When it comes to the Chevrolet Camaro and its battle with its archrival the Ford Mustang, a little historical context makes their battle even more epic. Ford debuted the Mustang in April 1964 and so the Pony Car was born. After watching Ford dominate the world, GM realized it needed a four-seat muscle car to battle the Blue Oval's champion, and in 1967, the first Camaro raced into the ring with the Mustang. For the last half century, the Camaro has been going round after round in generation after generation with the Mustang, and when it came to the fifth generation of the Camaro came along, their heavyweight prizefighter came in 2014 when the Z/28 made a heroic comeback.

2014-2015 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28

9.00 / 10
Key Features
  • 7.0-Liter Naturally Aspirated V8
  • Barely Street Legal 305 Sized Tires
  • Carbon-Ceramic Brembo Brakes
Specifications
  • Trim: Z/28
  • Model: Camaro
  • Engine/Motor: 7.0-Liter OHV Naturally Aspirated V8
  • Horsepower: 505 Horsepower @ 6,100 RPM
  • Torque: 481 Pound-Feet @ 4,800 RPM
  • Drivetrain: Rear Wheel Drive
  • Transmission: 6-Speed Manual
  • MSRP: $75,000 Base (2014)
Pros
  • Huge 505 Horsepower
  • Track Tuned Suspension
  • 300 Pounds Lighter Than ZL1
Cons
  • 3800 Pounds Despite Weight Reduction
  • Most Expensive Camaro When New ($75,000)
  • Poor Gas Mileage

The 5th Gen Camaro Z/28 Was A Race Car For The Street

2014 Chevy Camaro Z/28 SC652
via patnn.wordpress.com

The fourth generation Camaro, and its twin, the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, were beating the Mustang in every category that mattered except the one that mattered most - sales. The LT1 and LS1 powered F-Body cars were monstrously powerful, especially compared to the single overhead cam engined Mustang GT, and even the dual overhead cam Cobra. Ford did lay the wood when it came to the 2000 SVT Cobra R, but in such limited quantities, it was out of reach for the masses due both to price and scarcity. But regardless of how much better the Camaro was on the track, ultimately the Mustang was better on (and then off) the showroom floor and in 2002 the Camaro went into hibernation.

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When the Camaro got resurrected for its fifth generation in 2010, it stormed back with a vengeance. But the Mustang didn't sit back on its haunches waiting around for Chevy to recreate is nemesis, and was busy fighting off everything from the incredibly quick Mitsubishi EVO to the luxuriously sporty XLR by GM's other subsidiary, Cadillac. So even though the Camaro SS came ready to rock with its powerful LS3 V8, there was a demand for more power. Then, in 2012, GM gave customers what they were clamoring for in the form of the mighty 580-horsepower ZL1. But, unlike the 1960s, muscle cars were now about more than just drag racing for pink slips, so while the ZL1 was a real boulevard bruiser, GM wanted a Camaro that could also compete with anything the world had to offer when the road started to twist and turn as well. And so, in 2014, the Camaro Z/28 was born. The goal for the Z/28 was simple, cut weight wherever possible and make the newest Camaro the best handling track star in the history of the brand.

The 2014-2015 Camaro Z/28 Makes 505 Horsepower

Now, although we just spent a couple paragraphs explaining that the Z/28 got built to be a track car, that isn't to say that Chevy had any thought of not making the Z capable of whooping some smug SVT F-150 Lightning owner at a test and tune night at the track. But, unlike the supercharged ZL1, the Z/28 received arguably the single greatest hand-me-down in the form of the C6 Corvette Z06's 7.0-liter naturally aspirated V8, that allowed it to rev to a spine-tingling 7,000 RPM. The natural aspiration and high redline also allowed the Camaro to have a more linear and predictable power band than its boosted brother, and also made rocketing out of a back straightaway equal parts exhilarating and intoxicating.

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In the transition from the Z06 to the Z/28, Chevy decided to tweak a few things with the LS7 to make it even more track ready. New pistons and titanium connecting rods that used even more durable bearing inserts. An improved dry-sump oil system as well as a cold-air intake and slightly better flowing exhaust headers actually helped the Z/28's engine out-torque its big brother's ever-so-slightly. The result was the same 505-horsepower as the Corvette, but a total of 481 pound-feet of torque, which is eleven more pound-feet than the Vette made.

The Camaro Z/28 Uses Carbon Ceramic Brakes

2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 rear spoiler and badge
Via automobilemag.com

All that power then flows from that incredible engine through a road-course-geared six-speed manual transmission that makes its way out to a shorter (than the SS) 3.91:1 final drive ratio to help keep RPMs in the power band where they belong. But all of that power is useless if it can't get to the ground, and while GM's Magnetic Ride Control suspension has been bar by which all other production suspensions measure themselves by, Chevy decided to up their own mark even further.

The Z/28 utilize what GM calls Dynamic Suspensions Spool Valve or DSSV for short. The ports on the spool valves allow the suspension to be essentially micro-adjusted to make the Z perform beautifully on the track and on normal roads too. The other major advantage of this suspension setup over the ZL1's is that is also is lighter and saves all-important weight. The springs are 85 percent more firm up front and 65 percent out back as compared to the base SS model's setup.

