Doug Harden

Let's see what you do on the weekends?

2lane69

GM has let Ford do their product planning since the Camaro was invented...so why change now?

It's typical knee-jerk reaction. Ford's product 'X' is selling like hotcakes, we'd better get on that bandwagon.

I'm confident GM will eventually build a lightweight, quick and excellent handling version of the Camaro....about 2 years after they bring back the Mustang SVO and Ford proves that the recipe works.

Sadly.

Z284ever

No arguments there.

2lane69

You make a very good point.

The ultimate point to my posts is that the Z/28 does not have a 40 year history of being a lightweight world dominator when in reality, a nose heavy, ill handling Z/28 is rather the norm, or has been for 30 years. Sure, there were a few carrots thrown our way, but being relative to it's peers, it was never outstanding. So what's the difference today from 1978, ceterus paribus? Not much.

Unfortunately, we'll never know what could've been, until we see what should've been. Until the SVO is born again, GM has no directive to compete in a fairy tale category. The new Mustang is sure to be heavier, and the Challenger is already hefty. I don't see guys cross-shopping the SS to the G37 based on curb weight. People will buy it because they want it to look and sound cool, not because they want to crush Miata's at the local Wally world parking lot.

95redLT1

Wouldn't a waste of limited resources be creating all new parts for the Z28? Such as a bunch of "lightweight" parts for a low volume vehicle....

Instead they are pretty much using off the shelf parts lowering their costs to create another vehicle they can charge an arm & a leg for....

Might not be the ideal car for some....but it makes sense.

Doug Harden

And which one went banctrupt?

They are barely able to produce this mistake....they won't have any second chances to prove they are a leader and not just a Johnny come lately.....

Z284ever

Here's a question for anyone who feels like answering.

Since we've already established that Chevy has slavishly benchmarked the 2007 GT500 for the '11/'12 Z/28 -- how does a 550 hp, 41xx pound Z/28 compete with a 2011, 37xx pound, 540 hp, GT500?

2lane69

I thought I'd throw this out there because I always get a kick out of it. At a local cruise spot near me there have been several Ford GT's show up. Usually the guy is wearing penny loafers, and wouldn't know Steve McQueen from George Bush.

That is GM's demographic for a $45-50K Camaro. Not us. The aging Baby-boomer populice with the extra funds to burn...at least what wasn't lost in the Market...that wants to relive the glory days from the safety and comfort of 38 air bags and Sonny and Cher playing through the Ipod hookup on the Bose stereo with 14 speakers.

That my friends, is our destiny. LOL!

Doug Harden

And you think a $60k, 4,100# Camaro will be a volume leader?!?!

I still ask...WHY bother??

Years ago, I asked Scott, after one of the Sat. AM, Future Camaro Summits I set up in Bowling Green (see, some of us are do-ers, not just talkers)....if I would be happy selling my C5 for a 5th gen.......his answer was a prophetic "I don't know"......seems he was right.

Z28Wilson

Certification costs are still a consideration. The LSA may be off-the-shelf hardware, but there are no LSAs in Zeta. Don't forget you also have to design and produce an appropriate suspension package (beyond simple tweaking of what is already on Camaro SS I would have to imagine).

I think you missed one of my previous posts about SCCA. While Camaro has never been a featherweight, it obviously has done enough right to have a rather rich grassroots history on the circuit. Time will tell, but again, the 5th Generation Camaro does not appear to be a car of choice like its previous generations have been.

2lane69

You got me there....another Transformer Movie perhaps?

jg95z28

Haven't we already been told long ago that the design work is done and all they're mainly waiting for is someone in upper management to say, "Go"? It was my understanding that all that's left is final tweaking to get the performance just right.

Z284ever

I remember that, I was there bud. And I remember us having a side convo on that too. I was saying to you that, I didn't think it would be unreasonable to expect a 2012-ish Z/28 to have similar performance to a 2000 C5 or even a 2004 Z06. Man, was I wrong.

I think I'm pretty much done with this car now. Lots of my energy expended, no results.

dacook

I'm laughing, with chagrin, because this hits very close to home. Except for Sonny and Cher. I'll be playing Three Dog Night. But otherwise...yeah, that's me.

I've been holding off buying an SS with the hope that something very much like this Z28 would come out. And now it looks like my hopes will be fulfilled. Maybe you racers don't like it, but I bet there are more potential customers out there like me than there are like you.

jg95z28

(a) Its better looking
(b) It has IRS
(c) Its not a Ford.