashy because the original ZL1 Camaro was not targeted for the
collector car market, but was more set up for performance and not
visual attraction. As a result, the original ZL1 Camaros are
often mistaken for basic Camaros and are completely overlooked at
car shows. Aside from this, most said that the car had
to remain true to the ZL1 Camaro heritage, have 400 horsepower and
has to be the ultimate late model Camaro ever offered. In addition,
it had to be able to beat the Cobra R, a continuation of the Ford
vs. Chevy war that has been battled for decades.
THE NEW ZL1 CAMARO PROTOTYPE
 GMMG
went to work using a 2001 Camaro with approximately 8,000 miles on
the clock. Borrowing the engine from a Corvette ZO6, they dropped
a slightly modified 400 horsepower LS6 into the engine bay, replacing
the LS1 that came factory-equipped. To keep the same theme as
the LS6, they painted the valve covers red to match the LS6's original
red fuel rail covers. They didn't stop there. While increasing
the speed you also need to decrease the stopping distance. Instead
of going with an aftermarket company for the braking system, GMMG
also borrowed a  set
of wheels and the larger brakes from the ZO6 line coupled with ball-milled
rotors to enhance the new ZL1's looks as well as stopping power. This
is similar to how the 1988-1989 Camaro 1LE used a Corvette braking
system. The transmission uses a ZO6 clutch with an otherwise
stock manual transmission to transfer power through a stock LS1 Camaro
drive shaft into a Torsen rear end with 4.10 gears. The suspension
was upgraded with Penske triple adjustable shocks, bigger sway bars
and progressive rate springs to make sure the car launches hard and
holds to the  pavement
like Velcro in the corners. On the exterior, the factory black
paint was replaced with a stunning coat of 1969 Garnet Red. A
black stripe rests between the stingers of the hood's induction scoop,
which is wrapped with a silver stripe that streaks over the hood scoop
and continues on to the roof and rear deck. The rear panel was
painted satin black and a gray powder coated grill wearing a traditional
blue Chevrolet bowtie was placed in the front.  To
finish it all off, custom ZL1 badges similar to Corvette ZO6 badges
were placed on both front fenders in the proper locations. The
interior was only upgraded slightly with custom silver faced gauges
that shows the redline at 6,500 RPM and also wears the new ZL1 emblem.
A black and white houndstooth interior is planned for the near
future to round out the style of what was offered on the 1969 Camaro.
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