Camaro has been an American muscle car legend since it hit the streets for the 1967 model year. Designed to compete in the “Pony Car” wars, it went on sale on September 29, 1966, and was manufactured in four generations until production ended in 2002. The nameplate was revived on a concept car that evolved into the Fifth-Gen Camaro in 2009.

After a 2017 re-design, Camaro, now in its sixth generation, remains essentially the same for 2018, but the ZL1 trim gains a $7500 1LE package with better aerodynamics, wider tires that are track-worthy, extra powertrain cooling, and some other street-legal racing tweaks.

Available in six versions in coupe or convertible configurations, I tested the ZL1 Camaro Coupe this year, after going with the 2SS trim last year. Now, the 2SS is outfitted with a 6.2-liter 455-hp engine, but in this era of “more power”, my ZL1 lived up to Camaro’s legacy of muscle and performance with power coming from a 650-hp supercharged 6.2-liter V-8. This stampede of horses makes it the hottest and fastest Camaro ever, and a full-second faster in the sprint than my 2SS ride last year.

Traditional Camaro styling lives on with muscular and sporty architecture, sculpted creases, a proud undergrille and a low and wide stance that hugs the road and turns heads. My ZL1’s exterior was enhanced by a front fascia with larger cooling ducts, wide front fenders, specific rocker moldings and rear diffuser; a distinct hood with carbon-fiber air extractor; a Stanchion rear spoiler; a Chevrolet flowtie front emblem and a Black Chevrolet bowtie in rear.

The ZL1 Camaro is powerful and confident, measuring 188.3 inches in length, 74.7 inches in width and 52.4 inches in height, on a 110.7-inch wheelbase. My test Coupe weighed in at 3820 lbs. in curb weight.

The most powerful Camaro ever, ZL1’s standard 6.2-liter LT4 direct-injected V-8 engine is responsive and super-powered. While my 2SS and its 455 horses finished off a zero-to-60mph sprint last year in 4.5 seconds during a 12.8-second quarter-mile, my 2018 Camaro ZL1 and it 650 horses/650 lb-ft of torque blazed the dash in 3.4 seconds (hand-timed), and finished off a quarter-mile in 11.4 seconds. .

Camaro’s structure and balance was race-car precise, firm and attentive. Its ZF rack-mounted electric, power-assisted and variable ratio rack-and-pinion steering was auto-cross responsive, and the MacPherson-type front and rear struts with dual lower ball joints, twin-tube struts and direct-acting stabilizer bar provided a driver’s feel while smoothing out road irregularities for passengers.

EPA rated at 14 mpg in the city and 20 mpg on the highway, I got as much rubber as I could and mashed the pedal often during my weeklong test, to average 18.0 mpg.

Inside, my ZL1 Coupe was packed with infotainment, keyless access with push-button start, cruise control, power trunk release, manual rake and telescopic steering wheel, dual-zone automatic climate control, Bose premium audio system, heated/ventilated front seats and heated steering wheel, Black interior with Red accent stitching and suede inserts, suede-wrapped flat-bottom steering wheel and shift knob,
Red seat belts, and tech, tech and more tech.

Interior space was leg-roomy and head-tight, with 38.5 inches of front headroom and legroom of 43.9 inches. Rear accommodations are a tight 33.5 inches of headroom with only 29.9 inches of child-worthy legroom. Shoulder room is accommodating at 55 inches.

Standard safety items include a rear vision camera, dual-stage frontal, thorax side-impact and knee airbags, driver and front passenger, and a head curtain side-impact set up as well as GM’s Passenger Sensing System.

Available in six trims in both Coupe and Convertible configuration, the 2018 Camaro base prices in Coupe form are: LS/LT -- $26,700; 1LT -- $27,695; 2LT -- $31,495; 1SS -- $37,995; 2SS -- $42,995 and ZL1 -- $62,495.

My ZL1 Coupe in Red Hot (I have loved Red Camaros since I owned a Red 1967 Camaro back in the day) with a Jet Black interior and Red accents, tweaked up with an overly expensive, but very cool $7500 ZL1® 1LE Track Performance Package upgrade that included: Black hood wrap; unique front splitter; front dive planes; exposed carbon fiber weave hood insert; exposed weave carbon fiber rear spoiler; low-gloss black outside rearview mirrors; dark tail lamps; 19-inch low-gloss Black-painted forged aluminum wheels with Goodyear® Eagle®F1 SuperCar 3R 305/30R19 front and 325/30R19 rear, summer-only tires; Red calipers with 1LE logo; performance suspension with DSSV™ dampers, adjustable camber plates, rear stabilizer bars (3 positions) and front spring seats. This option came with my test set-up, but if I were ordering, I’d save the $7500. Transmission-wise, I prefer the 6-speed manual transmission that was in my test ride, but you could go for the 10-speed paddle-shift automatic for $1595. Chevrolet MyLink® with an 8-inch diagonal Color Touch Screen and Navigation added $495; Premium carpeted floor mats with ZL1-specific logo added $160; a really sweet carbon-fiber instrument panel added $500 and a cargo net for the trunk added $65. With Destination and Freight charges of $995, and a Gas Guzzler Tax of $1300, my 2018 Camaro ZL1 Coupe/1LE was priced-as-tested at $72,515.



