Chevrolet says that its recently-launched Camaro 1LE is not only good enough to match Ford’s Mustang Shelby GT350, but has actually outperformed it in their own benchmark tests.
Recently speaking at the 1LE’s Chicago Auto Show debut, chief Camaro engineer Al Oppenheiser confirmed that the performance pack for the Camaro SS was bench-marked against the GT350 during testing and is confident that it’s faster.
“That’s obviously our intent [to outperform the GT350]. I have the answer, but I’ll let the rest of you decide how we did. Our goal is to up the game with our competitor, just like they upped the game with the GT350. Everyone had to expect we would punch back. I will tell you this car is three seconds faster than the previous 1LE.” he said.
“We’re plowing new ground with the V6 1LE, and for the SS 1LE, our initial target benchmark was the fifth-generation 1LE. But, obviously, Ford came out with their GT350 and we changed our sights. We’re not worried,” Oppenheiser said.
If what Oppenheiser says about the SS 1LE being faster than the GT350 turns out to be true, it’ll be an impressive feat considering the 1LE is simply a performance package while the Shelby GT350 is a dedicated high-performance Mustang variant.
In terms of power, the 339kW (455hp) Camaro SS in 1LE trim is out-gunned on paper by the GT350’s 392kW (526hp), but it does have the advantage of magnetic ride control, sticky Goodyear Eagle F1 tyres and an electronic limited slip diff which allows the car to corner in excess of 1G of lateral acceleration.