I'm sure you insiders can give this hint without getting in any kind of trouble.

Will it be Z28 or Z/28?

Any word on true duals?

 

i've always liked the Z/28 emblem... but i think if they put it on the new camaro, it would add more of a retro look to it

 

I'd much rather develop a new rally style car than turn the Z-28 into one....Z28 are all about road racing not dirt track...the Ls1 cars still own SCCA t-2 over 2 years out of production and with out a hint of factory backing. The Z28 racing image is pretty darn good...if you care to look for it. (note to marketing types)

May be a Z/71 badge on the rally car....

 

geez, some of you guys are being pretty demanding of this 5.3 "It MUST have 350 hp" etc... The one in my dads truck is rated at 285... and I must say that thing performs Id be more than happy if it was bumped up to 325.... thats already getting close to the ballpark of the LS1... and its a MID-LEVEL v8.

Dont forget the purpose of the mid-level 5.3.... cheap performance. No one complained about the 305 not having enough displacement.


Oh yea... my dream lineup:

Base : 3.9
RS : turbo/super charged 3.9 AWD ("rally" )
SS : 335hp 5.3
Z/28 : 400 hp 6.0L LS2
ZL1 : 500+hp 6.0L LS7

 

AWD Z/28... Interesting....

It's kinda weird to think of a AWD Camaro period, but very cool nontheless. Hopefully they can keep it well under 40k.

 

Its all about relativity. In 2 - 3 MYs, 350HP, or straight line performance of performance cars by then will be at least averaging what 350 HP puts out in a Camaro. IMO 330-350 should be just fine for the mid-level Camaro. That way you attract everyone with a car that looks great and has *****, but you don't scare away the very sensitive buyers that don't want 400 HP.

That, and we don't know what the next Camaro will weigh. With the current trend,the 5th gen might weigh more than the 4th.

 

thats a shame.

 

i like the sound of Z/28 but then people will be wondering why they added a slash. (the lesser enthusiasts, lol)

 

Like it has been said, the new Camaro better eat the Mustang for lunch. That includes the mid-level Camaro outruning the GT and the top dog Camaro better butcher the Cobra. The Camaro has never taken the back seat to the Mustang peformence wise, and it should not in the future.
I won't buy one if it doesn't outpeform the Mustang or the EVO or WRX or whatever the Japs have out in 2007.

Also, SS is top dog with biggest motor and all options like leather, sunroof or t-tops, computer gizmo's etc.

Z/28 is also the top dog with biggest motor and stiffer suspension and NO OPTIONS no power anything, cloth seats, etc. make it a road racer with a sticker under 30K, it'll sell like hot-cakes.

RS can be the mid-level V-8 that kills mustang GT's
Base V-6 can be called the S/C, sport coupe, maybe ricers will think it stands for Supercharged

 

I'm sure that plenty of people (like myself) will be holding out for the Z28 model.

 

wHERE DO SIGHN UP? DO WE HAVE ANY PIC'S OF THIS ANIMAL?

 

As much as a AWD car would be cool, it wouldnt be true to the WRC way, and with AWD, and a 400hp LS2, that would be something out of the range for your average WRX/Evo group. If there was to be any AWD cars, Id like to see the Maxx, Cobalt and Ion become AWD turbo 2.0's so they can race along side the WRX and Evo etc etc and get some younger fans into show rooms looking for a rally model. Just a thought

Regardless of the Z28 being the top model or not, Im sure it will very close to its SCCA Trans Am roots. But I have a question that goes along with this. I understand that Zeta will be a IRS set up. Do you think that GM will design this car to have a live axle? Ford went out of there way to moddify the DEW every which way to sunday to get that live axle set up in there and drop the IRS so that it can please the enthusiasts. I think it would be nice to see the IRS on the Camaro, and would probably cost tons of R&D money to re-construct the rear for a live axle. Its just that IRS sometimes doesnt like stickey DR's and over 400lbs/ft.
GM better make it strong.

OTHER things Id like to see on the Camaro
Brakes that can actualy stop the car. 2 generations of so-so brakes, lets get some 13's on there already ok?
Rear end- like I discussed up there, it better be strong.

An RS model with a supercharged 3.9. I really think that GM should look into this big time. A supercharged 3.9 making 300hp not only will be a huge joke out of Fords 4.6, but this can be used to fight such cars like the 350z and G35. Also to a lesser extent, the RX8. Not to mention the price will be a few thousand cheaper(figure low to mid 20's?) The 6 really needs to have a solid foundation and be really popular with everyone, and this is where the everday-driver thing comes into play.

