Thursday, July 19, 2012

The Camaro 1LE Wants To Be The BOSS Of You

AutoGuide states that

In many ways, the 1LE is to the Camaro SS what the Boss 302 is to the Mustang GT.

Sure, and in many ways Silver Side Up was to Nickelback what Zep II was to Jimmy Page and the rest of the boys. And just like Silver Side Up, the Camaro keeps selling like there's probably no tomorrow, and certainly no trackday tomorrow. Let's see what 1LE customers will get.

Want to know what "1LE" is all about? Go visit this Angelfire page. Quick, before Angelfire collapses into a black hole of archaic irrelevance or something like that. The original 1LE cars were SCCA-focused ass-kickers. This one? Well, you will get

FE6 suspension package which includes thicker front and rear sway bars, a strut tower brace, toe links, rear shock mounts, monotube dampers, upgraded half-shafts and wheel bearings sourced from the ZL1 model. 20-inch wheels wrapped with Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar tires finish off the package.

The drivetrain also sees some upgrades with a 3.91:1 rear-axle ratio and an updated close-ratio variant of the Tremec six-speed manual transmission. Lastly, the automaker also throws in a transmission cooler and high-flow fuel pump.

As for aesthetics, the 1LE model is differentiated from its brethren with a black finish on the hood and wheels. Climbing inside the cabin, microsuede accents are seen on the steering wheel and shift knob, again borrowed from the ZL1.

This strikes me as a Camaro "GrandSport". The Corvette GS, of course, is a Z06 without the handmade engine or expensive aluminum chassis. This is a ZL1 without the engine but with most of the cosmetics. It's not a BOSS 302, which is an extremely focused vehicle even if you don't spring for the Laguna Seca package.

One area where credit must be given: the Camaro 1LE, like the SS, uses the more expensive Mexican-assembled Tremec 6060 which Ford saves for the Shelby GT500. If you're hard on transmissions, or expect to add significant power through the limitless small-block-Chevy aftermarket, it's enough for us to recommend the Camaro over the Mustang. Everybody else… we'll see you at the Ford store.



from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com




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