2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 New Age Muscle Car - A True Hot Rod

The 2014 Chevy Camaro Z/28

2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 A true Return Of A true American Sportscar

The '14 Z/28 Initial Dose

* Power – 505 Horses from a 7-Liter 427 Cubic Inch Monster

* Transmission –  Tremec TR6060 6-speed manual w/ standard limited-slip differential. 

* Suspension – Mark Stielow...Enough said!

* Shoes – 15.5” (Front) 15.3” (Back) Inch Carbon Ceramic Brakes W/Brembo 6-Piston Calipers

* Meat – 305/30ZR19 Pirelli P ZERO's

So here we are in 2014 with 7 Liters and 6-Speeds, 505 Horses with 15.5” inch shoes to bring it all to a safe stop. I think we have a bonafide Hot-Rod here. Its big, big enough to proudly wear all the insane attributes bolted to it as listed above. But before anything else it's fast.

Finally after almost 4 decades...something truly able to run Moonshine! A real Hot Rod!

 The Blue Oval - Yes, even after all these years the Z/28 is still a terrorist threat to all Mustangs and the '14 picks up right were the "Z" left off. It's perfectly suited for that old Chevy past-time, just riding around..."looking for Mustangs". Reports state the guys over at the “Blue Oval” are scrambling around trying to come up with a response so stay tuned. I'm expecting a Mustang of some sort on Steroids wrapped around the Shelby name in some way with the GT moniker hanging around the front end somewhere. But who really knows? It is after all Ford Motor Company...they do what they want?

Back To The '14 Z/28!

Weight Loss – I know it's still looks big, especially around the hips and thighs but in fact the Z/28 has lost a lot of weight. Actually the '14 Z/28 is the lightest second-fastest production car GM will offer for sale in 2014. The '14 Z for the sake of weight has been stripped of everything that isn't required by law to stay onboard. Overall many believe it lost at or around 300 or so pounds. No one knows exactly sine GM wont even admit putting it on a diet. Fortunately we all have to wait and see. Although It does look slimmer in Black.

An accurate re-incarnation of the Z/28 by all means

***A true muscle car the Z/28 is legit, Chevy made an all-out dedication to the only 2 things that define and A Hot Rod Light and Fast! Features meant weight and weight meant drag. In the 1/4 mile, drag meant 2nd place so any extra weight had to go. Back in the day the first thing you did when you got a hold to a potential “Hot-Rod” was to to start stripping weight away. Take whatever you could from it make it lighter. Muscle cars weren't known for the tons of features they have today, Power, Transmission N' Suspension that was it. That was Hot Roddin' in Muscle Cars nothing more a lot less. Especially when running a back seat and trunk full of Liquor from Jefferson to Parrish county and the Sheriff knows you...every second counts.

*** The '14 Z/28 was designed, engineered and built for speed. Everything in relation to the '14 Z/28 is squarely focused on speed. It looks, smells and sounds fast. And I say don't take any one's word for it get behind the wheel. 7 Liters 500 plus Horses all under your manual control. There is nothing automatic here except the results. A successful return indeed to both Drag Racing  and it's fundamentals Gas, Tires and Oil. 

The difference this time around - Any of us old enough to remember can can clearly see the tie-in between the new wave of "High-Performance" cars hitting the market lately and now insanely rare "Hot-Rod" Muscle Cars of the 1960's and 70's. Although this time around there are two differences, Steering and Braking which coincidentally happens to be 2 important things. Fortunately  with such major advances in technology the old days of "going fast in a straight line" are over. Today's Muscle-cars allow us to turn a corner at a significant speed, safely. Braking for some reason during the 60's and 70's it seemed everyone wanted to go fast in a straight line, and they did. Also what was interesting was that not too many people  back then were concerned with how to slow down and eventually stop these 3,000 pound machines full of flammable liquids. Thank goodness times have changed. As we can see clearly by the 15.5 Inch grabbers on this front of this this "Z" issue  has been addressed. Someone at GM realized going fast is a lot more fun when we can also stop safely! Awesome company.

*** The new '14 Z/28 is a true bare bones Sports Car not an undercover customer-friendly feature-laden Coupe/Sedan, this is a machine built to be manipulated in the worst way. Pushed to within inches of all its limitations regularly. This is a Z/28. If you would like to be transported around in feature-laden mobility that issue has also been addressed, its called a sedan! This is speed pure and simple and for those of us that need a simpler meaning...its Gas, Tires and Oil! General Motors Corp!

The Beginning - In order to build a good Hot-Rod we have to go back to where it all began, Bootlegging. A good “Bootleg Mobile” is a good Hot Rod. This is what makes the '14 Z/28 such a “Sweet Ride” so to speak. It has a lot in common with the classic “Moonshine Runners” fast N' light.

