Chevrolet is expanding the availability of the Camaro's 10-speed automatic transmission to the supercharged ZL1 model with the track-focused 1LE package. Previously available only with a six-speed manual, the 2019 Camaro ZL1 1LE coupe with the automatic will go on sale in February. The new transmission choice will cost $1595 on top of the 1LE's $72,195 base price.

As is the case with many of today's sports cars, giving up a clutch pedal results in improved performance; according to Chevy, the automatic car lapped GM's own Milford road course half a second quicker than the manual car. It's safe to say that the ZL1 1LE automatic will also improve on the impressive 2:45.7-second lap time that its manual equivalent achieved at our 2017 Lightning Lap event. In our testing, a non-1LE Camaro ZL1 with the 10-speed automatic outaccelerated the manual car by 0.3 second from zero to 60 mph, at 3.4 seconds, so the automatic 1LE is likely to improve upon the manual 1LE's zero to 60 mph time of 3.5 seconds.

Chevrolet said it has recalibrated the 10-speed auto for 1LE duty, adding a new transmission oil pan and an additional cooling duct for the steering gear while also optimizing the transmission tuning to cooperate with the electronic limited-slip differential and multi-mode stability-control system. The Multimatic spool-valve dampers are tuned differently to account for the automatic's quicker shifts that affect the car's load transfer. Paddle shifters are included as standard.

The rest of the ZL1 1LE's upgrades are left alone. The supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 makes the same 650 horsepower, and the same aero tweaks, upgraded Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3R tires, and weight-saving measures are still in play. We look forward to strapping our test gear to this ZL1 1LE with an automatic transmission soon to see what numbers it can deliver and to see what kind of lap it can produce at Virginia International Raceway.

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