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Chevrolet's 1LE package is designed for Camaro owners with a need for speed

Feeling the need for speed?

Chevrolet has announced that the 2017 Camaro will gain an option package called 1LE. Offered on and off since 1988, 1LE is synonymous with a raft of handling-focused modifications designed to make Chevy’s pony car markedly faster around a track.

The package is available on both V6- and V8-powered cars for the first time ever. Regardless of how many cylinders are in the engine bay, it brings a flat black hood that reduces glare, a sizable splitter up front, a three-piece spoiler out back, and Goodyear Eagle F1 tires wrapped around 20-inch alloy wheels. Both variants also receive a suede-upholstered steering wheel and a short-throw shifter.

More important modifications are found by looking under the car. Notably, the V6-powered coupe gains suspension components borrowed from its V8-powered sibling, four-piston Brembo brake calipers, a mechanical limited-slip differential with a 3.27 ratio, and a dual exhaust system. Since 1LE-equipped cars are more likely to see track time, Chevy has added coolers for the engine, transmission, and differential oil as well as a Camaro SS-sourced fuel system that prevents fuel starvation during high-speed cornering.

The Camaro SS builds on the V6 model with an adjustable suspension system named Magnetic Ride Control, six-piston brake calipers manufactured by Brembo, an electronic limited-slip differential, and Recaro bucket seats for the front passengers. General Motors’ Performance Data Recorder, which captures the driver’s perspective of the road ahead and a host of telemetry data, can be ordered at an extra cost.

The 1LE package is exclusively available with a six-speed manual transmission, but it doesn’t include any major mechanical modifications. The Camaro features a 3.6-liter V6 engine that delivers 335 horsepower, and the Camaro SS boasts a 6.2-liter V8 with 455 ponies. Chevrolet isn’t planning on expanding 1LE availability to the four-cylinder-powered model anytime soon.

Enthusiasts who want to order a Chevrolet Camaro with the 1LE package will need to be patient because it’s not scheduled to go on sale until later this year. Pricing information hasn’t been announced yet.

Ronan Glon
Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…
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