Image of the ZL1 Camaro cracking the 200 mph barrier on one of its two runs around the oval to establish its top speed. While it may have been with the wind, it is impressive nonetheless.

In a feat that is both astonishing and not all that surprising at the same time, the ZL1 has officially established itself as the fastest production Camaro of all time in both terms of all out acceleration and top speed. Over the weekend, Chevrolet finally took the wraps off the ZL1’s top speed and it is much higher than the tests John Hennessey conducted with his personal vehicle, though that may have had something to do with the fact that his was a manual version and the car that established the ZL1’s top speed was equipped with a 10-speed automatic.

In fact, the car actually broke 200 mph on one of the two legs necessary when establishing a top speed at Germany’s Automotive Testing Papenburg proving ground. Typically, a car’s top speed is an average of two runs in which the car runs around an oval in both directions. The top speed is then taken from each run and then averaged together. This helps to eliminate the affects of head- or tail-winds. The ZL1 averaged 202.3 in one direction and 193.3 in the opposite, giving it an average top speed of 198 mph—though we were very impressed to hear the car broke 200 mph period (even if it was with a slight tail wind).

2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

“This test caps an impressive list of performance stats for the Camaro ZL1, which was designed to excel at everything,” said Al Oppenheiser, Camaro chief engineer. “It’s the most capable — and fastest —Camaro ever.”

The car was also running on its standard Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3 tires with tires pressure set a 44 psi. While this is a slightly higher tire pressure than the average person typically runs on the streets, it is actually the pressure recommended for extended high-speed driving due to the fact that at lower pressures the heat builds up too much heat energy.

And while the ZL1 is an impressive beast in almost every regard, achieving 200 mph anywhere is an unbelievable difficult feat. The 49.7-degree banking at the Papenburg proving grounds allowed the test driver to keep the throttle pinned even while turning at the 2.5-mile oval. We’re not saying the car isn’t capable of 200 mph but it probably isn’t doing that anywhere but a special proving ground—so don’t try this at home kids.

Chevrolet says that the ZL1 used for testing was 100 percent completely stock with the tires set at 44 psi. The only modifications to the vehicle were the addition of data logging equipment.

Apart from the astonishing 650 horsepower the ZL1’s LT4 produces, one of the main factors in getting the car to 200 mph was the redesigned aerodynamic package that incorporates a station rear spoiler and revised auxiliary cooler covers which decreases front end lift without creating drag. The front-to-rear aero balance was also finely tuned for stability according to head honcho  Al Oppenheiser.

“The ZL1 was developed with high-speed performance in mind, incorporating a balanced aerodynamic package that reduces lift without significantly affecting drag,” said Oppenheiser. “In fact, when we set the front and rear camber adjustments to 0 degrees and the tire pressures to the maximum allowable sidewall pressure, the ZL1 averaged over 200 mph.”

And though top speed is great we were just as thrilled to check out the ZL1’s official acceleration numbers when equipped with the 10-speed automatic. The car will sprint to 60 in just 3.5 seconds and tear through the quarter mile in 11.4 seconds at 127 mph. Not too shabby for a car that still weights north of 3900 pounds—though it is a substantial improvement over its portly fifth-gen older brother.

Regardless of how you look at it, whether it be acceleration, stoping, handling or top speed, the ZL1 is hands down the best performing Camaro to ever roll off The General’s assembly lines. We’re told that we will be able to get our hands on one of these magnificent machines in the coming weeks so stay tuned right here for updates in the coming weeks!

Here you can see the tracks steep 49.7-degree banking that allowed the test driver to keep the car wide open the entire way around the track. We don’t know about you, but making a corner at nearly 200 mph has us clenching pretty hard at the mere thought.