Camaro Z28 Confirmed and Discussed
That's right, this bad boy's officially official now! Earlier this week Chevrolet called together representatives from its various Dealerships to have a little chat with them, and one of those dealerships (one Ms. BeckyD from Rodger's Chevrolet) has decided to share the good news with the Camaro loving public. The Z28, or the 'HP Model' as they refer to it in house, will be an absolute monster, outfitted (officially now) with a 6.2L Supercharged engine (can anyone say LSA?) and a lot of other goodies, and will begin its production in Janurary of 2012. The official news is that the Z28 will have these wonderful performance modifications with it:
- 2012 Camaro Z28 production begins January 1, 2012
- Internally referred to as the "HP Model"
- 6.2L supercharged engine
- Magnetic Ride suspension
- 285F / 330R tires
- Hood design to have louvre/slat design seen in spy photos (dealers in attendance were shown a gray Z28 model)
- Slight (not major) updates to the interior, with some brighter trimwork
Let's consider some of these things real quick. The 6.2L Supercharged engine is almost, without question, the same LSA that's in the Cadillac CTS-V. That LSA puts out 556HP in the Cadillac, and is easily good for a lot more. Maybe Chevrolet will tune it down a little bit for the Z28 release, maybe not, only time will tell, but either way the Camaro-loving crowd now has knowledge of the engine's incredible potential. The next thing on the list might be the most exciting of them all: Magnetic Ride Suspension(MRC, or Magnetic Ride Control as it's typically known)! MRC utilizes magneto-rheological fluid0based actuators in the suspension to provide the vehicle with a powerful, adaptive, and incredibly responsive race suspension that offers the vehicle an enhanced range of soft-to-firm damping capabilities, as well as real-time traction control functions. MRC is the same type of suspension system used in the Corvette and the CTS-V, and has been praised world-round for its incredible feel and responsiveness. The tires mentioned are incredibly intriguing as well, as a 285/330 configuration is just sick. The Camaro, currently, can't fit larger than 315 in the rear without having the wheel protrude from the well a bit, either, which means that the Z28 will almost undoubtedly be outfitted with widened rear quarter-panels as a means of fitting those wheels comfortably within the vehicle's body. The wider wheels (which are comparable to the wheel widths found on Corvettes) should really provide the Camaro Z28 with the grip necessary to hold the road as it pushes all 556(maybe) of its HP through the wheels and to the pavement. Ultimately, with the combination of GM's greatest race technologies and their greatest looking body, the Camaro Z28 should end up an absolute monster of a vehicle that will tear apart its competition with relative ease.
Just in Case you had Forgotten about the Z28…
Camaro5 teamed up with Brenda Priddy & Co. to bring us another image of the future Mustang killing machine, this time taking test runs in the snow. There's not much more to say with this photo, honestly, other than the fact that the car looks gorgeous (still). The fact that Chevrolet has continued to test it in all various sorts of conditions, too, speaks volumes to their commitment to providing a top-notch performance machine, and should inspire confidence in the Z28's future.
All in all, seeing the Z28 is always a good thing, because it proves to us that yes it's real, and no, we're not just dreaming (pinch me).
GM Reworking Camaro Interior for 2012
From Camaro5:
"A GM insider confirmed for us that the company is hard at work now on a substantially reworked interior for the Camaro that will appear for the 2012 model year. He couldn't/wouldn't list all of the changes, but did mention that most of the upgrading work will go into the dash and specifically that big expanse of blackness in front of the passenger.
Also new for the 2012 will be a little something called the Camaro Z28. Perhaps you've heard of it once (or a million times) before. Why wait until the 2012 model year? Our source says so it doesn't step on the toes to the convertible which will be the Camaro's "big news for 2011."
Well, I'd absolutely believe that the interior would be reworker for 2012, as with the HUD and other touches they've already started on this, and it is one of the few places that people have complaints with the vehicle at all. Where I get hung up though is with yet another promise from some unknown, unnamed source that we will have a Z28 at some point in time. We keep hearing this, and every single one makes me more and more skeptical. Until GM gives an official notice that they will definitely be making a Z28 and here's the release date, I won't hold my breath. I want to see one, very badly, GM so help me out with that!
SLP Has A New Monster on the Roads…
Street Lethal Performance has been doing some great work for GM for some time now, and has gained the Manufacturer's love and blessing. Their new tuner is the apotheosis of their quality too, and definitely gives GM reason to feel good about their endorsement of SLP. The new SLP575 Camaro is an absolute beast, and Edmunds was lucky enough to get a drive behind the wheel of it. The SLP ZL575 packs a 575 horsepower LS3 V-8 and is eligible for the 3-year/36,000-mile warranty from GM if you order the ZL575 package through a Chevrolet dealer. The SLP ZL575 package includes a bunch of dress-up items, 1-inch lowering springs, 20-inch wheels, high-rise hood and a host of interior enhancements as well. The complete ZL575 package sells for $22,995, which brings the total for the Camaro SLP575 to just under 60k. That seems like a steal to me for a car with that much power, performance, and beauty.