Daily News: Thursday 8/10/17

Chevrolet Unveils 2018 Camaro ZL1 NASCAR RacerWith the demise of the Chevrolet SS muscle-sedan, Chevrolet motorsports was left without a NASCAR, as their racer was based on the SS. Yesterday, Chevrolet announced that their next Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series car would be based on the new-for-2018 Camaro ZL1. Introduced personally by NASCAR #48 Jimmie Johnson and Mark Reuss, executive vice president of GM Global Product Development, the new NASCAR racer is technically the same as last-years, with its 90° pushrod V8 still connecting it to the road-going car. The car will make its competition debut next February during Daytona Speedweeks, at the start of the 2018 NASCAR season. The ZL1 moniker was originally given to an all-aluminum engine built for racing, which snuck its way into road-cars through the COPO program at sneaky dealers, and keeping in line with the history surrounding the name, Chevrolet decided to debut the car in Louis Chevrolet’s racing number: #8.

Again, look for the ZL1 NASCAR racing all next season beginning at Daytona.

Audi Launches Driving Experience at Circuit of the AmericasIn a further effort to involve fans and customers in the cars they love, Audi has announced the launch of an on-track experience program to be held at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA). Performance cars will be generally used, such as the RS3, TT RS, and R8 V10 Plus, however more mundane vehicles are also available such as a Q7 SUV, Four different programs will be available at launch. From Audi’s release:

• Audi Sport dynamic experience
  • With the guidance of a professional instructor, participants will get an introduction to understanding and practicing key principles of performance driving techniques in the dynamic exercise paddocks while behind the wheel of the Audi RS 3 and the TT RS.
• Audi Sport track initiation experience
  • During this half-day program, participants master vehicle control and handling in the TT RS, RS 3 and the R8 V10 plus through dynamic exercises that demand a high level of coordination utilizing both the exercise paddocks and the circuit.
• Audi Sport R8 track initiation experience
  • This one-day program offers the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the R8 V10 plus and discover its full potential on the Formula 1 Circuit. Built around race course sector training, this method allows participants to get acquainted with all of the race track’s particular features before proceeding to tackle the entire circuit.
• Audi Sport R8 pro track experience
  • Following completion of the Audi Sport R8 track initiation experience, participants will be qualified for the Audi Sport R8 pro track experience. Designed for true driving enthusiasts, this experience includes thorough training from the professional instructors and two days behind the wheel of the R8 V10 plus to further practice performance driving skills on the full racecourse.

The program will take place year-round, with reservations open today. Audi owners and fans alike are welcome.

Acura RLX Revealed Ahead of Official Public DebutAcura’s top-dog sedan, the RLX, is seeing a brand-new model released this year, and Acura has released images of the car before its official public debut at this year’s Car Week in Monterey, August 15^th-19^th. Taking design cues from Acura’s new ‘Precision Crafted Performance’ design philosophy, the RLX is brought much more in line stylistically with other Acura models such as the NSX. Styling is not the only inspiration the new RLX will take from its NSX big-brother: one of the two powertrains available will feature 3 electric motors along with its 3.5L V6, producing a total of 377hp through a Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive layout. With torque vectoring through the electric motors, this may be the closest we will ever come to a four-door NSX. The more volume-minded model is the 3.5LV6 equipped model, sans hybrid technology, routing power through a 10-speed automatic. This model can be either FWD or AWD, and be spec’d with an all-wheel steer system to increase liveliness.

Look for more details following the public debut next week.