Wednesday, October 16, 2013

2014 Z/28 Camaro - The Fastest Road Course Car Available?




Expected to be released in early spring - 2014, the Z/28 may be one of the best road course cars for the price tag it will have taped to the window. No exact number yet, but the price is expected to be right around the same amount as you would pay for one of the other performing Camaros that Chevy has in it's line-up.

The latest trip to the most grueling road course in the world, the Nürburgring, the Z/28 laid down numbers on a damp track that beat not only it's sibling, the ZL1, but also the Porsche 911 Carrera S and Lamborghini Murcielago LP640. 

The Camaro boasted a 7:37.40 lap time and Chevrolet believes that the time could improve by as much as four seconds depending on weather conditions. Not only was the track damp but toward the end of the lap it started to rain. 

This was a 24 hour test for the Camaro, so not only did it run this one lap to impress, but it also ran for 24 hours with breaks only to accommodate the the tires and brakes. A a test of endurance that Chevrolet has been doing to their sports cars since the early 1990s when their fastest car was a 300hp Corvette. 

300hp sounds quite soft apposed to this Z/28 that brings a 505hp 7.0 liter engine to the table. That power helps it get around the track as fast as it does. But Chevrolet claims the real secret to it's fast times is the frame that is 300 pounds lighter than the ZL1. The combination of horsepower and lightness gives the Camaro the ability for more efficient braking going into corners and faster alliteration coming out of corners. 

These cars are race ready - you can order a radio and an air condition for the Camaro, but Chevrolet has claimed they will not be standard. Regardless it's a peer race car ready for the track right off the showroom floor.