Camaro to get LS7 for 2014. Z/28 Confirmed

[Zenith]

snip

I agree, it's not the most heroic justice, but it's the correct one.

 

[Organ-Donor]

The first 2014 Z/28 and COPO Camaro off the line at auction for charity on Barrett Jackson.
Edit: Z28 went for $650k and the COPO went for $700k. Proceeds to charity.

 

[RocZX]

Camaro Z/28.R

The original Camaro Z/28 was designed as a race car first and a road car second. The 2014 Camaro Z/28 is a road car, but it will be hitting the track. And its first race is Friday.

Chevrolet says that the Camaro Z/28.R is almost totally production based, running the same LS7 V8 as in the Z/28 road car along with aero bits like the front splitter, rear spoiler, hood extractor, belly pan, and the rockers and front tire deflectors.

Chevy Camaro Z/28.R: The Pony Car Racer Is Back And It's Badass

This is a real stock car as far as Chevy is concerned, with numerous components shared with the stock, road-going Z/28. The only changes are to an endurance spec suspension and series-mandated safety equipment. Not that it's a miracle that cars like this exist, Porsche has been doing it for ages. It's just great to have the Z/28 name back on track.

Chevy Camaro Z/28.R: The Pony Car Racer Is Back And It's Badass

The Z/28.R will run in the GS class of the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, which has its first race this Friday at Daytona.

Jalopnik[\url]

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

Interesting color selection and design.

 

[Slash]

The Eagle on the side is kind of odd. Like a throwback to the Firebird.

Although I guess they needed something since Ford has the Cobra image.

 

[Adamgp]

The eagle is part of the logo for Stevenson Motorsports, the name on the car.

 

[Slash]

Shows how much I pay attention lol

 

[ProjectWHaT]

Camaro at 2014 New England Auto Show


Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 by ProjectWHaT, on Flickr


Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 by ProjectWHaT, on Flickr

 

[Badasp5.0]

Camaro Z/28.R

Jalopnik[\url]

Shame it will get hit with a weight penalty and inlet restriction when it hits the track in the IMSA's Showroom Stock GS class. The outgoing GS.R Camaro had a 3300lbs race weight and a 400hp output.

 

[Slash]

The rear end end this car would look so much better if they shrunk that damn bumper and made it more square kinda.

 

[RocZX]

Edit: not sure why 2nd video is not working.
If you can't see it, here is what it's showing "Flowtie" emblem. It's a hollowed out Bowtie to allow better airflow.

 

[Keef]

Johnny boy likes the Camaro better.

I don't. Why? It doesn't have a stereo. While street legal, the Z/28 is rather undesirable as a street car. It's a better track car, yes, but the desirability of a 3800 pound track car is debatable at best. I find the tires to be an issue as well - in the US, R-compound tires are street legal. They're designed for dry track use and hydroplaning resistance is minimal - simply driving the Z/28 down the highway during a moderate rain storm will overwhelm the tires. I know this from experience.

The GT-R is not a track car and was never meant to be. It's 100% a street car. It's nice. It has a stereo. It has tires that don't perform dangerously in the rain. It's a much better car overall.

If 4/10 of a second is really that important to you, put R-comps on your GT-R and murk that Z/28. I know which car I'd rather have.

EDIT: Plus, since I'm a fan of modifying my cars, the GT-R has an enormous amount of aftermarket support. Especially high-end Japanese brands which develop race-oriented parts for the car.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

If I known it had spool valve instead of magnetic ride height suspension I'd have been more rejoiced to see the return of the Z/28. So I feel bad that I didn't do my homework and summed it up to a hotwheels for the track...

 

[Zenith]

EDIT: Plus, since I'm a fan of modifying my cars, the GT-R has an enormous amount of aftermarket support. Especially high-end Japanese brands which develop race-oriented parts for the car.

Bro do you even LS?

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

Bro do you even LS?

Obviously he doesn't, he's all about leg day...I mean JDM day I should say.

 

[YSSMAN]

If 4/10 of a second is really that important to you, put R-comps on your GT-R and murk that Z/28. I know which car I'd rather have.

Not that I entirely disagree with you, but, there's still a $25k price difference between the two. Even then, whether or not you'd admit it, it's a hell of an achievement that Chevrolet has gotten that overweight monster to do as well as a GT-R. Get yourself a Camaro and you'll still have enough left over for a Colorado and a trailer to tow your car to the track.

As the resident GM guy, I like the Z/28. I like the fact that its keeping the LS7 going. I like that they let you row your own gears. I even like the fact that they made a big deal about that stupid badge being a revelation - because science, apparently. But... Thing is, I don't think I'd want a Z/28 either.

There are a few too many compromises to make it an all-out track car, the last hurrah for the Zeta-based Camaro, and probably the last finger it'll stick in the Corvette's eye for quite some time. The pricing is a bit crazy, the actual usability of the car isn't really there, and in the end are you all that much better off than a 1LE? For day-to-day use, if you want some level of track performance, the 1LE is still the way to go. Throw those rediculous tires on the 1LE, and I have to wonder how much slower it would be on the same track. The power difference and weight difference isn't huge - but, you never really know.

