There is no shortage of choice when buying a modern performance car. Two-door, rear-wheel-drive coupes encompass a wide selection of makes and models and a new YouTube video has an unlikely pair facing off against each other– a 2023 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and a 2023 BMW M2.
Powering the Camaro ZL1 is Chevrolet’s supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine. It makes 650 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque, way more than the BMW. However, the extra power comes with a disadvantage– a higher curb weight. The Camaro weighs 3,886 pounds.
The BMW is down on power with its much smaller engine. Its twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six engine cranks out 453 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. It’s also lighter at 3,750 lbs. Both cars power their rear wheels through their respective six-speed manual transmissions.
The pair first faced off in two rolling races, and the Camaro displayed its copious power output. The Bow Tie brand won both bouts and brought home the car’s first two victories. The Camaro won the races by several car lengths, which started at 32 and 43 miles per hour, respectively, with the cars in second gear.
The first drag race went awry when the Camaro driver missed a shift, the BMW winning its only run of the video. The second race went smoothly, with the Camaro rightfully sweeping the competition.
The Chevrolet completed the quarter-mile race in 12.2 seconds. While the M2 was down approximately 200 hp, it was only 0.4 seconds slower than the Camaro. It crossed the finish line in 12.6 seconds. The Camaro was also quicker to the 60-mile-per-hour mark, hitting it in 3.8 seconds compared to the BMW’s 3.9-second time.
The M2, and the rest of BMW’s M lineup, won’t soon have to worry about the ZL1 or any other variant spoiling its fun. Chevrolet announced that the Camaro’s sixth generation will conclude production at the end of the 2024 model year, slated to wrap up in January.
This isn’t the end of the model. When Chevy announced that it would end production, it also noted that this wasn’t “the end of Camaro’s story,” but the automaker didn’t provide any details about the successor.