FYI, Camaro fans can see 51 years of Camaro at the Carlisle Chevrolet Nationals at Carlisle (PA) Fairgrounds, June 22-24. Home to a diverse group of General Motors vehicles, from vintage muscle to the modern 6th Generation Camaro, this event was formerly known as the GM Nationals. While focusing on 107 years of the Chevy brand (and 100 years of Chevrolet trucks), the weekend isn’t limited to “Bow-Tie” branded cars and trucks. The Chevrolet Nationals also includes any and all makes and models produced by General Motors. But for Camaro enthusiasts, be sure to check out the 2018 Camaro ZL1.


Visit www.CarlisleEvents.com for more on the automotive hobby.

Mike Blake, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004. He's been a "car guy" since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years.

Mazda’s CX-9 has been an award-winning head-turner since it debuted in 2006, as curved and sculpted midsize three-row crossover that distanced itself from the typical box-on-wheels SUVs it competed against. Now, three years into its second generation, CX-9 is still carlike in its handling and it continues to collect a long list accolades as Mazda’s flagship sports-ute.

CX-9 has been lauded as a Car and Driver “10 Best” winner in its trucks and SUVs competition; “North American Utility of the Year” finalist; “World Car of the Year and World Car Design of the Year” finalist and WardsAuto “10 Best Interiors” and “10 Best Engines” awards recipient. CX-9 also won Strategic Vision’s “Total Quality Impact” award, and for 2018, Mazda CX-9, continues to impress in safety, earning the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s highest recognition of “Top Safety Pick+” when equipped with Smart Brake Support and Adaptive Front-lighting System.

Essentially unchanged for the 2018 model year, CX-9 adds exterior items -- Auto On/Off Headlights and Rain Sensing Wipers have been added to the Touring trim and Windshield Wiper De-icer is on the GT/Signature trim. Several interior tweaks have been added to the GT/Signature trim including a Heated Steering Wheel, 2nd row seat heater; and the Active Driving Display adds Traffic Sign Recognition; and the front driver's seat adds a tilt function, seat lifter and power lumbar. Safetywise, Blind spot monitoring and Rear Cross Traffic Alert are added to the Sport trim; Rain-sensing windshield wipers, High Beam Control, Lane Keep Assist, Lane Departure Warning, Mazda Radar Cruise Control - MRCC are now on the Touring trim, Front Parking Sensor is on GT/Signature and the full i-ACTIVSENSE safety technology suite is standard on CX-9 Touring and above. Additionally, G-Vectoring Control vehicle dynamics enhancements and Smart City Brake Support automatic emergency braking are now on all trims.

From a design perspective, CX-9’s execution of the Mazda KODO -- Soul of Motion design lives through its proportion -- a long hood, swept greenhouse, large wheels and short overhangs that convey stability and a contained sense of potential energy. Fitting nicely into midsize, three-row crossover SUV parameters, CX-9 measures 199.4 inches long, 77.2 inches wide and 67.6 inches high, with a 40.5-inch front overhang and 115.3-inch wheelbase. Ground clearance is 8.8 inches and curb-to-curb turning circle radius is 19.4 feet. My test CX-9 Signature was in AWD configuration and came in with a curbweight of 4308 pounds.

CX-9’s powertrain is the same as last year, its 2.5-liter inline-4 turbo that delivers 227hp on regular (87-octane) unleaded fuel and 250hp with Premium (93-octane) gas. Torque is 310 lbs.-ft., and the EPA estimate is 20mpg/city, 26mpg/highway in AWD configuration (FWD is rated at 22/28). A week of mixed-use driving averaged 23.1mpg.

As a driver’s vehicle, CX-9 is smooth and attentive. Road irregularities are smoothed out well by an independent front MacPherson strut suspension with stabilizer bar and an independent multi-link rear with stabilizer bar. The power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering with engine-speed-sensing variable assist was responsive a relatively true, even in auto-cross tests, though acceptable understeer was the norm and quick S-Curve moves showed the expected top wobble. Acceleration was predictable and solid in all ranges. My CX-9 had solid pick-up for passing at speed and for conquering long uphill grades. On the track, a zero-to-60mph dash took 7.7 seconds, and a steady 16.1-second quarter-mile was a smooth journey.

