All of the fourth-generation Chevrolet Camaros were sold long ago – with the exception of (at least) one. General Motors keeps it at home. However, this 1999 Z/28 has to pay a price for the privilege of not being driven by a potentially abusive commuter: being a lab rat for ambitious and power-hungry engineers.
Its original V8 was yanked out and replaced with the LS7 from the C6 Corvette Z06. The exterior was coated in a layer of satin black paint. In 2010, the Z/28 was once again the recipient of an involuntary heart transplant. GM’s crew of surgeons installed a GM Performance Parts crate version of the 638-horsepower LS9 V8 from the Corvette ZR-1, then resprayed the Camaro’s body in a shade of blue used for the recently departed King of the Hill.
As you can imagine, the thinkers and tinkerers had to make a slew of adjustments to the F-Body so it could fit such a big motor with an intercooler and supercharger. Mike Copeland, the leader of the swap team, said, “We were able to get about 30mm in the top just by cutting the cowl and modifying the wiper arm. Then we machined the engine mount and lowered it by 5mm. We made 15mm spacers and put them between the cradle mounts and the body to lower it down.”
Throw in a custom nine-bolt flywheel, 3.54 gears, a limited-slip diff, Kooks long-tube headers, Magnaflow exhaust and suspension by BMR and you’ve got one helluva quick creation.
Dr. Jamie Meyer, product integration manager for GMPP, said, “With slicks, and somebody driving it who really knows the car, it should easily run 10’s. Top speed, I’m guessing, will be 180-190 mph. We’ve had it on the military straight at Milford, so these numbers are obviously not on public highways, but on a closed track I’ve seen 145-150 in 4th gear with ease.”
If you’re thinking of buying an LS9 to put into a future experiment…er…project of your own, just know that they’re not cheap. Chevy prices them at $26,009.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
