Lucas Bell 
If you are a fan of big-power General Motors products, you have almost certainly heard of the folks at Katech Performance. The Metro Detroit-based shop has been building extreme engines for over four decades, including for use at Indy, Le Mans, and even Dakar. If you’re a fan of the glorious engine note produced by Corvette Racing’s C5.R, and C6.R, you have Katech to thank. The aftermarket performance shop doesn’t just focus on motorsports however, as they also have a range of packages available for your street-going muscle cars and sports cars. Thanks to a recent YouTube upload, we now have a chance to hear the Katech Stage 5 Camaro ZL1 rip on the dyno.
The Katech Stage 5 Camaro ZL1 package is available for the sixth-gen model, and completely transforms the muscle car into a tried-and-true monster. The package includes all of the hardware found on their lower packages, but includes one key upgrade: a Magnuson 2650R supercharger. This upgraded blower allows the rest of the upgraded components to truly shine, and take the 6.2L LT4 V8 to another level of performance. The LT4 found under the hood of the Camaro ZL1 already made a potent 650 crank horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque from the factory, but Katech targets 925 horsepower with this particular package. On the dyno, they were able to back this up with gains of 280 horsepower. That is well beyond what even the C7 Corvette ZR1 and its LT5 V8 were cranking out.
In order to make that sort of power out of an LT4 V8, Katech Performance upgrades quite a few internal and external components. Highlights of the Katech Stage 5 Camaro ZL1 package include: a K-Force 3 camshaft, a C5.R timing chain, CNC ported cylinder heads, spintron-validated valvetrain, a 103mm ported throttle body, a billet wet-sump oil pump, billet valve covers, and a Mighty Mouse Solutions catch can. Other tweaks made to the motor also include an upgraded ATI blower damper, a Griptec upper pulley, a 160 degree thermostat, and a Rotofab Big Gulp air intake. In other words, a lot of go-fast parts.
The Katech Stage 5 Camaro ZL1 package is available for purchase from the shop, and carries an MSRP of $21,999. Sure that is a lot of money, but the Katech Performance name speaks for itself. If General Motors trusts them to help craft their Le-Mans winning engines, it’s hard to argue. Plus, just listen to the thing on the dyno, sending an extra 280 horsepower to the wheels over stock.
