2013 Cadillac XTS

Report: Camaro Z28 on hold - again

 
8 9,871 views Jul 13, 2009

camaro z28 preview 008

camaro z28 preview 001

camaro z28 preview 001

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When General Motors' financial situation turned from serious to bankruptcy-bound, two of the first models to get pushed back or canceled were the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible and the ultra-performance Z28 variant. Just a couple weeks ago, talk of the Z28's revival was bubbling out of GM, but today a new report has Bob Lutz hinting that the car isn't on the production list.

In late June a group of GM officials held a question and answer session at the Carlisle Nationals event in Pennsylvania, and the enthusiasts over at Camaro5 got new confirmation that the Camaro Z28 is in fact still on the table.

But today Automobile published a report quoting Bob Lutz, GM's un-retired product guru, as saying, "I think the V6 Camaro is probably a very good model for the future of the high-performance car in America. The Solstice coupe with the 2.0-liter turbo engine is another good expression of the future of the high-performance car, which is smaller, lighter, more fuel-efficient, and probably with lower displacement, but with a turbocharger.”

That formula does not compute with the rumored LS V8 adaptation that had been planned for the Z28. But this isn't the first time news of the Z28's demise has come, and don't be surprised if GM flip-flops yet again.

The Z28 had previously been pushed back until after the early 2011 debut of the Camaro Convertible, and feared to be all but canceled. Reports from earlier this year said the design of the Camaro Z28 was complete, but that the project wouldn't be going forward due to a low expected sales rate and high per-unit costs.

Those earlier plans had a version of the LSA V8 found in the new Cadillac CTS-V, rated at 556hp (414kW) and good for a 0-60mph time likely under 4 seconds with a shot at a high-11-second quarter mile time.

Those would be fantastic numbers for a Camaro, and would certainly be enough to put the Camaro firmly in the lead for this round of the muscle car wars - if it's ever built.
Chevrolet Camaro Z28 preview 2008

HI-RES GALLERY: camaro z28 preview 008




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Comments (8)

  1. ma_Chris avatar Chris Posted: 6/29/2009 4:54pm PDT

    am i the only one who sees a very strong but niche demand for such a vehicle and as such, the ability to charge what ever the hell they want for such a car?

    dump the damned engine in that car.. charge an exhuberant price for it... the dealer markup will be 5 grand anyways. get your asses out of debt by climbing on the backs of the motor heads.

    seriously.

    apple knows how to make a product that may be utter crap, not a deal in any right, however it has market appeal and therefore they can charge what ever the hell they want for their stuff. its called good business. THIS is why the american 3 got in trouble in the first place. making products that no one wanted and then pricing them to move. and then not recognizing a gold mine when they had a barrel full of gold sitting right in front of them.

    dealer mark ups mean that your marketing division didnt price the vehicle right. thats money you should be making.
     
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  2. ma_NaBUru38 avatar NaBUru38 Posted: 6/29/2009 6:01pm PDT

    General Motors is waiting for economic crisis to disappear and Transformers 3 to be premiered.
     
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  3. ma_NoNameDenton avatar NoNameDenton Posted: 6/29/2009 9:44pm PDT

    The Z28 was always about handling not crushing power numbers, should keep it that way
     
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  4. ma_Ken avatar Ken Posted: 6/30/2009 7:47am PDT

    Build it. It will sell as many units as Obama will let GM make. Right now they can't even make Camaros as fast as people are buying them. This is a huge image car for GM, and it gets them free advertising because the car mags drool all over it.

    A 550hp Z28 would blow every Mustang ever built out of the water and remind everyone who really dominates the pony car wars when they want to. But make it handle better too; don't just add power.

    Personally I'd never buy one. These things look great from a distance, but up close they are enormous. There's so much tire/fender gap on the Camaro that I could almost climb in there to inspect the shocks. They dwarf the 'Vette and the prior F-body design. And I'd rather drive a Pontiac Aztek than have to look at the hideous dashboard they put in the latest Camaro.

    But still, build it. Lots of people love this car, and GM should use it to re-establish a good name for themselves.
     
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  5. ma_Mike avatar Mike Posted: 6/30/2009 10:36am PDT

    I also wonder about the role-reversal of the SS and Z/28. The SS was always positioned above the Z/28, with bigger, more powerful engines. The Z had smaller, lighter small blocks and tuned suspension. I always think it's funny when people complain about large fender gaps in production cars. This isn't an issue of Super Street. In the real world, with potholes and speedbumps, fender gaps are there for a reason. They allow something called "suspension travel", which Ken may or may not be familiar with. Yeah, "hellaflush" fitment looks cool on a showcar, but you don't see those cars being driven often, unless it's on or off a trailer.
     
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  6. ma_Ken avatar Ken Posted: 7/1/2009 3:09pm PDT

    Fender gap varies widely on production cars. Some late model BMWs have almost no fender gap, especially at the rear where the wheels are tucked inside the bodywork.

    My '85 Trans Am with the WS-6 package had maybe half the fender gap of the new Camaro I looked at the other day.

    As BMW has proven, there is no need to have, or not to have, a fender gap on a production car. It's just a question of style. Trucks probably still need fender gap for off-road suspension travel, but cars don't.
     
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  7. ma_NoNameDenton avatar NoNameDenton Posted: 7/13/2009 1:14pm PDT

    I wish they would just make up their minds
     
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  8. By  xmas presents Posted: 12/6/2009 11:35pm PST

    This car however does NOT have an LSA, rather it has a twin turbo 3.6 Liter V6. Jay Leno was at the unveil last night and said this is the car he would build as a Z28 if it were up to him. It's in the same vein as the first generation Z28. The SS Camaro had the large V-8 (over 400+ Cu.i), however the Z28 was built to race in the Trans Am racing series and therefore had modifications focused on handling with a small (for the era) 5.0 Liter V8.This car is similar with a small (by Pony car standards) twin turbo V6 and modifications focusing it on handling.
     
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