There will be only 500 examples of the 2014 model year Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 made, with another 2,500 planned for the 2015 model year. This helps make the supercar slayer incredibly collectible, and additionally, a target to replicate. So in an effort to prevent counter-fitting, our dealer sources have tipped us that GM is restricting exactly 35 parts to help protect the authentic buyer’s $75,000-plus investment. In other words, if you don’t own a new Camaro Z/28, you can’t order said parts. They are the following, with the part number included:
- 22958646 ROTOR-FRT BRK
- 22958647 ROTOR-RR BRK
- 22958658 CALIPER ASM-FRT BRK
- 22958607 CALIPER ASM-FRT BRK
- 22958637 CALIPER ASM-RR BRK
- 22958634 CALIPER ASM-RR BR
- 23179350 MOLDING ASM-RKR PNL
- 23179351 MOLDING ASM-RKR PNL
- 23487228 SCOOP ASM-HOOD AIR
- 22968220 ESCUTCHEON – FRT GRL EMB
- 23468210 EMBLEM – FRT GRILL
- 22954889 WHEEL ASM-STRG
- 22873225 WHEEL-FRT
- 22873227 WHEEL-RR
- 23179322 FLARE ASM-F/FDR
- 23179323 FLARE ASM-F/FDR
- 23179324 FLARE ASM-RR WHL OPG
- 23179325 FLARE ASM-RR WHL OPG
- 23172755 DIFFERENTIAL ASM
- 23172756 DIFFERENTIAL ASM
- 22908036 EMBLEM ASM – E/Gate
- 22908498 EMBLEM ASM – FRT GRL
- 22894294 SEAT ASM-FRT
- 22894302 SEAT ASM-FRT
- 23473010 SHAFT ASM-RR WHL DRV
- 23473011 SHAFT ASM-RR WHL DRV
- 23468208 GRILLE – FRT UPR
- 22925211 PLATE – F/FDR VEH NA
- 22972716 COVER – D/SEAT BK
- 22972708 COVER – P/SEAT BK
- 12653293 SHIELD – INT MANIF SIGHT 12653294 SHIELD – INT MANIF SIGHT
- 23104737 SPOILER – F/END 22997723 FASCIA – FRT BPR
- 22985096 FASCIA – RR BPR LWR
- 22968219 COVER – FRT FOG LP OPG
- 22966600 COVER – A/CL HSG 23468209 PLATE – FRT GRL EMB BKG.
Comments
Currently doing a GM tribute conversion on another car – I can say this is infuriating because there’s no exception process.
I totally, totally understand the need to block fraud. Nobody wants to pay $60,000 for a Camaro Z/28 and find out they actually bought a 2SS.
BUT, there is a tribute car industry and when there’s no way to buy a Z/28 anymore, GM is just thumbing their nose at people willing to invest the money to make another one.
I don’t even want to say what tribute conversion I’m doing, because I’m afraid its parts could get blacklisted and I haven’t ordered them all yet. It’s not a Camaro and the original (in this particular trim) is not for sale… less than 100 were made.
GM needs to provide some exception process when someone shows they’re willing to document that they’re building a legit tribute car. It’s not like GM loses money on this one… many of these parts will sit for years in a warehouse collecting dust.
“BUT, there is a tribute car industry and when there’s no way to buy a Z/28 anymore, GM is just thumbing their nose at people willing to invest the money to make another one.”
Those people GM is “thumbing their nose at” are only those who didn’t buy the Z28 when it was offered new. GM has no reason to prop up or support the “tribute car industry” (Re: Clones) as they exist only to ride the coattails of GM’s truly desirable products. Clones deserve NO exceptions as they are offering NOTHING exceptional that the original car offered.
Only 500 units; first come, first served, and cloned substitutions are inferior to the genuine article. Calling them “tributes” doesn’t conceal the fact that they are half-assed clones intended to ripoff unsuspecting car buyers. Genuine 2014 Z28’s will remain highly valued, and no amount of squirming and whining by clone makers to have access to Z28 spec parts will diminish the Z28’s rarity.
“… as they (tribute cars) exist only to ride the coattails of GM’s truly desirable products.”
I completely disagree with you. Tribute cars help GM compensate for making too few of in-demand vehicles, rather than someone saying “screw it, I’m going to buy a Hyundai Genesis and do the logical thing with my wallet instead of the passionate thing.”
