Don't get me wrong... I want the top dog. Its just that IROC-Z is a lame name. The whole image is similar to cars like the special NASCAR Edition Monte Carlos; Jeff Gordon Edition, etc.

Its just marketing capitalizing off the name of a motorsporting event.

Whoop-d-frickin' Doo... throw me a bone here!

 

YOU ARE THE MAN!

 

I think a car being commemorated/recognized for being used in a racing series is cool, and IROC does just sound good.

ROFL you guys crack me up though. I don't wanna really say anymore, I will go talk to bricks instead and it will be easier. You'd think with all those official Chevrolet ads, brochures, and whatever from 85-87, every1 would understand by 88-90 that it is IROC-Z28. The Z must mean something else as well as the RPO and dash. I mean with them stating it stands for the ultimate Z28 and all. You guys must know something I and Chevrolet don't. No matter what, using SS and disregarding Z28 was wrong. Adding IROC to the Z28 was not. If the car would've kept being called Z28/SS I wouldn't care nearly half as much.

 

Could you imagine if Chevrolet did this commemortive race naming back in generation #1? We could've had the Camaro Z/28 TransAm and the Z/28-NHRA!

Back in 1968-69 there was no different designation for the Z/28 when the dual four bbl cross-ram intake was ordered. At the end of the second generation run the Z/28 could be ordered with a 350 and 4 speed... as long as you weren't in California. Out here our only option was the 305 and TH-350.

So there has been different versions of the Z/28 with different drivetrains and different performance packages throughout the history of the Camaro. However, they were ALL called Z/28.

So what does the "Z" in "IROC-Z" stand for? Z/28 of course. Anyone that doesn't realize that has a hole in their head! The only reason Chevrolet started calling the SLP Super Z/28's "SS" was to designate it as something special... just like the SLP prepared TransAms at the time. (WS6).

If and when the Camaro comes back, the top model needs to be called Z/28. If there are optional performance upgrades on top of the base Z/28, so be it... just don't call it anything other than Z/28.

This cranky old fart has spoken.

 

So, I'll put you down for one...I'll take one too.

That's 2.

Anyone else for a real Z/28?

 

Make that 3.

I think we need a new thread.

 

This has always been my #1 complaint about the 4th gens...Chevy's lack of originality. Thats why I bought a 30th...I wanted something that looked DIFFERENT than a friggen ordinary V6. For years I have craned my neck at the 4th gens coming at me to see if they had those little black Z28 logos on the sides or the back...I pity the foo' who owns a black Z

 

I always thought those 6" IROC-Z letters on the door took the cake for being riced-out.

I ordered the decal delete also.

 

Hey....better than nothing.

 

I like the way you guys discuss cars. Sticking to the facts, and not degenerating into personal attacks.

I think we could all agree on one thing. If GM were to send all the people working for the company who majored in marketing to North Korea, and let the engineers run the company, we would get a batch of truly great cars, not just one or two.

Darth - good call on the B4C not being available to the general public. But, then again, neither was a '67 or '68 Z/28. Ok, they were, but limited #'s plus nobody knowing what they were restricted availability.

 

I'm sorry...but here is a statement that I just don't buy...for so many reasons.

For one thing......(this is just off the top of my head), how many 4th gen SS's were built? 30,000? 35,000?, 40,000? Will all of them be pissed?

I know lotsa, lotsa people that own them. 95% of them absolutely couldn't care less what the car's emblems say. They were looking to buy the most highly optioned Camaro that money could buy.

It wouldn't matter one nit to them if the car was named Z/28, SS...or Camaro Excaliber....they were looking for the Camaro with all the bells and whistles.

There may be afew who bought them because of some affinity for the "SS" name.......but from my perspective (and BTW, I am highly entrenched in the "Camaro lifestyle"), they would be the extreme minority.

Believe me......if you are worried about people being pissed....it's already happened.

 

Ya, we have a pretty good group here.

We may not agree on everything, but it rarely degrades into personal attacks.

 

I think SS should be on top of Z28, but as long as GM make a V8 camaro that gives the mustang a run for its money at a reasonable price and with world class quality, I don't really care either way.

 

Who said anything about reversing them? IMHO, they should just ****can the SS. All it did was price the "desirable" Camaro out of reach of its own market.

Imagine if you will, that every Z/28 had the "uplevel" rear spoiler and a mean hoodscoop (even if it were fake, like Mustang or the third gen cars) and that GM charged only the extra material cost - say $50 to each car. Then - suppose they offered a "premium" Z/28 with 17" wheels and a couple of extras for some small amount more - maybe $1000 or so. This "loaded" Z/28 could have topped out at ~28k and the "base" Z/28 could have still looked badass. Think about how much more appealing the camaro - as a whole - would have been.

BTW - you may notice some similarities to how Mustangs and Mustang GTs are marketed...

 

Yup, that's pretty good. Kinda how the Z28 and IROC-Z were 85-87, and they sold lots of both.