Pure classics such as...

*The 1970 Chevelle SS396, 454 cu in (7.4) V8, 4-Barrel, 4-Speed Manual @ 450 HP

*The 1970 “Cuda” by Plymouth, 2-Door Hardtop ,440 cu in Big Block (7.2) V8, 4-Speed Manual, 4-Barrel

*The 1969 Roadrunner 2-Door Hardtop, 440 cu in (7.2) V8, 4-Speed Manual

The 2014 Z/28 enough hype let's see what it doesn't have...and why.

Air Conditioning - For what! If you can't find a nice breeze at 120 then a/c wouldn't have been of much help to you either. All Hot-Rodders knows a/c for its one attribute, how much it drags down performance! Like I mentioned earlier the a/c would have been removed anyway as far as serious competition goes. So GM did us a favor by not including it. I mean if you intend on zipping around town keeping your girlfriend nice and cool, then less power to you. This is Hot-Roddin' every intention is to come in first place. The '14 "Z" was built to chase Checkered flags, not comfort! Gas, Tires and Oil!

A Radio – As with any Hot-Rod I see no need for one at all. I mean you have 7 Liters to listen to...in each gear. 427 Cubic Inches all working in perfect harmony to propel you forward at an extreme momentum, all within your control within reach of your fingertips. This is far beyond music, this is a Symphony of automotive genius. A  unique one-of-a-kind sound you can only hear at 115 MPH. And besides the Moonshine is clanging in the back seat! After a while it all develops into a nice rhythm you can sing to. 

The Backseat – It wasn't removed since GM already has a record-breaking top-of-the-line 2-Door World Class highly-renowned Sportscar without a backseat. So with that speed and class well covered it was instead in the "Z" made a lot lighter (and a lot less comfortable). So what, I mean this is a Z/28, a Camaro looking for trouble! The backseat isn't for sitting and viewing leisurely. Actually it has a purpose believe it or not, a simple one actually to scare the shit out of anybody brave enough to sit back there! General Motors !

Electronic Fuel Injection(EFI) – An excellent idea. I mean we could all give a Z/28 a fish or we could let General Motors teach it to fish so to speak. Hence EFI A perfect solution, let the car feed itself. It knows what it needs and when it needs it. Besides you have enough to handle keeping those 500 Horses under control and within the 6-Speeds at your fingertips...life is good.

LED Headlights – No the '14 Z/28 does not have LED Headlights or lights for that matter. I know it seems like the thing to do since everyone else was doing it!  The '14 Z/28 isn't trying to"fit in" or be cute in any way, just fast. Besides its a well known industry known fact that LED's don't perform while under intense...blinding speed. So whats the point?

Trunk Carpet – Two words...for what? I could lose my day job any time. Times could get hard I for one would have no choice but to start back runnin' Moonshine Bootleggin'! Runnin' Moonshine there is no need for carpet in the trunk. Just like most anything else going in the trunk won't need carpet under it. Besides the Liquor is already boxed-up when I get it from Costco!

Design - A Special Tribute

It seems a difficult thing to do, to be able to apply the technology of today intricately with the tradition and heritage of the past in a seamless union. I mean we want a new Z/28 but we don't want to forget the old one. The General Motors Corporation again as they have done countless times before somehow manged to exceed all our expectations with this. In 3 steps GM successfully captured both the Z/28's storied past and its limitless future all in the 2014 Z/28. A mechanical design masterpiece by Chevrolet

#1 - The Front End – Simply put is a Z/28 front end, they go it right. It looks as if 1969 was successfully brought in to 2014, and fit. An intimidating looking front end that says approach with caution while at the same time the nostalgia seems to attract you to it.

#2 - The Rear End – Sits perfectly atop its 19' Racing Mag Rims, wide stout stable. You can see clearly it's deep rooted in traction. Mildly saying...”I like being at a standstill...but I'm easily motivated”. The dual-exist is perfectly hidden in a spot where once you do see it...its too late!

#3 - Vented Hood & Rear Spoiler – Speed is intimidating. Chevy wants you to know this is a fast car...even at a standstill. Speed is fear. The Rear-Spoiler unique to the Z/28 is of course added for Aerodynamic stability and maybe a few other reasons as well. But we all have to admit it just looks bad -ass! The Vented-Hood is in fact to keep things cool under there. Within 427 cubic inches there are thousands of rotations per second. Things can heat up if not properly ventilated.

Overall this a beautiful car. A true Camaro Z/28 with no shortcomings a complete sports car by definition. A true “Muscle-Car” by definition. Purely selfish with no regard for anything or anyone not in the drivers seat.

****A purely selfish motive on 4-Wheels, the 2014 Chevy Camaro Z/28 yet another General Motors Corp instant classic.