If GM will lift this restriction when the 5th Gen Z/28 goes out of production, you may have a case there. But GM rarely does that and there are many cases where people can’t buy the car they want because GM didn’t make enough – and the people that have them, aren’t interested in selling them.
I’m not saying GM should just let people slap Z/28 badges on a Camaro V6. But if someone wants to drop the right engine and parts and trim onto a ZL1 or 2SS – GM should appreciate that there are customers willing to do that… especially when they’ve sold out of the Z/28.
And if GM keeps trimming brands, and ignoring the low-cost enthusiast market… a Hyundai Genesis may be the patriotic and passionate move.
“Tribute cars help GM compensate for making too few of in-demand vehicles,”
Wrong. Clones destroy residuals, and diminishes the idea that GM can’t make an exclusive and limited production car. With production caps, GM knows that they will sell all 500 units and that they will at list price. There will be no leftovers and no unsold units at the end of the model year. No rush to slash prices on an unsold Sonic for the Z28, and that’s just the way any automaker wants it.
Clones don’t help GM’s image. They weaken the product’s image by offering a weaker and inferior substitution. GM already has all the 2014 Z28 VIN’s on record, and a simple check at the dealer level can be preformed to weed out the crooks. The greater the restriction on part, the greater the demand. Don’t forget, those who can afford a Z28 can also pay for the parts. Costly, but there is no greater barrier to prevent clones from undermining GM’s best performance products.
Genuine 2014 Z28’s will remain highly valued, and no amount of squirming and whining by clone makers to have access to Z28 spec parts will diminish the Z28’s rarity.
If you want a Z28, work damn hard and buy one. If you’re getting one used, do your homework. Lazy and stupid people will fall into the trapping of a clone, and the lazy lay-abouts who quit work at 3:30 won’t ever own a Z28 anyway.
The “low cost enthusiast market” doesn’t exist anymore. If you want the best and most capable product, you pay for it. Otherwise, you can lower your standards and accept an inferior clone which is little more than rice.
“The “low cost enthusiast market” doesn’t exist anymore.”
If GM existed in a vacuum – you would be right. GM may not care about that market anymore – but it does still exist and is on a comeback. Millenials are finally getting their disposable income, and they’re putting off marriage. That money is cash GM seems to be fine passing on – but I’m not going to not call them out on a bad business call.
This goes a lot deeper than the Z/28 – not a single GM representative can explain why there isn’t a Stage 2 tune for Malibu Turbo, when the same engine and a weaker transmission handled 300 horsepower just fine on the HHR, Sky, and Cobalt.
As to the rest – it’s just idle bickering, we’re so far apart on this one I don’t think it’s productive to argue over it.
“Millenials are finally getting their disposable income, and they’re putting off marriage. ”
To bad they want the best for their money, and aren’t willing to lower their sights and accept a clone into their life. I wonder how many CLA and A3 clones are out there? I wonder how much of Gen Y cares about HP like their dads did, or how the ricers did back in 2001.
It simply isn’t there anymore. The performance market cost good money to get into, and even more to get the best. Clones are simply inferior trash for the pretenders and dollar store shoppers.
“As to the rest – it’s just idle bickering, we’re so far apart on this one I don’t think it’s productive to argue over it.”
Come back with a working argument next time. Perhaps one that doesn’t downplay and spin, or tires to present the idea of an inferior product as acceptable, especially when it’s in the face of the genuine article.
“Come back with a working argument next time.”
This is why I don’t like talking to you, Grawdaddy. You refuse to take the high road and agree to disagree on topics. Instead you insult. You don’t realize how it weakens the view of your own arguments with others.
Stop with the straw men, and I’ll engage with you more in the future. Until then, I’m done talking to you.
As if you were in any more of a respectable position; trying in vain to argue for inferior knock-offs of limited production cars.
I mean, after reasoning with you and your position, what else is there to do but to ridicule your position into nothingness? You’re advocating for the destruction of product residuals and for mediocre substitutes; it’s risible and worthy of ridicule.
You can be “done talking” with me all you like and for however long you like. It’s no skin off of my ass if you have a terrible misconception of what genuine product quality means.
Your challenge lies ahead of you in finding a dumb enough buyer for your clone project, and given how consumers are more educated now then ever before, it’s your mountain to climb and yours to fall off of.
