With how the automotive industry has developed, it’s pretty safe to say that the traditional muscle car (as we know it) is dead. While the V8 still lives on, it’ll have to move on to meet the industry’s ever-increasing drive towards efficiency and electrification.
All is not lost, though. America’s last old-school muscle car is surprisingly modern and surprisingly affordable on the used market (for now). It’s a pure purpose-built machine that stays true to the recipe set all the way back in the ’60s, relying on the world’s biggest-displacement modern V8. It’s pretty safe to say we’ll probably never have another muscle car like this.
The Camaro has typically been an accessible performance car. This particular one, however, bucks the trend.
From the outside, the 2015 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 might look like a fairly normal Camaro – with some distinctive body additions, that is. But that’s where the similarities end. This limited-run version of the Camaro is an absolute monster that’s designed specifically for the best possible performance on track.
Those additional body parts were created specifically to improve the Camaro’s aerodynamics and give it more downforce. It includes a functional front splitter and rear diffuser, with an underbody panel underneath the splitter to improve airflow.
The rear spoiler helps to create even more downforce over the rear wheels, too. That track-focused philosophy extends to the handling parts under the skin. The suspension and brakes got a big upgrade from the standard Camaro setup, using Multimatic dampers and Brembo brakes.
On the inside, things are a lot different to a standard Camaro. It has a racier flat-bottomed steering wheel, manually-adjustable Recaro seats and several pieces of equipment are changed or removed. This includes the tire inflation kit being removed (except for models sold in Rhode Island and New Hampshire, for legal reasons), sound deadening being removed, the back seat pass-through being removed, and the structures of the seat back and seat bottom being replaced with lighter high-density foam. All of this goes towards Chevrolet’s goal of making the Z/28 the best Camaro it could possibly make, when it comes to on-track performance.
The coolest part of the 2015 Camaro Z/28, though, has to be its engine. It has a version of the 7.0-liter (427 ci) LS7 naturally aspirated V8 – the biggest and most unique naturally aspirated V8 of the modern era. Even though it’s a special small-block design, this is probably the closest thing you’ll find to an old-school big-block in a modern muscle car. This is the same engine that was used in the C6 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, where it gained notoriety for being an absolute monster.
Just like in the C6 Corvette Z06, the Camaro Z/28’s LS7 produces 505 hp. But, it has more torque than the Corvette, with 481 lb-ft as opposed to 470 lb-ft. That’s thanks to the engine having some modifications carried out by Corvette Racing. This included a racing-style cold air intake system, a large air filter made by K&N and a beefier exhaust setup with larger diameter pipes. The exhaust had a dual-mode system fitted to it from the factory, presumably to make it a little bit easier to live with away from the circuit. That souped-up engine was paired up with a 6-speed Tremec manual transmission, and the power went to the rear wheels.
All that power, combined with the aerodynamics upgrades and weight reduction, was enough to take it from 0-60 mph in just 3.95 seconds and onto a top speed of 188 mph. On top of that, as any true muscle car should, it makes an absolutely fantastic noise! That’s especially the case when it’s given an aftermarket exhaust system that really unleashes the full noise of the huge 7.0-liter V8.
With how many crazy performance upgrades the Camaro Z/28 has over the standard car, you’d expect it to be really expensive even on the used market. While it is still somewhat out of the range of the average enthusiast, it’s cheaper than you might expect. 2015 models now have an average value of $57,294 on the used market. That’s actually several thousand dollars cheaper than the MSRP of a brand-new Ford Mustang Dark Horse ($63,080)! And, examples have recently sold for as low as around $42,000 as well, making them cheaper than a new Mustang GT. That’s for a purpose-built muscle car that’s faster and more powerful than the Dark Horse, mind you.
While that still puts the Z/28 out of reach for many enthusiasts, when you compare it to the more diluted muscle cars, it starts to look like an enticing option. Why would you go for a Dodge Charger with the inline-6 engine for a base MSRP of $54,995, when you could have one of these for the same or less? Even with a new Hemi-powered version of the Charger potentially on its way, you’d likely still get a cooler driving experience out of a used Camaro Z/28 for around the same price.
The ’67 Chevy Camaro Z/28 is the rarest to ever wear the badge and left its competitors in the dust. Expect a price tag to match.
We’ve already written here about how brilliant the 7.0-liter LS7 engine that’s in the Z/28 is. It was the most powerful naturally-aspirated V8 General Motors had ever made until the naturally-aspirated version of the 5.5-liter flat-plane V8 showed up in the C8 Chevrolet Corvette Z06. With such a massive engine with massive power existing and being put into more than one mass-produced GM car, it’s maybe not that surprising that it worked its way into one of the craziest supercars ever made. That supercar in question is the Zenvo ST1. Built from 2009-2016, the ST1 took the already bonkers LS7 and turned it into something absolutely monstrous by twin-charging it. This meant that it had both a turbocharger and a supercharger, with the supercharger being used as a way of completely eliminating turbo lag. The result of this mad scientist kind of engine tuning was 1,089 bhp and 1,055 lb-ft of torque. This translated into a 0-60 time of around 3 seconds, and a top speed that was electronically limited to around 233-235 mph.
The ST1 didn’t end up becoming the industry disruptor that Zenvo thought it would be. But, the Zenvo company is still very much active, and the ST1 has earned itself a proper place in hypercar folklore. All of that was helped into existence by the huge V8 it shares with the last proper American muscle car.
Sources: Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Zenvo
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