Peter Palmer: Chevy Camaro ZL1 1LE Takes On Santa’s Sleigh

When I was a kid, I wondered how Santa Claus made it around the world, to every house, in just one night. My parents and I lived in an apartment, which only complicated matters. Since we didn’t have a chimney, one year I asked my father how Santa was going to get in. When my father, a distinguished college professor, assured me he would leave the patio door unlocked, I inquired if that were safe.

“It’s a small town, we should be fine,” my father responded.

Super Sled

Still, Santa would need a fast rig to make every house and a new Camaro sounds like the ticket. Earlier this year, the 2018 Camaro ZL1 1LE set a record time on the Nürburgring, making it the fastest Camaro ever on the famed German track. With a supercharged LT4 engine and Brembo high performance brakes, the Camaro ZL1 1LE would be Santa’s ideal car for quickly accelerating to and stopping at every house.

But don’t expect to see Santa at a Chevy dealership anytime soon. Turns out, old St. Nick’s sleigh is one powerful sled. A recent comparison conducted by GMPartsCenter.net shows that while the Camaro ZL1 1LE might be every Chevy enthusiasts dream, its 650 horses are hotly contested by only nine reindeer.

“What could we compare to the new Camaro ZL1 1LE,” asked Matt Mylan, Director at GMPartsCenter.net, noting the car’s affordable price point and performance attributes. “If we’re going to compare it to any machine, that machine has to be amazing, and Santa’s sleigh definitely qualifies.”

Chevy Versus Sleigh

The Camaro holds an advantage in fuel efficiency, with a combined 20 miles per gallon. By comparison, Santa’s sleigh requires one to two cookies per house, which means a significant amount of calories is required to move the sled through the average neighborhood. While milk was not calculated, you can figure a good amount of that is needed as well. When considering the transmission, Santa’s mode of transportation proves a bit more difficult. One would have to master all of his special reindeer calls, whereas the Camaro ZL1 LE1 comes with a quick-shifting six-speed manual.

It would appear the Camaro ZL1 1LE holds the advantage in power: 650 horses versus nine reindeer, but it seems Rudolph is a sleeper. GMPartsCenter.net estimates the top speed of Santa’s sleigh is 2.3 million miles per hour, with 60 coming in less than a millisecond. With cargo space, there is no contest. We could fit a few gifts (or maybe only gift cards) in the Camaro’s 9.1 cubic feet for sure, but with all the kids in the world, GMPartsCenter.net rightfully estimated the cargo space in Santa’s sled to be infinite. After all, Santa has to make room for all those fire trucks.

The chart is below. Enjoy!

Carl Anthony is Managing Editor of Automoblog and resides in Detroit, Michigan.