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So, the Z/28 can go and turn with some of the best supercars out there, now it just needs to be able to scrub off speed coming into those tight S-turns around Leguna Seca, or that extra-long route it takes to go get more milk from the grocery store. GM spared no expense when it came to brakes (and wasn't afraid to pass that cost on to the consumer... more on that shortly). Manhole cover-sized carbon-ceramic Brembo brakes, which hadn't been seen on a production GM car since the top-dog C6 ZR1 wore them a year before the Z/28 showed up. In any case, monstrous rotors adorned each corner of the Z, measuring a ridiculous 15.5-inches up front and an equally astounding 15.3--inches in the rear. The fronts get six-piston calipers while the rears get four-piston units.

Barely hiding those massive brakes are a set of forged aluminum wheels that measure 19-inches, which for those keeping score at home, is a full inch smaller in diameter than the ZL1's 20-inch pieces. That reduction is because adding more tire weighs less than more metal rim, and the result is a 48-pound difference between the two setups. Speaking of tires, the P305/30ZR-19 Pirelli PZero Trofeo R tires mounted both front and rear are the most track-ready street-legal rubber you can buy... think racing slicks with a bit of tread penciled in. The Trefeo tires are so sticky, GM had to have the rims media-blasted, which is typically a racing practice that means the wheels get a treatment to allow the tires to mount with a stronger seal than normal. Without this, the sheer power of the engine combined with the hot molasses-like sticky nature of the tires can result in the tires spinning faster and leaving the rim lagging behind, a serious problem at any track or on any street.

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All in all, the Z/28, through the wheel/tire combination, ceramic brakes, and deletion of almost all sound-deadening material as well as the stereo and air-conditioning shed a full three hundred pounds off of the lightest version of the ZL1. Even the bigger LS7 is about a hundred pounds lighter than the supercharged LSA motor in the ZL1. However, despite all of GM's efforts, there is no denying the Z/28 is still a big car and will never be a diminutive and sporty Toyota MR2 Spyder. Even with all its weight cutting, the Z/28 still checks in at 3,820 pounds. You can even add back the stereo and air conditioning for a price in dollars of about $1,150, and a weight demerit of 31 additional pounds.

The Camaro Z/28 Could Run From 0-60 MPH In 4.4 Seconds

Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 parked on track.
Via: Chevrolet

Weight semantics aside, the truth is that the Z/28 got engineered to be a homerun hitter at the track, and its nickname might as well be Barry Bonds (minus all the steroid scandal stuff). That incredible motor and drivetrain combine forces to help the mighty Z/28 dash from 0-60 MPH in just 4.4 seconds, 0-100 MPH in just 9.5 seconds and rip through the quarter mile in just 12.7 seconds at 116 MPH. Those big ceramic brake help reign in speed from 70-0 MPH in 155 feet. Of course, there isn't much anyone can do about the level of thirst a 500+ horsepower 7-liter engine is going to have when it comes to fuel economy, so it isn't terribly surprising to see the Z/28 posting 13/19/15 city/highway/combined MPG

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Of course avid Bow Tie followers will notice the Z/28 doesn't seem to be much better than the long gone, but not forgotten C5 Z06 in terms of performance. But, keep in mind the Z/28 weighs nearly 800 pounds more than the younger Camaro, and there is more to the Z/28 than straight line performance, as we've mentioned. Around the skidpad, the Z/28 can post a serious 1.06 g of lateral acceleration which is better than the Z06, and when taken out to the Nurburgring to run with the big boys in the real world, the Z/28 puts up a single-lap time best of 7:37.4, while the C5 Z06 could only muster up a best of 7:56. Even the mighty and more powerful ZL1 could only manage to post a 7:41:12, so it seems that all of the Z/28's tweaks and cuts have paid off when it counts.

The 2014-2015 Camaro Z/28 Will Cost You About $62,000

2014-Chevrolet-CamaroZ28-008-1
via Chevrolet 

When we said that GM spared no expense and seemed happy to pass those not-savings down to the customer, we weren't kidding. At the time of its production, the Camaro Z/28 came to the table with a base MSRP of $75,000. That's right, you could actually get a top-tier Corvette for about the same money Chevy was also asking for a brand-new Corvette 427 a year prior. What's crazier than that is the that when the new C7 Z06 debuted in 2015 with its crazy supercharged 650-horsepower LT4, it had a base price of only four grand more than the top level Z/28.

But prices have cooled off a big for the Z in recent years, and they have not turned into true collector's items in the minds and hearts of the public yet, mostly because they are still very new. So for now, according to Classic.com, you can find yourself a fifth generation Camaro Z/28 for an average price of $61,759, which actually seems very reasonable considering the amount of pure performance you are getting all in once four-seat package.

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The Mustang and Camaro have been battling like the Hatfields and the McCoys for decades, and it seems that whenever one of these amazing machines levels up, somehow the other one finds a way to up their game and keep the clash of the titans going for one more round. And no matter which corner you like to stand in, if nothing else, you should have a healthy respect for just how long this battle has raged, and just how amazing these prizefighters, like the Z/28, have become.