See you at the bottom.
Well like the old joke has gone for years that there are more 1969 Z/28’s today than in 1969. The sad part is this is a true statement.
The fact is so many people build these clones and to a point it is nice for someone who wants a Yenko but can not afford the real one. But on the other hand it makes it a pain in the A$$ to try to buy a real one with confidence.
This is not really anything new as many of the pace cars and other special editions have required you to have a correct vin to buy the parts needed to repair many of these cars. GM has done this for years.
The truth is if there is enough demand the aftermarket will offer the parts to make what ever you want. Most of todays clones are build with repo parts and not real factory parts.
As for low cost performance markets they are gone period as there really is not much low cost anything markets anymore. The average car price is now well over $30k and that is just what it is expensive.
I am an owner of a HHR SS with the GM Turbo Upgrade package. I have heard GM is working on packages for some of the new cars but I am not sure what ones.
To be honest though I would not want one on a Malibu right now as I would not want one on a stock HHR without the SS suspension. Having right at 300 HP in my car now It is a blast to drive but the F5 suspension lets me use it. While the Malibu is handles well the extra 30 HP will make a difference and it would need the improved suspension to really enjoy the extra power. To me it would be an incomplete package.
As for doing a Malibu like this I am not sure how well it would do. To get it right would raise the cost and it would be right at or near the Regal. If given the choice of a Malibu or Regal AWD at the same price the Regal wins every time.
Too many people want performance in a box. It is time more people take the time to learn their car and do what we used to do and make your own improvements.
Any new Eco Turbo can be modified with two 3 bar sensors and a reflash of the computer. I know many who have gotten much more than what the GM turbo kit is putting out. Most dyno shops can reflash the computer and tune it to get the power you want and for the most part much cheaper than modifying an engine.
I just think GM has built a real special car here and I give them credit for not whoring it out. This will protect many of the buyers investment in the long run and not cheapen the cars image. lets face it. it is not like you can’t get a decent Camaro for a lower price and do your own mods to it for much less.
Exclusivity has it’s price and those who pony up need to be protected for their trust to invest. If they drive it or not that is up to them. It is their loss if they chose not to,
So next time you see a guy claiming to have a real 69 Z/28 with an automatic ask him the option code for the rare feature LOL! I Love to see these guys squirm.
Erm, you guys do know that there’s a multi billion dollar aftermarket part industry which will be more than happy to step in and provide any part GM decides it doesn’t want to. Heck, they’ll build the part even if GM does make them available to the general public and just sell it for half price. Ironically enough when I was at SEMA last year GM had a significant presence encouraging this very industry.
So many people fail to grasp why we like to modify our vehicles … for every crook who might try to sell an Z28 clone based on an SS there are thousands who are simply enthusiasts who like to personalize their vehicles. Tahoe/Yukon owners have been buying Escalade parts for years and I’ve yet to see a buyer stupid enough to buy a Tahoe thinking that it is an Esky. Nor do I see Camaro owners buying SS or ZL1 parts trying to sell their base model as an SS or ZL1 … but even if this were the case somehow GM doesn’t care to stop selling those parts.
This is what happens when executives have meetings for nothing and have to make decisions to justify themselves and said meetings. And in the process GM ends up losing hundreds of thousands of dollars of profit trying to mitigate a scenario that will either never happen or will happen so rarely as to negate any justification from preemptive action.
We’re not in the late 60s any more, long gone are the days when a person could pass a Tempest for a GTO. Models and parts are easily identifiable to anyone armed with an internet connection and half a brain. These draconian measures are pointless, profit denying, and more than anything else, removed from reality.
But like I said, where there’s a market someone will fill the gap, so this is really nothing that even merits discussion other than to note the absurd.
Preach! The aftermarket will happily step in and fill the void. And if GM was really serious about exclusivity, all they have to do is maintain and keep good records.
The reason it was so easy to clone older cars was because of the manufacture’s pathetic documentation of the manufacturing and sales numbers.
And in this day and age, with bar scanners and other digital marking processes, a Z/28 could easily be marked in such a way to prove its authenticity.
I also think many fail to understand too that for the price of the brakes on this car you can buy a track prepped Miata ready to run.
Even if the parts were available they would not be cheap to build a copy with GM parts. In fact I think it would be more expensive if you did it right.
