In the spirit of the old saw “competition improves the breed,” Al Oppenheiser, Chief Engineer on the Camaro ZL1, has stated that Mustang fans should thank Chevrolet’s muscle car for inciting Ford to build the 650 horsepower Shelby GT500.
“For Mustang fans, you’re welcome,” said Oppenheiser on Camaro enthusiast forum Camaro5. “Clearly the Camaro has encouraged Ford to throw everything they can at us.”
Despite its 70 horsepower advantage over the Camaro ZL1, Oppenheiser wasn’t about to concede the title of hottest pony car to the GT500, instead claiming that the bow tie offering is the better all-around (and more track-ready) package.
“The days of ‘no replacement for displacement,’ are over, and it’s not enough to be fast in a straight line, Oppenheiser said. “With the Camaro ZL1, we set out to deliver integrated performance, and be equally good at acceleration, braking, grip, and turning. As you will soon see, that’s why the Camaro ZL1 will set the performance benchmark for the segment.”
References
1.’Open letter from…’ view
