The 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 Will Start at $75,000
Now that the C6 Corvette Z06 is gone, the Z/28 is the only new GM model available with the hand-built, 7.0-liter LS7 V8. Power is SAE-rated at 505 horsepower and 481 lb-ft of torque.
A six-speed manual transmission, coupled with a Torsen limited-slip differential and Chevy’s Performance Traction Management system, is the only available gearbox. Race-honed, spool-valve dampers allow engineers to adjust bump and rebound parameters for high- and low-speed wheel movements. Cornering response is now quicker thanks to stiffer spring and bushing rates. No wonder Mark Reuss, president of General Motors North America, calls the Z/28 “an uncompromising performer that’s bred for the track.”
Once on a race course, drivers of the ballistic bow tie bruiser will feel the force of up to 1.08 g in cornering acceleration. Those lucky enough to ring out GM’s most expensive Camaro on the Nurburgring can pilot it with confidence, knowing that it can pull off lap times four seconds faster than the 580-horsepower ZL1 and outpace the Porsche 911 Carrera S and the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640.
A less-is-more approach makes those high levels of performance possible. The z/28’s 19-inch forged aluminum wheels, shod in 305/30ZR19 Pirelli PZero Trofeo R rubber (a production-car first), cut 49.6 pounds of unsprung weight compared to the standard 20-inch rolling stock on the SS and ZL1 Camaros. Fixed, monoblock calipers squeeze Brembo Carbon Ceramic Matrix™ rotors, which reduce vehicle weight by 28 pounds when compared to steel units and bring the general’s track monster to a stop. Such hardware combines to generate at least 1.5 g in deceleration.
The minimalist strategy is even more apparent once you’re planted in the z/28’s aggressively bolstered Recaro seats and facing the flat-bottom steering wheel and Octane matte-metallic interior trim. Although there’s a big motor up front, there are none attached to those sporty buckets; all adjustments have to be made manually. The rear seats’ back structure and bottom cushions’ steel mesh has been replaced with high-density foam. The pass-through has been eliminated. Both changes net a savings of nine pounds. Some sound-deadening material and trunk carpeting has also been removed. Unless you live in Rhode Island or New Hampshire, you’ll have to make do without a tire-inflator kit, which has been purged. Under the hood, the battery is smaller and lighter, and will not have to power high-intensity discharge (HID) headlamps or fog lights. Even the air conditioning has been gutted, but it can be replaced if you pay $1,150, which also buys six audio speakers (as opposed to the standard one).
You can submit your order for the Camaro Z/28 in Red Hot, Black, Silver Ice Metallic, Ashen Gray Metallic or Summit White starting in late January. Deliveries will begin rolling out in the spring. You’ll have the chance to take VIN 0001 from your sleepy-time utopia to your real garage on Jan. 18, when it will be on the block at the Barrett Jackson Auction in Scottsdale, Ariz. If you buy the flagship Camaro at a dealership, just know that the $75,000 starting price includes destination and freight charges, and the gas-guzzler tax, but leaves out the tax, title, license and dealer fees. (It’s only a matter of time until pictures of the outrageous dealer markups start to make the rounds online.)
via [Chevy]
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