The odds are good that if you are reading this, you know that a video surfaced last week showing what many people believe to be a Camaro Z28 test car crashing at the Nürburgring. Not surprisingly, the automaker has opted not to comment on that video, but when Camaro Chief Engineer Al Oppenheiser spoke this past weekend at Rodgers Chevrolet in Michigan, he was willing to offer up some input on what we saw on that video.
First, Oppenheiser didn’t make any comment as to whether or not the Camaro seen crashing in Germany was a Z28. He explained that the Camaro team was at the Nürburgring testing a variety of different components – ranging from tires to body bits to suspension settings – during an industry-only track day. The Camaro boss explained that some of these components could be used on future models and some will not, but the “Z28” never came up. It was a Camaro test car with some items which could see production being driven by a highly skilled GM test driver. He also pointed out that their drivers are fitted with the latest safety gear, but that is all that was verified by the man in charge of the Camaro program.
Oppenheiser also talked about how that video came to be. Even though this event was not open to the public, the Nürburgring is far too large of a facility to make sure that there is no one watching and when this mysterious Camaro took to the track, there were a handful of wise camera operators who caught the car on film.
Finally, and most notably, Al Oppenheiser stated that the damage was not as bad as it looked, and after some repairs, the Camaro test car was back on the track the next day. While the Camaro team was obviously able to fix up the damaged body panels, they likely wouldn’t have been able to fix any substantial suspension or chassis damage – so it seems as though the Camaro Z28 can take a pretty good lick and drive away from it.
Best of all, since this Camaro was back in action the next day, there is a chance that the company was able to lay down a good enough lap time to talk about it. While this car could be a Camaro SS or ZL1 with unique aero bits, it could also be a Z28 test mule working on setting the new Nürburgring muscle car track record.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
