First Camaro ZL1 Goes for $250,000

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The first Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 garnered a cool quarter-mil when it went across the auction block at the Barrett-Jackson Auction in Las Vegas over the weekend.

The most powerful version of the Chevy muscle car ever built will reach showrooms early next year at a decidedly more affordable price – anticipated to be somewhere around $50,000. But the very collectible first retail Camaro ZL1, offered by a Sin City dealer, was aimed at raising money for the YMCA of Southern Nevada.

Curiously, it was another dealer who anted up the winning bid. Rick Hendricks, owner of Hendricks Motorsports and chairman of the Hendricks Automotive Group, took the gavel at $250,000. He’ll have to pony up the money now

though he’ll only take delivery of his new Chevy Camaro ZL1 sometime during the first quarter of 2012.
The wait should be worth it considering the ZL1 Hendricks will get will be the only one produced with a Carbon Flash Metallic exterior. It will be the 69th ZL1 to roll off the line at the Oshawa Assembly Plant, in tribute to the legendary 1969 Camaro ZL1, of which only 69 were produced.

The ZL1 is the long-awaited Chevy response to the likes of the Mustang Shelby GT. The Camaro ZL1’s 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 will make a jaw-dropping 580 horsepower and 556 lb-ft of torque. That is, incidentally, 24 hp more than the same LSA V-8 makes under the hood of the Cadillac CTS-V thanks to improvements made to the intake system, supercharger and intercooler.

The car Hendricks will drive home will come with a 6-speed manual gearbox, though the ZL1 will also be offered with a 6-speed automatic.

“Our family has been involved with the YMCA for more than 25 years,” said Greg Heinrich, president of Fairway Chevrolet, explaining the Las Vegas retailers decision to put the one-of-a-kind ZL1 on the auction block.

The original 69 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 clones when for a grand total of $7,200 – closer to $45,000 adjusted for inflation today. But one of those rarities commanded a record $840,000 bid when it went up for auction in 2005. So, maybe Hendricks got a steal after all.

If you have the money the world is yours...

yeah if i had 250,000 to drop on a car i'd buy that one.... but i'd also have a stable full of other cars if i had that guys money- lol.... glad to see they are going to get these things started...

Sounds like a 11 second car to me. I love that GM is still focused on performance.



ZR1- Beats almost every supercar out there.

CTS-V- Leads it class with handleing and performance

ZL1- Should be at the top of the pony car wars.

I could easily find something better to spend my money on. Definitely wouldn't be a GM product for many reasons. More likely would spend it on one of the supercars that actually gives you the real leather, bare essentials for race feel, and the ability to say it's a Lamborghini, Ferrari, or Porsche!

dlinsbeck wrote:

I could easily find something better to spend my money on. Definitely wouldn't be a GM product for many reasons. More likely would spend it on one of the supercars that actually gives you the real leather, bare essentials for race feel, and the ability to say it's a Lamborghini, Ferrari, or Porsche!

You have never been in a ZR1 or a CTS-V. Hand stiched leather throughout. ZR1 still isnt that nice on the inside but the CTS-V is awesome. My Z06 totally sucks but I bought my car for perfomance.

Like GM or not, its hard to deny they are competing with the best in the world and offering at less than half the cost.

Ford and Dodge have make leaps and bounds in the past year too. The coyote engine and 392 hemi are helping to give america respect in the performance world. For the longest time we were laughed at by Porche, Lambo, ect.

I have seen in a ZR1....it's nice but not worth the money. CTS-V is nice but again... GM. There is way to much cheap plastic in either one of those vehicles and again...if I had the 250000 to spend, it wouldn't be on either one of them... I have a strong hatred for anything GM... Especially when they beg for bailout moneys. That is my largest reason for never buying anything GM. As far as Ford and Dodge go, they can't compete with the exotics. Porsche, Lambo, and Ferrari still have every right to laugh. Nothing compares to them. Limited quantity, hand built quality, and personal attention to details are exactly why you pay what you do for these vehicles. GM will never have that.

Everyone has different opinions. And there are alot of sides to these arguments. Probably best to agree to disagree. We dont need to be bashing on each others cars.

So how did you end up doing at the track?

Got rained out [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]