You would be forgiven for having forgotten about the new 1LE package for the 2013 Chevrolet Camaro SS. Announced back in March, this performance upgrade package was quickly overshadowed by the arrival in dealerships of the 580-horsepower Camaro ZL1. While the Camaro lineup’s big dog may be all that anyone’s been talking about, not everyone can afford to step up to the Shelby-slayer. So, just like Ford found room for the Boss 302 between the Mustang GT and GT500, so too has Chevy made space for the 1LE between the SS and ZL1.
Chevy has finally released official images of the 2013 Camaro SS with the 1LE package, and the good news is that this isn’t your average SS. A matte black hood, front splitter and rear spoiler are the most obvious tells that you’re not looking at a normal Camaro, though the car’s black-finished 10-spoke wheels come straight from the ZL1. The 1LE borrows other things from the ZL1, including some suspension hardware, much of its fuel system, its flat-bottom steering wheel and a short-throw shifter, the latter of which is mated to a 1LE-exclusive Tremec TR6060-MM6 six-speed manual transmission designed for the particular abuses of road racing.
The car also receives larger front and rear stabilizer bars than the standard SS, higher-capacity rear-axle half shafts, mono tube rear dampers and a strut tower brace. Nope, there are no engine upgrades, so you’ll have to make do with the same 426-hp 6.2L LS3 V8 in the SS. That makes the 1LE less powerful (and significantly heavier) than the 444-hp Boss 302 against which it will inevitably be compared, but it’s also less expensive. Final pricing isn’t available, but Chevy says it will land under $40 large (the Boss 302 starts at $42,200).
Also of note is the new seven-inch touchscreen that will be standard equipment atop the center stack of all 2013 Camaros. The new screen will control the car’s entire suite of audio options, including MyLink hookups with apps like Pandora and Stitcher. Later in the year, buyers will also be able to pair the screen with the first available GPS navigation system for the Camaro.
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