Once upon a time, when General Motors wanted to sell a muscle car, they focused almost entirely on how big the engine was. That gave us the famous big-block Camaros that could go fast and straight, though corners were another story. Today’s Camaro has plenty of improvements that allow to to handle turns better, but if you really want a do-it-all Camaro, what you want is the ZL1.
With American buyers increasingly concerned with cornering, GM had to give the ZL1 some serious suspension chops along with its supercharged LSA engine. That comes in the form of Magnetic Ride Control, which is the main feature of the latest Camaro ZL1 commercial.
Not that the ZL1 needs a commercial to find willing buyers. But by putting awesome features like Magnetic Ride Control into the public consciousness, GM may be able to change the minds of skeptics who still think American cars can’t corner. And the 4,300 pound Camaro ZL1 definitely needed help in that area.
But using magnetorheological fluid in single-tube suspension dampers, the MagnaRide system can harden and soften the fluid. This allows for some seriously fast suspension adjustments on the fly, enabling even the heavyweight ZL1 to carve through the corners with ease.
It’s a change of pace from the big-block V8 days, when all that mattered was cubic-inches. Good to see that GM has adapted to the modern day muscle car marketplace.