Z/28: Overpriced track car or dream car?

"ajroder" (ajroder)
03/19/2015 at 12:15 • Filed to: camaro, z/28, track day, track car, chevy

What are your thoughts?

DISCUSSION (14)

citizennick > ajroder
03/19/2015 at 12:22

hard to justify getting one of those over a C7 with the Z51 package. That said, people who are buying the Z/28 probably already have a C7 in the garage.

ajroder > citizennick
03/19/2015 at 12:24

Agreed. The C7 is more of a first or second car. The Z/28 is more fourth or fifth.

Supercharged-V8-Jag > ajroder
03/19/2015 at 12:28

I'd say it's worth it; I mean what other car that cheap comes with carbon ceramic brakes as standard?

ajroder > Supercharged-V8-Jag
03/19/2015 at 12:38

Fair point. You're certainly not getting those with a C7.

Textured Soy Protein > ajroder
03/19/2015 at 12:48

I'm not the hugest fan of the Z/28. They did a great job making a Camaro into a road racer, but it's still a big, heavy Camaro that you can barely see out of.

misfitmascots > ajroder
03/19/2015 at 12:50

For my money I'd rather have the zl1.

ajroder > Textured Soy Protein
03/19/2015 at 12:58

Driving a Camaro SS around tight urban streets was a nightmare. Rear visibility is horrendous.

ajroder > misfitmascots
03/19/2015 at 12:59

More power, more comfort, and magnetic ride control for $20,000 less. Sure seems like a better overall bet on paper.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > ajroder
03/19/2015 at 13:10

I absolutely love this car, and if I had a surplus of cash I'd want one, though I'd also have to have a more sane DD, this would be my weekend and track toy.

That said, I wish it was less expensive than it is. I always think of things like this in a bit of a historical context - so here goes. My dad paid about $4800 for a brand spankin' new 1969 Z/28 with the "factory" Trans-Am spec package. I say "factory" because that was during a time when GM didn't officially support racing. So what you got was a standard Z/28 with the good options, such as the M22 close ratio 4 speed, 4 wheel disc brakes, 4.10 rear gears, and upgraded suspension. Much like it's modern cousin, it came without a radio or AC. And some special surprises in the trunk: a cross ram intake manifold with 2 4 barrels, high compression angle plug heads, a special "race use only" camshaft, long tube headers, and chambered exhaust. The stock DZ/302 V8 was conservatively rated at 290HP, reports from the time suggest they were more like 350-375HP. The racing package bumped it up to over 450HP. The dealer had to install all the stuff, but when you picked it up, all you needed to do was install a roll cage and you were ready to go Trans Am racing.

So why do I bring this all up? Well, $4800 in 1969 is about $30k today. Now granted, the DZ/302 was no LS7, it only had 4 gears, and the 4 wheel disc brakes are laughable by today's standards. But it's also not hard to see that the Z was a monster for it's time, just as the new one is. But $30k doesn't even get you into a V8 Camaro today. So does all the technology, all the progress of the last 46 years make it worth $70k? As awesome as the car is, I find that to be a hard pill to swallow. Especially when a Boss 302 was $20k less.

ajroder > Snuze: Needs another Swede
03/19/2015 at 13:28

That's a great point. That '69 Z/28 had to feel like an absolute monster in its day.

And to your point about the Boss 302: the GT350 is bound to make the Z/28 an even tougher sell.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > ajroder
03/19/2015 at 13:35

Oh, I completely forgot about the GT350. I'm definitely a Chevy guy, but the new Mustangs, with the 5.0L, are so great, and feel so much lither than the fat oink of a Camaro. But the GT350.... oh god... Flat plane cranks make me HNNNNNGGGG!!!!

ajroder > Snuze: Needs another Swede
03/19/2015 at 13:54

There was a prototype at this auto show. It looks the part too.

misfitmascots > ajroder
03/19/2015 at 14:33

Yep. And you can still take it on a track

Axial > Supercharged-V8-Jag
03/19/2015 at 17:19

But if you track regularly, you want a good set of steel brakes with track pads.