Although the fifth generation Camaro platform has officially retired in favor of the all-new sixth generation, we’re pretty confident that when modified, the ’10-’14 Camaro can still make for a respectable contender against the current competition.
A perfect example of that ideology is Rob Mattei‘s 2013 Camaro SS 1LE. During the California Airstrip Attack, a half-mile race at the popular SHIFT-S3CTOR event, Mattei is paired against a McLaren MP4-12C in the boxing ring, and he’s not going down without a fight.
Mattei’s 1LE Camaro sports an array of respectable components. The car has been upgraded with the usual bolt-on affairs, such as a FAST LSXR 102mm intake manifold and throttle-body combination, along with a Roto-Fab cold-air-intake system, a pair of long tube headers, an upgraded camshaft, and a custom tuning calibration from Synergy Motorsports. That combination has allowed Mattei’s Camaro to achieve low 12s in the quarter-mile, with hopes of making a high 11s pass with some additional tuning. So how does the car stack up against a McLaren 12C? Quite well, actually. During the half-mile event captured by YouTube channel BayAreaRacing, Mattei and his 1LE Camaro finished the event only 12 MPH down from the alleged supercar.
For a bolt-on naturally-aspirated V8 car that weighs almost 1,000 pounds more than its competition, Mattei’s 1LE held up excellently against the smaller and lighter twin-turbocharged McLaren 12C.
We think it really goes to show how far the LS engine can go when modified, and Mattei’s fifth-gen Camaro is definitely a testament to that. What do you think this Camaro could achieve with forced induction?
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