The Highest Torque Ever In A Chevrolet Muscle Car (2024)

Muscle cars traditionally get their grunt courtesy of big-displacement V8 engines, with the trend really gaining traction during the 1960s as manufacturers like Ford, Chevy, and Dodge all battled to create the best road-going hotrod. Chevy's big blocks, in particular, had a massive impact on the muscle car market in the '60s and '70s, featuring under the hood of legends such as the monstrous Chevelle SS 454.

While the Chevelle was certainly impressive with its factory-rated 450 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque, numerous other powerful muscle cars have left Chevrolet's production lines over the decades. However, one other muscle car stands out for the highest torque output ever in a factory-built Chevrolet.

The 2024 Camaro ZL1 Has The Most Torque In Chevy Muscle Car History

2024 Camaro ZL1 Specs

(Source: Chevrolet)

The Chevy muscle car that secures the title as the most torquey in the brand's history is the final evolution of the mighty Camaro ZL1. The ZL1 is the high-performance version of the standard Camaro, the vehicle being treated to a much more potent V8 engine than the base version. The sixth-generation Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was released in 2017, a year after the standard car was launched.

Keen to push performance boundaries on its premier muscle car further than ever before, Chevy slotted the mighty supercharged 6.2-liter LT4 V8 from the Corvette Z06 under the hood. With it came 650 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque, the latter figure giving it the accolade of being the Chevy muscle car with the most torque ever. The ZL1 comes with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, while a ten-speed automatic unit is optional.

How The 6.2L LT4 V8 In The Camaro ZL1 Is Built

The secret to the LT4's power is its 1.7-liter supercharger, which can spin at up to 20,460 rpm, a full 5,000 rpm more than its predecessor, the LS9. This produces an extra 9 pounds of boost for the engine, helping enhance the already punchy V8 powerplant.

In true muscle car tradition, the LT4 has a high compression ratio of 10.0:1 to help produce more power, while the V8 is kept cool by 11 heat exchangers. Two of these focus on the supercharger alone, allowing the LT4 to run at optimal temperature under heavy load consistently.

The engine fitted to the Camaro ZL1 is altered slightly from the setup in the C7 Corvette Z06, primarily as it has wet sump oiling rather than the dry-sump system in the Corvette. Dry sumps tend to be used in cars geared towards track use, where oil starvation can be a problem under high cornering loads. The Camaro is focused more on road use, so a traditional wet sump arrangement, which sees an oil pan below the engine, is used.

Being a performance-oriented engine, the LT4 is built to be as light as Chevrolet's designers could get away with. With the Camaro being front-engined, the lighter the powerplant, the better the weight distribution and the more balanced the handling. To achieve this, the LT4 uses cast aluminum for the block, cylinder heads, and intake manifold. The crankshaft and camshaft are made of steel, while the connecting rods are also made of forged metal.

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The 1LE Package Adds Track-Focused Equipment To The ZL1

While the Camaro ZL1 is already a pretty capable performance car, Chevy also offered a track-focused 1LE package for the vehicle. Built with achieving the rawest driving experience possible in mind, the ZL1 1LE comes with a six-speed manual transmission with Active Rev Matching and a set of lightweight aluminum 19-inch alloy wheels mounted with Goodyear tires.

A bespoke front splitter and carbon-weaved rear wing are also included to help produce downforce, while the LT4 V8 and Brembo braking system remain the same as the standard ZL1. The suspension setup has seen an upgrade though, with a stiffer setup aimed at giving the Camaro a more dynamic feel under spirited driving.

End Of The Camaro Line

The ZL1 may well remain the most capable version of the Camaro ever produced, as the nameplate was retired at the end of 2023. This is due to Chevrolet electing to focus on EVs going forward, with the final ZL1 rolling off the production line in December 2023. It at least holds the legacy of being the torquiest muscle car Chevy has ever produced, which should raise a smile on the faces of gearheads far and wide in what is an otherwise somber story.

The 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 Was Another Muscle Car With A Big Torque Rating

1970 Chevelle SS 454 LS6 Specs

(Source: Hagerty)

To find the Chevy muscle car with the second-highest torque figure in the history of the brand, the clock needs to be turned back five decades. By the time the 1970s rolled around, the muscle car explosion of the 1960s was fast coming to an end. Rising fuel and insurance costs combined with ever stricter government regulations meant the huge V8s were starting to get strangled, with the result being a large drop in power as the 1970s progressed.

The years of 1970 and 1971 were arguably the final years of this glorious era before performance really started to drop away. One of the crowning cars of the time was the 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454. The range-topping version of Chevy's full-size muscle offering came with a choice of two 454 ci V8s.

The standard LS5 was a potent unit with 360 hp, though the uprated LS6, which cost an extra $263 according to Hagerty, pushed power up to a formidable 450 hp. Torque hunters will be pleased to learn that both engines made 500 lb-ft of torque.

The Engineering Behind SS 454 Torque Production

For a car with suspension and braking technology from the 1960s, this was quite the prospect. The extra grunt came from the addition of forged aluminum pistons, a forged crankshaft, and connecting rods.

These enhancements allowed Chevy's engineers to achieve a higher compression ratio of 11.25:1, though sadly the engine was heavily muzzled by the time 1972 arrived. The commanding LS6 engine came with a four-speed manual transmission as standard, though an enhanced four-speed unit or three-speed auto gearbox were available as options.

Chevy's Torque-Heavy ICE History Wraps Up

The Chevelle SS 454 LS6 being short-lived only adds to its mystique, especially as it currently sits as the second-most torquey muscle car Chevrolet has ever made. With the company focused on producing EVs from now on, the Camaro ZL1 and Chevelle SS may hold onto their positions for some time.

Sources: Chevrolet, GM Powered Solutions, Hagerty, Mecum Auctions