Review and photos by Peter Bleakney
   2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Convertible. Click image to enlarge |
If you’re into barking mad droptops, step right up folks, puts your money down (64 grand, or thereabouts) and takes your chances.
Chevy has lopped the roof off its vicious ZL1 Camaro and offers the resulting mayhem up to the delight of your ears, follicles and backside. It’s a brutal beast – bellicose, ballistic, a bit wobbly and completely unencumbered by subtlety.
The heart of the matter lies under the carbon-fibre-topped hood protrusion – a detuned version of the same supercharged 6.2L LSA V8 that powers the Corvette ZR1, here making 580 hp and 556 lb-ft (versus the Vette’s 638 hp and 604 lb-ft).
Somehow the term “detuned” just doesn’t to fly, unlike the car itself. Ferocious acceleration is a given.
With a base price of $64,250, the 2013 Camaro ZL1 Convertible comes with a Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual with dual-mass flywheel, twin-plate clutch and short-throw shifter. My tester had the optional Hydra-Matic 6L90 six-speed automatic at $1,710.
Lest you think the ZL1, introduced as a coupe in 2012, is merely a Camaro with a monster motor, think again. Chevy went to great lengths to make this pony car more than just a straight-line throwback.
Underpinning the ZL1 is third-generation Magnetic Ride Control, which utilizes magneto-rheological dampers in conjunction with myriad sensors to give the Camaro a compliant ride along with exceptional body control – and seamless transition between same.
Unlike the Mustang, Camaros have independent rear suspension, and this ZL1 is a sophisticate when compared to the live-axle Shelby GT500.
With a focus on creating downforce at speed, Chevy added a race-style front splitter, front tire air deflectors, two belly pans for reduced underfloor turbulence, redesigned rocker panels and a new rear deck spoiler.
  2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Convertible. Click image to enlarge |
The 20-inch alloys are shod with Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar Generation 2 tires (285/35ZR20 front, 305/35ZR20 rear) that were designed specifically for the ZL1. (The damn things were nearly bald on this tester – a testament to the type of activity the ZL1 inspires.)
As the almighty Nurburgring lap times were a part of the ZL1’s development, you know the brakes gotta’ be good. Big discs clamped by six-piston Brembo front calipers and four-piston rears relay a positive pedal feel and really haul this beast down.
A limited-slip differential is also part of the package.
The ZL1 Coupe has proved to be an effective high-speed track car. So what about this convertible that weighs an additional 120 kg due to chassis-stiffening measures?
Can’t say. I didn’t get anywhere near a racetrack, and I highly doubt anyone buying a droptop ZL1 will either. Chevy thinks so too, as the five-mode performance stability management system on the Coupe doesn’t make it to the convertible – just a two-mode system. Nonetheless, once up on its toes on a high-speed track I expect this ragtop would show its stuff credibly.
On the road at more legal velocities, however, it comes across as a tad brutish. It’s big, feeling every gram of its 1,987 kg, and the front wings are not in sight, making the car hard to place on a winding back road. Chuckable is a word that doesn’t come to mind. Granted, the Magnetic Ride Control does a marvelous job of smoothing out the ride, but it can’t hide the fact that despite all the structural stiffening measures (hydroformed steel tubes in the A-pillars, strengthened door-hinge pillars, and a reinforcement bracket in the windshield header, beefier four-point front suspension X-brace) the structure still quivers over the rough stuff. Better than the Mustang, though.
The variable-ratio and variable-effort electro-mechanical steering is quite good. It is linear, nicely weighted and relays back a good amount of info. Too bad the standard Camaro steering wheel, here trimmed in Alcantara, is such an ungainly thing in the hands. Those big spokes just don’t fit right with your paws at 9 and 3.
The grippy suede seats seem to be designed for those wide of girth because my somewhat scrawny frame never felt particularly snug in them.
And to the rest of the interior. Oh dear. Yes, I might be completely missing the point by ragging on this car’s cabin, but it does look and feel horribly cheap. The optional faux-suede-trimmed swath pasted to the dash panel helps a bit, but seriously, for 64 large…
    2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Convertible. Click image to enlarge |
The quartet of gauges nestled in front of the shifter are pretty much there for decoration, but the standard head-up display is very useful piece of kit.
It’s good to be constantly aware of your velocity ‘cause it’s real easy to go real fast in the ZL1 convertible.
With the top down, the supercharged LSA V8 is aural-sex defined. At idle it rumbles like distant thunder. Put your foot in it and a faint supercharger whine blends with the exhaust bellow to create an addictive cacophony. The acceleration is habit-forming, too.
The six-speed slushbox is a pretty decent unit. Not as crisp as a good dual-clutch unit or the eight-speed ZF ‘box found in many European cars, it does respond to paddle inputs with reasonable alacrity – downshifts are faster than upshifts.
   2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Convertible. Click image to enlarge |
And this Rottweiler does love to wag its tail. Like a proper nut-job pony car, the ZL1 Convertible will spin its tires willy-nilly no matter what the stability control setting. Second gear spin? Yours for the asking. Want to leave the gas station sideways? Not a problem. And you’ll get lots of practice as fuel economy is not this car’s strong suit. I came in around 15 L/100 km without trying too hard. Official numbers are 18.1 city and 11.2 highway.
I experienced a somewhat hilarious moment one hot rainy day at a stoplight on a steep incline. The aforementioned well-worn Goodyears could not find grip, and all of a sudden I was transported to February, spinning and fishtailing in an attempt to get mobile.
 2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Convertible. Click image to enlarge |
So what to make of this ZL1, which stakes its claim as the fastest convertible Camaro in the nameplate’s 46-year history. I’m not sure who’s going to buy it. Hard core track types will surely go for the less expensive, lighter and more capable ZL1 Coupe. Those who want a swift ragtop Camaro can find plenty to like in the 426-hp SS that starts around $20,000 less than the ZL1.
Wait a sec. I’m trying to make sense of all this. There’s absolutely nothing rational about the 2013 Camaro ZL1 Convertible, and that’s why it is so sensationally barking mad.
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Pricing: 2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Convertible
Base price: $64,250
Optional equipment: Hydra-Matic 6L90 six-speed automatic $1710; carbon fibre hood with exposed weave insert $630; sueded appearance package $525; premium floor mats $180
A/C tax: $100
Destination charge: $1,500
Price as tested: $68,895
Crash test results
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)
