There is no shortage of aftermarket Camaro offerings, so it's nice to see veteran General Motors tuners SLP come up with a novel Camaro package, one that even has some historical significance. The company calls its limited-edition series Panther, a name used by Chevrolet for the original project to produce a Ford Mustang rival in 1965.
That name was changed to Camaro before the model went into production. Painted all black, appropriate for something called a Panther, 100 augmented Camaros will be available as 560-, 585- and 600-hp versions, with another 45 available in 700-hp form. Because the stock LS3's 425 hp just isn't enough.
We drove the 600-hp model in and around Las Vegas and found it very appealing, devoid of unpleasant noises and comfortable to boot. The extra power comes from a Magna Charge TVS 2300 supercharger package abetted by high-lift rocker arms, springs and titanium retainers, along with an SLP Blackwing cold-air induction system and an axle-back Loud Mouth II exhaust system.
An upgraded spring package that lowers the ride height about an inch is a standard chassis upgrade on the Panther 600 model, but there also are various optional suspension upgrades available, including an adjustable sway bar package for $695 and a coil-over spring/shock package for $2,595.
Needs will vary, but our car's setup was optimal for real-world use. It had a respectable ride quality, and the sound levels weren't obnoxious, apart from some low-rpm boom when lugging along.
Much of the Panther's appeal is in its appearance, and the basic package includes fascia, hood and trunk graphics, plus side-gill inserts, a prominent rear spoiler, Panther-logo mats and headrests and a car cover with the logo. Our test car also wore handsome black-chrome wheels ($2,995), a front splitter ($495) and a rear diffuser ($1,195), which improved the look.
The car's makers estimate the Panther 600's 0-to-60-mph time to be in the region of 3.5 seconds, which is confirmed by online calculators. But good luck finding a surface with enough traction to support that claim, because our car would spin up in first gear (even after a near-idle-speed launch) as the supercharger boost came up.
Wheelspin in second gear is possible, too, so optimal drag-strip performance probably will require wider tires and lower pressures. But out on the regular highway, the extra power is great for passing and for going really fast when nobody's looking. The short-shift kit in the Panther pulls the gates closer than we'd like and increases the effort beyond the need for everyday driving, but hot-rodders seem to demand this feature, so what do we know?
The stock Brembo brakes that came on the 1SS donor car seemed up to the task of slowing this two-ton vehicle, but there are two Brembo upgrade packages in SLP's catalog if you have cash to spare, and the pricier of the two runs $6,000. It all sounds fabulously expensive, but SLP reminds us that a basic Panther can be had for less than $60,000 and will avoid the gas-guzzler tax found on the factory ZL1.
Read more: autoweek.com
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