When we drove the 2014 Camaro Z/28, we walked away thinking that interested customers better know what they’re doing before they buy one. The Z/28, with its insanely sticky Pirelli Trofeo R tires and functional aerodynamic elements, is a turn-key race car that isn’t trying to make any friends. It’s hardcore, unforgiving and most of all, very fast.
It’s a little unsurprising then, and very unfortunate, that someone recently had a pretty nasty crash in a 2014 Z/28. This photo comes to us from Camaro News, who says the Red Hot Z/28 was crashed in Winter Haven, Florida. Both occupants of the car survived, with one suffering a broken femur and the other being airlifted to hospital with unknown injuries.
Firefighters had to use the Jaws of Life to free both passengers from the totaled track-day special, which is why its roof is peeled back like an opened can of soup. We’d like to echo Camaro News’ sentiments in reminding you to be careful out on the road, especially if you drive a 505 horsepower Camaro capable of lapping the Nurburgring faster than a Porsche 911 Turbo S.
Comments
Wow, that sucks!
First the Hellcat and now this car. People need to be careful and not go over the top and drive carelessly. I am glad they did not hurt other people and incoming traffic but foolishness like this makes it kind of hard for me to feel sorry for people that act foolishly on a public road get hurt pretty bad and in worst cases, get killed.
Wow.. I use to live there
This is a very forgiving car at the limit. But this car is more capable than some abilities of many drivers.
This car is like a loaded gun and needs to be used responsibly or it will hurt you.
I do fear though the track tires may be an issue in the future as I can see lawsuits even thought the owners are warned of their poor wet and cold traction.
Maybe it’d be a good thing for manufacturers to offer some sort of complementary safety driving course for the buyers of high performance cars like this one, just to teach people how to reel in these beasts a little bit.
Key word COMPLEMENTARY, I’m not suggesting another law be imposed on manufacturers. Ultimately it is the owners’ responsibility to know how to control themselves.
Companies have tossed this one around for years and in some limited cases done it.
The problems are on several levels.
#1 Not easy to do as you have owners all around the country.
#2 traveling schools for limited numbers of people can be expensive.
#3 Even if you send them to school they will sue you anyways. Lawyers even without a solid case will take these because they are just looking to settle out of court as it is cheaper for the company than to fight it.
I do expect GM may do a driving school in Bowling Green now that there is a track at the plant and Museum. This would not be so much for safety but more as a part of the delivery program or experience.
They could let people pick up their cars and run them or they could offer cars at the track to use then you pick up your car. Not all of them would want to beat on their new cars before they drive them but they would still want the track time.
The bigger the dog the harder the bite. Same applies to big HP.
There have been motorcycles available for years with far more performance than these so called fast road cars, just because the car is capable doesn’t mean the operator is, idiots have been crashing Supercars for as long as I can remember so how does this make the news?
Alot of comments that immediately deduced that this driver was unable to control this vehicle due to poor driving and too much power. We don’t know that the driver wasn’t within the boundaries of the speed limit and that some unavoidable situation occurred causing the driver to get into a tree. It is too common that when you drive a car that has even moderate power generally people assume that the driver was speeding (reckless driving)… For all anyone knows this person could be a racecar driving instructor. My point is that just because some of us drive a doucebags car…doesn’t necessarily mean we drive like doucebags… 😉
Cars generally only react to the drivers input. Unless he was run off the road or that the lug nuts were loosened or Big Foot ran out in front of him odds are good driver error may have been involved.
Nothing personal to the driver but we are just playing the odds.
Too often just because you can afford the car does not equate that you are qualified in all areas to drive it safely. Too few people really know how to respect the power in so many cars and I have seen them and the cars meet their ends that way.
I have one guy from High School that to this day 30 years later has a hard time just doing the most basic things when he stuffed his 70 Z/28 into a building after failing to make a cure at high speed. He is just one of many I have seen over the years.
Performance cars are like Guns and generally the car like the gun is not what really created the accident.
You all are very funny. The truth of this is had this car say… been a Porsche, BMW, Ferrari, Austin Martin or any other 80 to 100 thousand car with 500 hundred horse power with a person driving over THERE limit the same thing would have happened. We have seen people crash autos that didn’t have this kind of stats and still crash there cars because of not driving with in there limits. Don’t blame the automobile blame the driver who couldn’t or wouldn’t go to the track and drive responsible. Who choose instead to drive on public roads and drive carelessly. I spend many days on the track and never forget my car is a weapon, on the track I have rules and safety margins to keep me from hurting someone, but on the rode I have myself and 2 million people in the world to watch out for. Don’t get an automobile you think you can handle but in truth can not. Keep it on the track boys and girls
I personally am so glad he lived. one on the kids in this wreck goes to my school.