The CX-9 cabin is comfortable, but confining for drivers and passengers over 6-feet tall. Front headroom is 39.3 inches up front without a moonroof, 38.5 in row two and a child-friendly 35.4 inches in row three. Legroom is comfortable at 41.0 in front with 39.4 in row two and a cramped 29.7 in row three, and shoulder room measures 57.9, 58.1 and 53.1.

The cabin is packed with high-tech and comfort amenities. My test Signature was loaded with such items as Nappa leather-trimmed seats, Auburn-colored interior accents, leather wrapped steering wheel with unique stitching, genuine Rosewood interior trim, power sliding-glass moonroof with sunshade, rain-sensing windshield wipers, heated front seats, windshield-projected Active Driving Display, 12-speaker Bose® Centerpoint® 2.0 Surround Sound System with AudioPilot®, SiriusXM Satellite radio, Mazda Navigation System and much more.

The 2018 Mazda CX-9 starts at $32,130 for a front-wheel drive in the Sport trim – AWD starts at $34,925. Touring trim starts at $34,960 in FWD and 36,760 for AWD; the Grand Touring trim starts at $40,470 (FWD) and $42,270 (AWD) and the top-of-the-model-line Signature starts at $44,315 for AWD – all trims see price increases in 2018 except for the Signature.

My test ride, a CX-9 Signature in Snowflake White Pearl Mica (an extra $200), with an Auburn Nappa Leather interior, offered no available major packages as this trim is loaded as is. A Rear Seat Entertainment System added $1995 for dual 8-inch headrest-mounted LCD monitors and two sets of wireless headphones for occupants in the second row. Front and rear splash guards added $150; an Interior Lighting Kit added $350; and Mazda Mobile Start (Smartphone-controlled App) added $550. With a destination fee of $995, my 2017 Mazda CX-9 Signature stickered-as-tested at $48,355.

Visit www.CarlisleEvents.com for more on the automotive hobby.

Mike Blake, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004. He's been a "car guy" since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years.

Fresh off its best auction of all-time, Spring Carlisle, Carlisle Auctions returns to the Carlisle Expo Center to host its third event of the year, the Carlisle Auctions Summer Sale. This event is ALL NEW and runs June 16 only, starting at 11 a.m. The Summer Sale is a little different from the other events that Carlisle Auctions offers. While it still has cars, people, excitement and the FREE UNLESS SOLD GUARENTEE, there are new features connected to the Summer Sale, making it more of a festival atmosphere than ever before.

The core of the day of course, is cars and trucks crossing the auction block. There are 200+ slated. These rides span nearly 100 years of automotive history and many will cross the block without a reserve price. While others will carry a reserve, they are also the high-end, high-caliber cars. Showcased for sale in June is a 2006, low mileage Ford GT. In addition, another sexy Ford comes to Carlisle; a 1966 Shelby GT350H. Yet another gem is a 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible. Any of those cars would be THE perfect way to cruise into summer!

What makes it more of a festival and community event are the add-ons. While generations of classics are slated, future collectibles will be on-site too. The new products showcase is anchored by a trio of local dealers. Those dealers, Family Ford of Carlisle, Carlisle Cadillac/Buick/GMC of Carlisle and Lawrence Chevrolet of Mechanicsburg aim to bring some of their hot new rides for guests to experience firsthand. Also, spectator admission is FREE! Come one, come all and enjoy the Summer Sale.

Further, via a local vendor, there will be food trucks available too, serving up great fare that is quite different from your standard burgers and hot dogs. And…what would great food be without a cool beverage? The local flavor continues with samples from local breweries and wineries.

Complete details on Carlisle Auctions can be found at www.CarlisleAuctions.com or by calling 717-960-6400. On the web are links and information for consigning a vehicle, becoming a bidder and a photo gallery of most of the vehicles that are consigned to the auction. Finally, a run list and link to watch a live stream of the auction will also be available during each day of the auction. Reach out today to be involved and don’t miss out!

