All of us here at Jim Butler Chevy of St Louis are eagerly looking forward to the annual return of racing, as this particular year it will provide a sample taste of outdoor freedom that we are all so hungry for! A perfect solution for cabin fever, even watching on TV will give us an extra-special sense of seasonal victory, as temps have plummeted lately across the nation and snow has blanketed much of the Midwest. Last weekend, Chevy had three matching pace cars ready for high-speed excitement during the thrilling races on tap at Daytona International Speedway.
Each one of the cars runs on the 6.2-liter small-block V8, and will proudly display the C8 Rapid Blue Paint color, a great-looking fan favorite. The first of the trio is a Silverado 1500 RS, with a 420-horsepower EcoTec3 V8 that was on-site during the Camping World Truck Series' NextEra Energy 250 on Friday, February 12. The next day the boisterous and brawny 2021 Camaro SS 1LE was the chosen pace car for the Xfinity Series 300, and the Corvette Stingray had the honors on Valentine's day for the Legendary Daytona 500, leading the way for poised Camaro, Mustang, and Camry stock models eager to cross the famed finish line.
Numerous times in history pace cars become sought-after collectibles when a manufacturer issues one as a coveted special edition, as the brand we love to represent has done many times in the past. One unforgettable model was the 1978 Indy Pace Car Edition Corvette sporting a two-tone black-over-silver paint job and the 1998 Corvette with the distinct and memorable purple and yellow color scheme. Another of our personal favorites was from many years back cast splendidly as the 1969 Indy 500 Chevy Camaro with orange stripes over a white-on-white convertible body.
If you are a fan of the Rapid Blue color, you can add it to your very own 2022 Camaro, as it is joining the option list for the new year. On the inside, the current Camaro design is a composite blend of old and new, with the dashboard's design in place over the cluster and chrome interior trim pieces appearing as if they are sourced from our favorite classic muscle car of yesteryear. Opting for a larger 8-inch touchscreen, wireless charging pad, navigation, and premium Bose audio system are ways to excitedly enhance the drive on this car that excitedly brandishes the 6.2-liter V8 that produces 455 horsepower and 455 lb-ft of torque.
Other trim levels come armed with power under the hood sourced from a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder that makes 275 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, a 3.6-liter V6 that provides the next step up generating 335 horsepower and 284 lb-ft of torque, and the hefty supercharged V8 that generates 650 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque. The ZL1 is the proper track hound's dream model that physically defines “having everything” over the top, with adaptive dampening, wider tires, manually adjustable front suspension, and its precisely-allocated 650 horsepower.