2014 Z/28: The Baddest Camaro Ever
It costs more than a ZL1, has less horsepower, and only comes with one speaker. So why would you want a Z/28? Because its the most aggressive, driver-focused Camaro ever made. Oh, and its warrantied for driving on the track.
By Mike Austin
It costs more than a ZL1, has less horsepower, and only comes with one speaker. So why would you want a Z/28? Because it's the most aggressive, driver-focused Camaro ever made. Oh, and it's warrantied for driving on the track.
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Track Monster
If you haven’t watched the video (we highly recommend you do), that’s the footage of the Camaro Z/28 lapping Germany’s Nürburgring Nordschleife in 7 minutes, 37.47 seconds with a partially wet track. That’s better than the dry track time of the current Porsche 911 Carrera S, and Camaro Chief Engineer Al Oppenheiser says the Z/28 will eventually get close to the 7 minute, 30 second mark.
Lapping a track as fast as possible is the Z/28’s primary purpose. Unlike the all-around performance of the 580-hp Camaro ZL1, the Z/28 gives up comfort in the name of speed. The stereo only has one speaker, and it’s only there in the first place because it’s needed to make turn signal and warning chimes. Air conditioning is optional, and the trunk carpeting is gone. Of course, it only comes with a manual transmission.
Lapping a track as fast as possible is the Z/28’s primary purpose. Unlike the all-around performance of the 580-hp Camaro ZL1, the Z/28 gives up comfort in the name of speed. The stereo only has one speaker, and it’s only there in the first place because it’s needed to make turn signal and warning chimes. Air conditioning is optional, and the trunk carpeting is gone. Of course, it only comes with a manual transmission.
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Adding Lightness
The engineering strategy with the Z/28 focuses on losing weight. More than 190 parts are different compared to the Camaro SS, and the total curb weight is 3837 lbs.—300 lbs. less than the ZL1 and about 100 lbs. below the SS.
Forty-eight pounds of that weight savings come from the wheels and tires. The rest comes from obsessive commitment to slimming down. Throwing out the floor mats was worth 4 lbs., but GM engineers didn’t stop there. They even went so far as to omit the extra wiring for parts that were left out, like for the speakers—a savings of just 1.1 pounds. And the rear glass is .01 of an inch (0.3 mm) thinner, good for 0.9 lb.
Forty-eight pounds of that weight savings come from the wheels and tires. The rest comes from obsessive commitment to slimming down. Throwing out the floor mats was worth 4 lbs., but GM engineers didn’t stop there. They even went so far as to omit the extra wiring for parts that were left out, like for the speakers—a savings of just 1.1 pounds. And the rear glass is .01 of an inch (0.3 mm) thinner, good for 0.9 lb.
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505 Wild Horses
Starting with the 7.0-liter LS7 V-8 engine from the Corvette Z06 is a good start, but the Z/28 gets extra goodies including Mahle pistons, titanium connecting rods, titanium valves, and custom-designed exhaust headers. Oppenheiser says the pistons are “basically indestructible,” and only show signs of wear after 50 hours at wide-open throttle on the test bench. Total output is 505 hp and 481 lb-ft of torque. In a nod to Camaro heritage, the acoustic engine cover has the number 427 over each cylinder bank, even though this engine is technically a 428.
In keeping with the track theme, the Z/28 comes with a dry-sump oil system, a first for the Camaro. At the rear axle is a helical limited-slip differential that cut 0.7 second from the car’s time on GM’s Milford Road Course. And the engine, transmission, and differential all have cooling circuits.
In keeping with the track theme, the Z/28 comes with a dry-sump oil system, a first for the Camaro. At the rear axle is a helical limited-slip differential that cut 0.7 second from the car’s time on GM’s Milford Road Course. And the engine, transmission, and differential all have cooling circuits.
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A Real Racing Suspension
The Z/28 uses Dynamic Suspension Spool Valve (DSSV) dampers made by supplier Multimatic. If you haven’t heard of that before, that’s because this is the first time it’s been on a regular production vehicle (we’re not counting the Aston Martin One-77 as regular). But it’s been a big deal because it debuted in Champ Car (now IndyCar) racing in 2002. Since then, DSSV dampers have won 4 F1 world championships and were on 20 of the 56 cars in the 2013 24 Hours of LeMans.
Tradition shocks work by restricting oil flow around a metal disk. The spool valve instead guides oil through specially shaped ports that allow for consistent performance and nearly limitless flexibility in shaping the force-displacement curve. The Z/28 also has two spool valves per damper, one for rebound and one for compression, so that either motion can be tuned independently.