Walking the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds as part of the 2018 Ford Nationals presented by Meguiars, one could almost literally suffer a neck injury due to the amount of “look here,” “look there,” “wow what’s that” moments on the National Parts Depot Showfield. The cars, the people, the excitement; it could be felt across the grounds, in the community and at the Carlisle Expo Center where Ford hosted its annual free ride and drives!
Special anniversary displays, guests and great weather helped make this Ford event one of the best in recent memory. Dave Kindig of Bitchin’ Rides on Velocity was the star attraction on Saturday and was flanked all weekend by the likes of racer Al Joniec, authors Don Farr, Marci Cipriani, “GT Joey” Limongelli and many more. If people at the show weren’t walking the grounds looking at the cars, they were in line picking up an autograph from their favorite celebrity or test driving, FOR FREE, the latest rides from Ford.

Of course, the event is about more than special guests. Awesome showcase displays anchored all corners of the grounds. Building T welcomed the Cobra Jets, the GT500KR, Focus, Torino, Bullitt Mustang, while Building Y hosted the Ford Nationals select display. Between the two buildings, even more Bullitt Mustangs were featured, all while the NEW Bullitt was being showcased by Ford at the Expo Center.

One other great showcase was featured near the crossroads of the grounds; that being Ford Tractors. Tractors of various colors and eras drew guests in like moths to a flame and were, hands down, one of the most photographed displays of the show.

What would the show be without product walkarounds and installs? New and unique rides where featured by Ford, Roush, Shelby American and Saleen, while A&A Auto Stores and Ford Performance helped upgrade rides via installs.

The midway and swap meet were hopping too. Jam-packed, the swap and shop aisles hosted some of the top names in the hobby, plus with collectibles, OEM and NOS items available, there was no reason not to stop and buy.

Competitions wise, hundreds of awards were handed out Sunday as part of the awards parade, while Friday hosted the Real Street Shootout and Saturday hosted burnouts, beauty and more. As the weekend wrapped with 200+ cars hitting the street of Downtown Carlisle for the annual Ford Parade and Street Party, many guests were already making plans for 2019. Save the date, because Fox Bodies, Mach 1s, the Boss, Eliminators and more will be featured as part of the May 31-June 2 event. Registration is now open by calling 717-243-7855 or online at www.CarlisleEvents.com.

For many years at Chip Miller’s baby, Corvettes at Carlisle, a car was given away. In most cases, the car was purchased, names were drawn and a lucky guest snagged the car with the only cost associated being the admission ticket purchased to attend. While the process has changed over the years, a Corvette continues to be given away, only this time proceeds benefit Miller’s namesake foundation and raises funds and awareness for Amyloidosis.

Corvettes at Carlisle 2018 is powered by Corvette America and it’s at this event, August 23-26, where the winning name will be drawn. The contest is up and running now and hopeful winners are encouraged to purchase tickets early so as not to miss out on this once in a lifetime opportunity.

1,000 tickets are available and sold on a first come, first served basis. The tickets are being sold via the Lancaster County (PA) Corvette Club and are $100 each. Tickets are numbered 000 through 999 and have a direct tie-in to the Pennsylvania Lottery’s Pick 3 game. With Pick 3 drawings taking place twice daily, anyone hoping to win will turn their attentions to Saturday evening, August 25. This is the date when the winning numbers will be pulled at random. At that point, the winner will be notified and subsequently recognized at the event.

The prize itself is indeed a Corvette. Coming direct from Kerbeck Corvette in New Jersey is a 2019 Corvette Stingray. The car retails for over $50,000 and is brand new. Each ticket sold is another $100 towards the Chip Miller Amyloidosis foundation, though the value of the car does come out of money raised. Once all the I’s are dotted and T’s crossed, the CMAF tallies about $50,000 which is earmarked for donation and research purposes. Monies also benefit Clare House, a Lancaster, Pennsylvania based organization serving homeless women and children in a caring environment. This is done through life skills training and support, leading to self-sufficiency.

“Working with the Lancaster County Corvette Club has been amazing, this group of people are awesome,” said Corvettes at Carlisle event manager Lance Miller. “Their passion to help two wonderful charitable organizations by selling tickets, promoting the raffle and being so energetic about their efforts is great to see,” continued Miller. “The CMAF can’t thank them enough for all of their efforts. Of course we’re grateful for the many supporters that purchase raffle tickets to help the CMAF too. We really enjoy being one of the lucky charities behind the effort, plus who wouldn’t want to win a BRAND NEW CORVETTE?”

Tickets for this cool car and great cause are available now! They can be obtained a few different ways. Tickets can be ordered by downloading the raffle form at http://www.carlisleevents.com/pdf/Wina2019Corvette.pdf, by calling the CMAF at 717-243-7855 x113 or in person at Corvettes at Carlisle in August.

Complete details about Corvettes at Carlisle, including links to buy single day or weekend tickets as well as register for the event itself can be found at www.CarlisleEvents.com. Get involved today and good luck, we’ll see you at the show in August!