Since its surprise introduction at the New York Auto Show nearly two years ago, the 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 has lived up to what the moniker means for the Camaro heritage. The Z/28, in fact, has found itself amongst a slew of competitors across various media, and has exited the arena a victor. Road & Track seems to think the Camaro Z/28 falls into a category all its own, titling the track-ready pony car a misfit.
Though the term may normally carry a negative connotation, the staff at R&T have rounded up a few others from the misfit playpen to put together a little comparison test. If we were selecting from the crop of misfits they pulled together, we’d say it’s not so bad to be called a misfit. The test revolves around the Chevrolet Camaro Z/28, a $75,000 track machine with stickier tires than a piece of standard-issue Velcro, and fellow misfits include a Nissan GT-R, SRT (Dodge) Viper T/A and an Aston Martin V12 Vantage S… just for good measure.
The test pits each of the aforementioned vehicles against one another on a track, so don’t expect to find road-going impressions or fuel economy numbers here. That’s because these cars are misfits, and they serve the oddball purpose of being track toys, plain and simple. Track toys, mind you, that are sold alongside sub-$20,000 compact cars in some scenarios, so appearance is one thing, but to show you’re up to snuff is another.
R&T put the pony cars through a scorching round of tests, and points out that the Z/28 is not a dragstrip killer. In fact, a ZL1 will dust it without breaking a sweat. The same goes for the Nissan GT-R and the SRT Viper T/A. So, things don’t look good for the ‘ol pony car in a straight line… sure. But that’s not what it was made for.
The Z/28 clocked in with the second-fastest lap time, only trailing the even-brasher Viper T/A. The secret continues to be the Z/28’s awesome suspension, working in conjunction with the monstrously-meaty Pirelli P Zero Trofeo Rs and massive carbon-ceramic rotors. The winning combination pretty much make understeer and oversteer disappear for good.
We won’t spoil the whole write-up for you, but the podium finishes will be an upset for a few loyal fan bases. At the end of the day, one thing does come clear: we need more misfits.
Hit up R&T for their misfit shootout.
Comments
I wish people would under stand two other magazines did test on this car with the ZL1 rubber that is harder and the cars performance fell out little and even picked up in other areas.
Sorry it ain’t just the tires at work here.
This is what I like to call the complete package where the suspension, brakes and engine are all made to work together as one and that is where the results are coming from not just the tires.
If it were just the tires then all you would have to do is bolt them on. I bet your lap times will see little decrease.
also, if gm had put a supercharger on it, it would be unbeatable !