As we all well know, the Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 was made with the racetrack in mind. Between the advanced spool-valve dampers, the impending 7.0 liter V8, extensive aerodynamic tweaks, obsessive light-weighting, etc. that went into GM’s most fearsome pony car to-date, there’s no two ways to read the signs: the Z/28 was made for attacking track times.
But Evo raised a good question regardless when they asked their readers to chime in on whether they think its track-day material.
The reasons its validity as a track-day superhero is in question are simple: weight, and cost. At 3,820 pounds or so, the Camaro Z/28 could stand to lose a few pounds. In fact, its immensity flies in the face of what is (generally) the prevailing rule for a track car: by minimizing weight, every other numerical measure is easier to optimize.
As for its $75,000 sticker price, you’re not spending Porsche money for Porsche-killing performance, but the price tag is nothing to sneeze at, either. Thus, there’s some question as to whether the folks who have to save up for the car would ever risk its welfare on the racetrack, and whether those who can readily afford it wouldn’t opt for something more prestigious than a “humble Camaro.”
Be sure and head over to the Evo website and weigh-in on the debate, and share your thoughts in the comments here while you’re at it. The folks at Evo will put the best retorts in the next issue of their magazine. We won’t, but we could, like, click the little thumbs-up button by your post, or something.
Comments
The only reason I would buy a new Z/28 would be to track it. Otherwise, why buy it? Who wants to ride around on the streets in a $75k car (Z/28 base model) with no air conditioning and a crummy one-speaker sound system?
$55k at end of year 2014 sales!