And I agree that whatever option GM thinks people will pay for, they will have it. I expect stuff like the 350z and G35 have. I hope that they are available in all models too.
I have no question in my mind that the powertrains will be more then enough to put the Mustang far far behind.
As for the Cobra. Well, if you wana dance in 500 land, then be ready to get pimp slapped by 2 superior vehicles. I think Ford needs to realize that a 500hp Mustang is about as appealing as $300k Taurus when it gets to that level. I think Ford needs to snap out of it and bring that raiting down to mid 400's. Just my .02, but then again I hate the Mustang.

 

IIRC IRS is already a go for the 5th Gen, not positive though. What I don't get is why they don't keep using the LS1 and put it as the bigger engine option in the SS while using the 6.0 LS2 in the Z28.

 

because the gen III blocks are over. The LS1 uses the gen III set up. LS2 uses the new gen IV block. As they are similar in looks, the gen IV's are little different with such things as external knock sensors and probably stronger overall construction. It uses the technology learned from the gen IIIs and probably stuff they learned from the C5R program to develop a much stronger and longer lasting block. Things like pistion slap and oil consumption will probably go away. Also, Gen IV's can be set up with the DoD system where the gen III's dont have that ability. Think of the gen III to IV change like the gen I to II change. The LT1 still used the 350 block, but with different cooling passages, heads, cooling set up, intake, but basicly its a high tech gen I engine. The big change was from LT1 to LS1 as the LS1 is a totaly different engine. The LS1 has seen its day and now its time to bring in a new line up of engines. Not only will it help increase power in the LS2, but in the 4.8, 5.3, and 6.0 truck engines too. New design in heads, cam, and blocks will increase power across the truck line up.

 

You better re-read your Camaro & Mustang history. Camaro has taken a back seat to Mustang in performance almost as many years as it has been ahead.

From 1967 to 1974, the performance award see-sawed between the two. In the 1980s, Mustang had it all over the Camaro in performance. Only in the 1990s did Camaro have a commanding performance lead over Mustang. From '75 to '77, Camaro wasn't even in the game. A race between a '79 Z28 & '79 Mustang Cobra 302 would be neck & neck. From 1969 to 1979, Firebird Trans Am 1st with a S.D. 455, then the H.O. 455, and then finally the T/A 6.6 trounced the Camaro in every year, save 1977.

It's pretty stupid to think that if Cobra competes with the Corvette in performance, Camaro needs to compete with the Cobra. 1) Cobra is Ford's Corvette. Chevy already has one. 2) It's completely illogical and pretty dumb to have a $40,000+ Camaro sitting in a showroom with the Corvette that outperforms a Corvette selling for just $5,000 more. Think about it: Cobra performance roughly equals Corvette/ this means Camaro performance has to outdo Cobra/ this means Camaro has to outdo Corvette. Not a very smart thing to do.

You also seem to fall for the exact thing that dooms cars to an early grave. The idea that a stripped Z28 would sell like hotcakes is ludicrious! Look up the sales figures of 4th gen stripped Z28s, and you'll see they simply didn't sell. When someone buys a new car, they tend to load it up as much as they can afford to. Loaded Impala SSs were the only final generation B-bodies to see sales increases till the very end. Camaro SSs and WS6 Birds also were the f-bodies that were uneffected till the very end. Want to see a car tank? Make it a stripped base performance car.

Finally, what in the world is the point of making V8 RSs that "kill" Mustang GTs?? That's what Z28s did. That's (evidently) what the next Camaro SS is for. RS is the mid model, primarily made for the purpose of looks without the drawbacks of having the performance V8. That's what the 3rd & 4th gen RSs were.

Since you won't buy one if it doesn't outperform the cars you mentioned, it seems that your sole priority is speed over anything else. The choices will be Mustang, Charger, GTO, or Camaro if you want it RWD & don't want to go RX8 or G35. That's it. If you choose none of the above, and buy nothing that's you.

I want the Camaro to go after Mustang in sales, and ensure it's future. That means it has to appeal to more than the small number of speed crazed junkies. It has to be livable, look great, be quality made, be priced right, and also lose the engine in a box mentality.

It can be quicker & faster than the Mustang, and handle like it's on rails, but the idea and mindset that all it needs is to be extremely quicker than the Mustang, and be priced dirt cheap was buried in the same deep grave the 4th gen F-body is buried in.