Report: Over Half of 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 To Come With Automatic Transmissions

Lamborghini announced their intention to drop manual transmissions, being followed by other European car makers, but it seems that it’s not just the Germans and Italians who are getting rid of the manual, as the Americans are just as guilty. Given these decisions, we could say that supercars with manual gearboxes are rapidly becoming a page in the history books, Chevrolet Camaro being one of them.

Chevrolet released the official specifications of its 580 horsepower ZL1, the quickest Camaro ever. However, according to Wards Auto the General Motors shows a strong inclination toward the automatic version of the car.

“There are a lot of people out there who, as they age, do not want a third pedal,” John Fitzpatrick, marketing manager for the Chevy Camaro and Corvette, told the aforementioned source. “And then you have younger people who have never been exposed to a manual transmission,”

As a refresher, this car was rated for the first time at 550 hp and 550 lb-ft (677 Nm) of torque coming from a LSA 6.2-liter supercharged mill.

However, now, thanks to Camaro engineers on Thursday who offered media members a preview of the upcoming Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, we learned that upcoming Ford Mustang Shelby GT500-fighter will come fitted with a 6.2-liter, supercharged LSA V8 engine which will develop 580 hp at 6,000 rpm, and 556 lb-ft of torque at 4,200 rpm, besting Chevrolet’s original targets for the engine’s output and bettering its efficiency in Cadillac’s CTS-V by 24 hp and 5 lb-ft.

Finally, no details about pricing were released, although $50,000 is a good estimate, give the sticker of the Ford competitor. The ZL1 will show its face at the upcoming 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show in November, so stay tuned for details.