bravenrace wrote:dj06482 wrote: I was impressed by the 1LE's lap time at VIR. I have seen other articles that said it was faster on track than the Mustang Boss Laguna Seca, which this test backed up. It also undercuts the Boss Mustang on price, so my hat's off to Chevy from a cost/performance perspective.That's great, but there's more to a car than the numbers.
Absolutely, but when you look at things objectively, it's an impressive piece of work. I'm a Chevy guy who's never owned a Camaro and has owned (and loved) two Fox body Mustangs. I liked the '05 redesign of the Mustang, and think Ford's done a very impressive job with improving the Mustang year after year. I personally believe the Coyote V8 is a very impressive motor, and I think the chassis is light-years ahead of what it was in the Fox days. Ford managed to do all this without porking up the S197 completely like the Camaro was when it was redesigned.
When the Boss and Boss Laguna Seca came out, I was even more impressed. Ford took what was already a great car and made it amazing. They made a track-capable car that you could buy from the factory, with a full warranty. I didn't think anything would ever touch it, and at the time I thought it was one of the most impressive values for the money.
I've loved the exterior (minus the size) of the new Camaro since it's come out. I saw the new Camaro side by side with the ZR1 Corvette at an auto show when they had just come out and the Camaro literally stole the show from the ZR1. I've sat in a Camaro and think the visibility is atrocious. The Camaro is also too big, in my opinion. It also weighs a lot. Aside from the looks, I thought the new Camaro as a package was pretty underwhelming.
I remember the 1LE package from the late 80s, when it was for showroom stock racing. I wasn't expecting much from it when it was released, it sounded like another trim package and a way to squeeze more money out of Camaro fans. However, I think this is one case where the overall package is far more impressive than the sum of the individual parts. Chevy seemed to really do a great job with this package, and for that I have to give them credit. To match (and beat) the Boss LS on the same racetrack is impressive, no ifs, ands, or butts about it. I realize the Chevy has a larger tire package and that can account for some (if not all of the difference), but it's also down on power when compared to the Boss LS, it's several hundred pounds heavier, and it's significantly less money (a base Boss 302 Mustang is $43K, a base 1LE Camaro is $37K). On that basis, I have to give Chevy credit because the 1LE package is pretty damn impressive, especially for the money.
I'm not saying that because the 1LE is faster around VIR than the BOSS LS that it's the better car. Setting aside the BOSS LS, the 1LE also bests an impressive list of machinery at VIR, based on lap time. That doesn't mean it's the best car, but it is throwing down some impressive lap times. You can't take that away from it, and that was my point.
