Camaro 1LE laps VIR in 2:58.34

Chevrolet recently unleashed its Camaro SS with 1LE package, and now the bowtie brand has further stoked the GM-Ford rivalry by announcing its brawny coupe has lapped the daunting, undulating Virginia International Raceway in an impressive 2min 58.34sec.

The company has released official in-car footage of the lap (see below), which places it marginally behind the 2005 lap time of a Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (2:58.20), but a whisker ahead of a 2010 lap set by Ford’s brutal 410kW Shelby GT500.

However, the key point to remember here is that the 318kW Camaro 1LE competes against the 331kW Ford Mustang Boss 302 rather than the significantly more expensive Shelby GT500.

All these cars are at least partially honed at the 5.26km Virginia International Raceway (or VIR), which is becoming the US’s equivalent of the Nurburgring in terms of the challenges and bragging rights it offers.

The current top dog at VIR, according to fastestlaps.com, is the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 with a lap of 2:45.62, followed by the Mosler MT 900S (2:45.90) and Dodge Viper ACR (2:48.60).

Other notable supercars to have set benchmarks at VIR include the Lamborghini LP570-4 Superleggera (2:51.80), 2008 Nissan GT-R (2:55.60), 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (2:55.90) and 2010 Porsche 911 Turbo S (2:57.50).

Getting back to the Camaro SS 1LE, it’s priced in the US from just $37,035, making it an undisputed bang-for-buck titan.

As previously reported, it retains the standard SS’s 318kW 6.2-litre LS3 V8, but gains a Tremec TR6060-MM6 six-speed close-ratio manual gearbox, 3.91:1 diff ratio, air-to-liquid cooling system, monotube rear dampers and beefier stabiliser bars.

It also scores a chunky set of Camaro ZL1-based 20x10-inch aluminium rims shod with 285/35ZR20 Goodyear Eagle Supercar hoops front and rear, and there are also ZL1 wheel bearings, toe links and rear shock mounts for improved on-track performance.

External tweaks that set the 1LE apart from the standard SS include a matte black bonnet, front splitter and rear spoiler. Chevrolet claims the functional front splitter and rear spoiler contribute to the car’s on-track performance by reducing aerodynamic lift at high speeds.