I'm waiting for the next-generation Camaro at this point. Smaller, lighter weight, different engine packages could make it a pretty interesting performer. Appropriately kitted out, with a decent V8, it'll be quick. But, I suspect that this version of the Z/28 will be the last of the track monsters from the factory.

 

[Zenith]

@YSSMAN Honestly, as impressive as the Z/28 is, I still can't think of anyone besides collectors who would want to buy it.

People who want a track monster aren't going to want to deal with the insane weight and dated Zeta chassis.

People who want a Z/28 or special Camaro to drive around won't be happy with losing so many luxuries and the race suspension.

This is the closest I've seen a Camaro get to that special kind of supercar that only exists to make a company look good, but in reality is pretty much useless to the owner. A sort of super-halo car.

 

[Paulie]

I'd buy a Z/28 if I was American and could afford it and couldn't afford a Z06 Corvette.....
That Camaro is an impressive bit of gear for the price, and forget about the fact it's not the ultimate track car, there will ALWAYS be someone who has more money, a better car, or better driving, than you at the track. The Camaro at least sounds great, looks great and would still be hella fun to drive while still being faster than a lot of other cars.

 

[Cano]

@YSSMAN Honestly, as impressive as the Z/28 is, I still can't think of anyone besides collectors who would want to buy it.

People who want a track monster aren't going to want to deal with the insane weight and dated Zeta chassis.

People who want a Z/28 or special Camaro to drive around won't be happy with losing so many luxuries and the race suspension.

This is the closest I've seen a Camaro get to that special kind of supercar that only exists to make a company look good, but in reality is pretty much useless to the owner. A sort of super-halo car.

As good as the Z/28 can be, I also think this will happen. It's like when the Mustang Cobra R was announced. Like 10 of them were driven hard in the track, and the remaining 300 or so made their way into climate-controlled garages with the seat plastic covers still in place. And yes, I know the Cobra R was a limited edition car and blah blah and the Z/28 doesn't have that heavy of a collector car stigma over it, so we will see more of those on the tracks driving hard, but still collector car it is. The ZL-1 makes much more sense as a lethal street car.

Man is it ugly, still. It cannot overrun those freaking tail-lights.

Oh, also agree about the whole R-Compound tire thing @Keef was saying. If the GTR had semis in that video, it would do the Camaro upside down. Then again, it's nissan's fault to not at least offer semislicks as an option in a car labeled as "track package" or whatever it was.

 

[Keef]

Bro do you even LS?

It's on my list for the RX7! Nonetheless, the fact that this would probably be a hardcore Camaro guy's first response goes to show that they still think the engine is the most important piece of technology. Murica.

Hiding a car's shortcomings with stickier tires is commonplace in the world of amateur sports driving, whether it be canyon roads or track days, often autocross. Any sort of sporty driving that doesn't require the car to be at the limit all the time through lack of competition and skill leaves a gap where drivers don't actually know how the car performs at the limit. All they know is the R-comps make it stick really hard and it feels pretty damn fast. The phrase, "It's on rails" is your first clue that somebody is compensating.

EDIT: Just wait til they start comparing the new GT500 to the Z/28. OMG the Z/28 is two seconds a lap faster than the GT500! Ford sucks! Yeah except that it's a fully fledged road car, even more composed and acceptable than the GT-R, and no more expensive than a Z/28.

 

[Slash]

If I was in the market for a Chevy, I'd buy it because Camaro.


I don't really care if the Vette would be the better deal. How hard is it to understand that some people maybe just don't want one?

 

[ildd]

I'd love to own both, but if I'm driving it every day, it's the GT-R. Unless I'm allowed to buy a spare set of rims/tires for the Z/28 that will last more than 500 miles and not spin out when it sprinkles.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

I quite like the Z/28. It doesn't exactly make sense...but it would be hard to deny that it doesn't do it's job well, and it's pretty cool. A Camaro that's faster than a 911 Turbo around a track.. Pretty remarkable.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

It's on my list for the RX7! Nonetheless, the fact that this would probably be a hardcore Camaro guy's first response goes to show that they still think the engine is the most important piece of technology. Murica.

Hiding a car's shortcomings with stickier tires is commonplace in the world of amateur sports driving, whether it be canyon roads or track days, often autocross. Any sort of sporty driving that doesn't require the car to be at the limit all the time through lack of competition and skill leaves a gap where drivers don't actually know how the car performs at the limit. All they know is the R-comps make it stick really hard and it feels pretty damn fast. The phrase, "It's on rails" is your first clue that somebody is compensating.

EDIT: Just wait til they start comparing the new GT500 to the Z/28. OMG the Z/28 is two seconds a lap faster than the GT500! Ford sucks! Yeah except that it's a fully fledged road car, even more composed and acceptable than the GT-R, and no more expensive than a Z/28.

