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Long before GM started testing sixth-gen Camaro ZL1 prototypes, everyone looked forward to the Z/28 that never happened. As fate would have it, the track-focused variant should have received the flat-plane crankshaft V8 of the C8 Z06 had GM not canceled the project.
A tipster by the name of Deep Burble broke the news to MotorTrend, and the reason the high-revving pony car didn’t come to fruition is pretty evident. Even though Mustang and Challenger sales leave much to be desired compared to a few years ago, Camaro sales are truly disappointing.
General Motors delivered 29,775 examples of the breed in 2020 in the United States, down 38.3 percent compared to the previous year. This kind of volume wasn’t good enough to convince the bean counters to invest more dollar bills into the Camaro, which is why the Z/28 was nipped in the bud.
Thinking about it for a minute, the Camaro Z/28 would’ve been a glorious rival for the Mustang Shelby GT350 and GT350R. Both Mustang variants rely on a 5.2-liter V8 with a DOHC valvetrain and a flat-plane crankshaft, just like the LT6 in the C8 Z06, a powerplant that Ford calls the Voodoo.
As opposed to the Corvette, the pony car could have been offered with a stick shift rather than a dual-clutch transaxle. Another possibility would have been the dual-clutch gearbox of the Shelby GT500. Tremec calls this transmission the TR-9070, and the most important stats are a torque rating of 664 pound-feet (900 Nm) and a maximum input speed of 9,000 revolutions per minute.
Going forward, Camaro enthusiasts don’t have many reasons to celebrate the 2022 model year. GM confirmed two new exterior colors (Vivid Orange Metallic and Rapid Blue) and a new design package. Still, all in all, the Camaro plays second fiddle to the appeal of the Mustang and Challenger despite the excellent dynamic traits of the platform that underpins this pony car.
General Motors delivered 29,775 examples of the breed in 2020 in the United States, down 38.3 percent compared to the previous year. This kind of volume wasn’t good enough to convince the bean counters to invest more dollar bills into the Camaro, which is why the Z/28 was nipped in the bud.
Thinking about it for a minute, the Camaro Z/28 would’ve been a glorious rival for the Mustang Shelby GT350 and GT350R. Both Mustang variants rely on a 5.2-liter V8 with a DOHC valvetrain and a flat-plane crankshaft, just like the LT6 in the C8 Z06, a powerplant that Ford calls the Voodoo.
As opposed to the Corvette, the pony car could have been offered with a stick shift rather than a dual-clutch transaxle. Another possibility would have been the dual-clutch gearbox of the Shelby GT500. Tremec calls this transmission the TR-9070, and the most important stats are a torque rating of 664 pound-feet (900 Nm) and a maximum input speed of 9,000 revolutions per minute.
Going forward, Camaro enthusiasts don’t have many reasons to celebrate the 2022 model year. GM confirmed two new exterior colors (Vivid Orange Metallic and Rapid Blue) and a new design package. Still, all in all, the Camaro plays second fiddle to the appeal of the Mustang and Challenger despite the excellent dynamic traits of the platform that underpins this pony car.
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