In addition to the dampers, the Z/28 comes with 85 percent stiffer front and 65 percent stiffer rear springs, and almost all of the suspension bushings are stiffer as well. The anti-roll bars are actually smaller by a tiny margin.
Tradition shocks work by restricting oil flow around a metal disk. The spool valve instead guides oil through specially shaped ports that allow for consistent performance and nearly limitless flexibility in shaping the force-displacement curve. The Z/28 also has two spool valves per damper, one for rebound and one for compression, so that either motion can be tuned independently.
In addition to the dampers, the Z/28 comes with 85 percent stiffer front and 65 percent stiffer rear springs, and almost all of the suspension bushings are stiffer as well. The anti-roll bars are actually smaller by a tiny margin.
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Downforce Where It Counts
It’s impossible to miss the front splitter that juts out from the Z/28’s chin, or the massive rear spoiler with a profile like a skateboard half-pipe. As you’d guess, every element, including the flaps ahead of the front tires, are functional. The shapes were tuned in GM’s wind tunnel and at the Windshear rolling road wind tunnel in North Carolina.
“You really need the rolling road to optimize the aero for these lower areas,” says Tom Peters, GM’s chief of exterior design for performance cars. At 150 miles per hour, the Z/28 makes 440 pounds more downforce than the Camaro SS, and actually has net aerodynamic downforce. And if you’re worries about that front splitter getting torn up, you’ll be glad to know it’s made of injection molded plastic and can be replaced for a few hundred dollars.
“You really need the rolling road to optimize the aero for these lower areas,” says Tom Peters, GM’s chief of exterior design for performance cars. At 150 miles per hour, the Z/28 makes 440 pounds more downforce than the Camaro SS, and actually has net aerodynamic downforce. And if you’re worries about that front splitter getting torn up, you’ll be glad to know it’s made of injection molded plastic and can be replaced for a few hundred dollars.
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Endless Stopping
Two-piece carbon-ceramic brakes are fitted to all four wheels for maximum stopping durability. The front rotors are 15.5 inches, the rears 15.4, and should last through 20 sets of pads. During track driving in most cars, the brake pads can get knocked away from the rotor due to cornering loads, resulting in a soft brake pedal. Like the Cadillac CTS-V, the Z/28 is programmed to have the ABS system gently push the pads right back up against the discs, making for consistent, solid brake feel.
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Widest. Tire. Ever.
305/30-ZR19 tires sit at all four corners and are the widest front tire ever put on a production car. The Pirelli Trofeo R rubber on the Z/28 is actually an off-the-shelf tire originally designed for Porsche racecars. GM Engineers went with a 19-inch diameter not only for weight savings, but also because the tire sidewall is stronger and results in more predictable handling. Cornering grip is said to be around 1.08 g. GM test driver Adam Dean (the hot shoe behind the wheel in the Nüburgring video) says they last about 70 to 80 laps on GM’s track. Replacement is pricey. We found them online for $538 each.
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Faster on a Track. A Lot Faster
GM’s Milford Road Course is a combination of several corners from tracks all over the world, and is so demanding that only 35 GM Employees are allowed to drive at full speed. Of course, we’d expect GM to tell us that the Z/28 beats the Ford Mustang on its home court, but we didn’t expect it would be almost 3 seconds quicker than the more-powerful ZL1. Look closely at the data, and you’ll see that it’s all about the grip: the Z/28 corners harder than the Mustangs and other Camaros.
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Want One? Get In Line
Chevrolet won’t say exactly when the Z/28 goes on sale, but it should be around March 2014. There’s also no word on pricing, except that it will cost more than the ZL1. That means the window sticker will be at least $60,000 and possibly more. Production will be similarly exclusive: GM will make just three to four thousand units per year. That means the Z/28 is not only the fastest Camaro in the lineup—it’s also the most rare.
Mike Austin
Contributing Writer
Mike Austin is a veteran automotive journalist current working as a Senior Research Analyst with Guidehouse Insights covering EVs, charging, and mobility. He got his start by applying to a Gopher position at Automobile Magazine instead of taking notes in chemistry class, and despite obtaining two engineering degrees from the University of Michigan, Mike pursued a career in automotive journalism.
He moved to the analyst world in 2022 after working at publications such as Car and Driver, Popular Mechanics, and Autoblog for more than 20 years, but his ineffable curiosity continues to lead to freelance writing. Mike lives in Ypsilanti, Michigan and should probably be in the garage fixing something.
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