Now also we mush keep in mind GM needs to keep service parts available for so many years too and they do not want to have to stock a ton of expensive parts so the prices will be high.
In the end, GM can do what it wants.
I see no downside FOR GM with GM keeping its Z28’s exclusive by limiting part sales. 69 Z28 is a legend today and hopefully 50 years from now the 2014 Z28 will also be a legend and command huge money from collectors. (probably will not be able to drive them due to no gas. but that is another story). There will still be copies out there but the VIN will point those out. Though I am sure any totaled Z28 VIN plate will never go away, just show up on a different Camaro.
If you could buy these parts and a new 2ss camaro and a 427 plus a tranny,and wheels and tires,what would that cost $$$$$
I think the point is that someone who is passionate about their car may want to do it – and GM shouldn’t object to some kid that lands that “big job” and buys a 2SS Camaro, then five/ten years later climbs the corporate ladder and wants to take the Camaro that went along for the ride and make it a Z/28.
In the past GM had no prob with this – you can convert a 2SS into a ZL1, for example.
The arguments against the Tribute car are undermined by the other arguments raised. If it’s too expensive to do – why ban it? That gives cadence to the notion that only those who have a darn good reason/passion/etc will do it. Clone makers can’t profit if the cost is too high – and even if they did, then you fall back to the other argument… if market demand for that is small, why worry about it?
I haven’t heard anyone here say GM should lift the ban. Christopher argued for an exception process… and I can’t see why people are so worked up over that.
With no doubt it’s easy to see a third party fabricating parts for the Z/28 very soon. Clones can still happen. But they won’t be official GM parts. At least not immediately it seems.
The reality is this is a special car and while you should be able to buy aftermarket parts few will ever get all the engineering refinement that GM did. It is hard to duplicate. You can spend a lot of money on these parts but if you do not get them to work together they generally fail to work as good as they could. This is what GM brought to this package is a lot of great parts tuned to work with each other.
The fact is there is nothing wrong with having a special car. In the 60’s Ford did not offer a Cheaper GT350 because they wanted everyone to have a Shelby. The fact is the exclusivity helps sell cars and helps sell them at higher prices. The price of the parts for this car drive the price and if you start offering them piece meal then people will not by the car and just buy selected parts to build incomplete Z packages.
The fact is the brake package here alone is more than some cars. This is a special car and is going to be treated as such like it or not.
For once we do have a honest to God real limited car like a old COPO and today we have people bitching that they can make a clone before they even hit the dealers.
Now I would agree with you if there were no SS or ZL1 but you have two great cars to work with already and it should be ok to let GM make a special car that really is special like it used to be. The original. 69 ZL1 1969 Camaro’s were special and limited. Even the earlier Z/28 cars were really limited and all were expensive back in the day. Just look at the price of the original ZL1.
We all should be happy they did a car like this as Old GM would never have done it. It gives us a glimpse at what they can do with an old car and should give us hope for what we will see in the new affordable car.
So it is time to stop complaining about the car none of you would build anyways and just enjoy the panicle of the Camaro line to this point.
I swear that if GM built a new car besting the new Laferrari and priced it at $25,000 someone would complain about it.
“I swear that if GM built a new car besting the new Laferrari and priced it at $25,000 someone would complain about it.”
You don’t see me complaining a word about my Sky Red Line. Nope. You may hear grunts and meeps as I raise and lower the soft top – but complaints? Nada.
This concept is not new. Same program was around with the highly sought after and limited 1987 Buick GNX. You couldn’t purchase ANY of the parts that made teh GNX different than a base model Grand National’s without providing the dealer with proof of ownership along with serial number. To this day that still applies with there being a few outlets in which you can purchase “over stock” items that were left of shelves for years. You can also buy cloned products that various owners over the years have had reproduced from an original.
When it comes time for someone to purchase a 2014 on the used vehicle market, it should be a simple process of calling up your local dealer to confrim if the VIN matches 1 of the 500 for the limited released cars. This way the value of the cars stays around and evey increases over the years. Purchasing a used GNX these days is a nominal 50-60K for a vehicle that was half that price new less than 30 years ago.
Bottomline is that if you want this car bad enough, cough up the cash for the $75K asking price. The amount is less expensive than a host of other performance cars out there including Japan, Germany, and Italian rides.