So are you saying that GM put no effort into the Camaro and just gave it Michelin Pilots a slightly more powerful engine the the 1LE has and set it on it's way...

If so you might wanna go look again. Also I don't see why they would make a serious comparison between the GT500 and Z/28 since they really aren't in the same class package, then again if MT is all you read then it's no surprise if you're expecting this. However, even when they did the 302 vs the GT 500 what they were trying to illustrate and drive home made sense. Comparing a rocket fast car that's suppose to do 200mph and be a track car somewhat, against a daily driver fully purpose track car and obviously show that you don't need to have 200mph capability to be "fast".

 

[Keef]

Also I don't see why they would make a serious comparison between the GT500 and Z/28 since they really aren't in the same class package

You're right actually, the ZL1 would be a better comparison because it has cupholders, a stereo, and is actually desirable to anybody who might be looking at a GT-R or GT500. Comparing the Z/28 to a GT-R doesn't prove anything except that GM tried really hard to make a hella badass Camaro for the track and still barely beat a pure street car, despite tires you can barely use in the rain.

 

[Slash]

I quite like the Z/28. It doesn't exactly make sense...but it would be hard to deny that it doesn't do it's job well, and it's pretty cool. A Camaro that's faster than a 911 Turbo around a track.. Pretty remarkable.

>lolmuricancarscantturn

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

You're right actually, the ZL1 would be a better comparison because it has cupholders, a stereo, and is actually desirable to anybody who might be looking at a GT-R or GT500. Comparing the Z/28 to a GT-R doesn't prove anything except that GM tried really hard to make a hella badass Camaro for the track and still barely beat a pure street car, despite tires you can barely use in the rain.

GM did a good job at making a top tier Camaro in line with the Z/28 tradition at least the original first gen and second gen way. I don't know why it was compared to the GT-R auto reporters sees to see two fast cars and think "let's combine them in a battle cause they're booth fast." Even still the Z/28 isn't in the same class as the GT-R, one is a super car that you can driver everyday and the other can be driven daily but is good for the track. Also Michelin Cup tires aren't that bad and no worse that PZero's in the rain at least from my experience and others I've talked to.

However let's not forget that the GT-R isn't just a daily driver super car. But also a track car and can be set to one once you get to the track. This was something touted by Nissan and tested by everyone from MT to TG so not sure if you're just not a fan of American car companies and their direction at this moment or what, but you seem not too happy.

 

[YSSMAN]

GM did a good job at making a top tier Camaro in line with the Z/28 tradition at least the original first gen and second gen way.

Depends on how you want to look at that, I think. Although the Z/28 had traditionally been the track-focused car, it was never outrageously fast nor prohibitively expensive. Thing is, when you have 45 years of marketing to worry about, the names are going to get crazy. To some extent, I wish Chevrolet would have tried a different combination of letters and numbers on this one. They've already thrown the SS/RS badges to the wind, and I think you could make an argument that they did the same with ZL1. If anything, I'd have liked the Z/28 better as the 1LE, and vice-versa. Meh.

 

[McLaren]

You're right actually, the ZL1 would be a better comparison because it has cupholders, a stereo, and is actually desirable to anybody who might be looking at a GT-R or GT500. Comparing the Z/28 to a GT-R doesn't prove anything except that GM tried really hard to make a hella badass Camaro for the track and still barely beat a pure street car, despite tires you can barely use in the rain.

Well, let's be honest here. They had to start with a platform that was nowhere near a GT-R competitor to begin with & wasn't ever meant to be; that was the big daddy 'Vette's job. The GT-R isn't something I'd call a pure street car either considering it took what, a whole decade or close to of Nurburgring testing & what not to get to the point where it was a lightning fast track car that laughed in the face of weight saving as well as a daily driver.


I don't see the Camaro in any form, ZL1 or Z/28 as a legitimate comparison to the GT-R. Even with the Camaro having to become a borderline race car just to get close to the GT-R, the GT-R's real GM rival is still & only will be the Corvette Z06.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

Depends on how you want to look at that, I think. Although the Z/28 had traditionally been the track-focused car, it was never outrageously fast nor prohibitively expensive. Thing is, when you have 45 years of marketing to worry about, the names are going to get crazy. To some extent, I wish Chevrolet would have tried a different combination of letters and numbers on this one. They've already thrown the SS/RS badges to the wind, and I think you could make an argument that they did the same with ZL1. If anything, I'd have liked the Z/28 better as the 1LE, and vice-versa. Meh.

Well exactly and the other issue is look at the Market you have to sell in. No one (other than Dodge) is playing the selling and car making game as if it was the 60s and 70s in the domestic sphere. Also for that time frame the car was quite quick and obviously became an accomplished road car for the track. And as far as who is better suited, this I believe is what a Modern day road to track Z/28 should be. And if you really want to talk about playing true to their history then neither of these cars would be 1LE material, especially if you know the history of it with the 3rd Gen body.