The 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 build page is live

The 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 configurator opens much like the rest of the “build your own” pages on the Chevrolet website with a look at the car and the available exterior colors. This list includes Silver Ice Metallic, Summit White, Black, Victory Red, Ashen Grey Metallic Rally Yellow and Inferno Orange Metallic – with those last two carrying an additional price of $325. I personally love the Inferno Orange Metallic and if you’re going to spend $54,995 on a new Camaro…what’s another $325 for an awesome paint job? Below the exterior colors choices is the one interior option, as GM is only offering a black leather interior package for the 2012 Camaro ZL1 and that is just fine by us. After picking the color and taking the $900 destination fee hit – my dream ZL1 carried a price of $55,320.

Once you have selected your exterior color choice for the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 (which is only offered as a coupe in the configurator right now), you scroll down to pick your options. There are two packages available for the ZL1 with one being the standard ZL1 Preferred Equipment Group and the other being the Interior Sueded Microfiber Package that tacks on an addition $500 while adding a suede wrapped steering wheel, shift knob and shift boot.

Next, it is onto the powertrain options for the 2012 Chevy Camaro ZL1 Coupe which are fairly scant but supremely awesome at the same time. Of course, the standard engine of the ZL1 is the supercharged 6.2L V8, packing 580 horsepower and 556lb-ft of torque and that monster mill is mated to a standard 6-speed manual transmission although for an addition $1,185, buyers can opt for the self-shifting 6-speed automatic transmission. Needless to say, even though GM has done a great job of making the automatic-equipped ZL1 as much of a super muscle car as the high end Camaro with the 6-speed manual – we would pick the one with the clutch pedal for optimal driving fun.

When you move to the exterior options for the 2012 Camaro ZL1 Coupe, you receive a handful more choices including a bright polished wheel option that drives the price up $470 over the standard black finish wheels while a power/express sunroof can tack on an additional $900 and a satin nickel finish fuel door adds another $175. I personally would opt for the sunroof and the satin fuel door but as a lover of black wheels – I would stick with the less expensive of the wheel choices. Finally, for $325, new ZL1 owners can select a unique car cover that comes in either grey or red with black stripes that mimic those on the ZL1 itself. I would go with the grey with black stripes – only because I don’t think that the red would match well with my ideal Inferno Orange Metallic exterior paint choice.

Once you pop over to the interior options tab for the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Coupe, you find a handful of fairly run of the mill features like illuminated footwells that add $555 to the price, along with $155 floor mats, a $60 cargo net, and a $140 cargo mat. Last but not least, under the accessories new ZL1 buyers have the option of picking the subwoofer speaker option that adds some weight, some sound and $1,065 to the final price of the ZL1. This feature is completely useless for the track but as a car built for the road and track, a little boom from the stereo is always a welcome additional and with 580 horsepower – the ZL1 has more than enough power to make the driver not notice the extra few pounds.

In the end, my dream 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Coupe carries a price of $57,470. That includes upcharges for the Inferno Orange Metallic paint, the sunroof option, the satin fuel door, the custom car cover, illuminated footwells, floor mats and the subwoofer speaker. While that might be a hefty chunk of change – considering that it is far less expensive than many of the cars that compete with the ZL1 in terms of performance measures, anything under $60k seems like a pretty good deal for a car that will hang with some of the world’s most expensive supercars.

Click here to head over to the Chevrolet website to build your own 2012 Chevy Camaro ZL1 Coupe!