Zoinks... Camaro Z28 beats the LFA on the ring...

[stealthee]

Honestly April, the more I think about it, the less I want to own ANY newer GM vehicle. There is just too much crap that starts going wrong on GM's way too early in their lifespan. My Grand Prix still runs and drives okay, but there are interior issues my Grand Prix has that my 195,000 mile 20 year old 3s doesn't have.

When the car is paid off I'll likely never own another GM, unless it is a classic like a 68 Camaro or 69 Firebird.

[UTRacerX9]

A Camaro running the Ring that fast?

My guess is they tested a ringer.

[95gto]

Has it been confirmed that the production car will still lack an audio system, sound deadening, air conditioning, etc?

Also do we have a sticker price for this thing yet, all I have heard is that it will be more expensive than the ZL1.

[deathsled]

You know what's really going on here right? This is PS4 or Xbox One footage and it's some sort of crazy marketing strategy.

Everyone is going to get so hyped about X beating Y around the 'ring and then it's going to come out that this is the new Forza or something and next-gen games are AMAZING.

[nodoze]

i have a feeling that every foreign car maker will be out for vengence now that an "american pig of a car " just slapped them in the face in a muscle car

[Alex3000gt]

2014 Chevy Camaro Z/28 clocks 7:37.47 Nürburgring lap time - Autoblog

To put that into larger context, that makes the new Z/28 faster than the latest Porsche 911 Carrera S, faster than the Lexus LFA, faster than the Ferrari 430 Scuderia, Lamborghini Murcielago, Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren and SLS AMG. That also makes the new Camaro Z/28 faster around the Nordschleife than any other American metal this side of a Viper or Vette. Now that's some serious muscle indeed. Check out the video below.

i have a feeling that every foreign car maker will be out for vengence now that an "american pig of a car " just slapped them in the face in a muscle car

[green-lantern]

Think of the time lost due to the pucker he had when it did come down. You could tell she got squirrely!

He was squirrely a lot of the time. You can here him loose traction quite a bit. I swear he broke the rears loose 50 times lol. That guy has some balls. Very impressive for a Camaro.

[HellBringer]

A Camaro running the Ring that fast?

My guess is they tested a ringer.

Is that a poor attempt at a pun, or just ignorance..?

The key thing to keep in mind about the 2014 Camaro Z/28 is that it isn't just another crosstown rival for the Ford Mustang. Sure, the 1LE and Boss 302 are perfectly matched for a fight, and heavyweights ZL1 and Shelby GT500 equally so, but really, there isn't a clear competitor from Ford or even Chrysler for this even more extreme Z/28. (At least, not yet.) Chevy is dead set on testing new waters with its track-focused Z/28, and firmly states that this car is not to be treated as a daily driver. To that end, Chevy is extending the factory warranty on the Z/28 to include track use – the company stands behind the full performance capabilities of this car.

Chevy has taken out everything that wasn't a legal necessity or didn't improve performance. Of course, the larger V8 engine adds some heft, as do added bits of aero and the higher caliber chassis, suspension, braking and wheel/tire components. The end result, however, is a Camaro that weighs 3,837 pounds – some 300 pounds less than a ZL1 coupe – and has enough added aero to produce 440 pounds of downforce at 150 miles per hour. The functional aerodynamic enhancements include a front splitter, large rear spoiler, hood vent, reshaped rockers and Gurney lip fender flares.

More than 190 of the Z/28's parts are unique, with each one focused on solely making this thing the most capable track car in the Camaro lineup. In addition to the LS7 tweaks, the Z/28 marks the first application of a dry sump lubrication system in a Camaro, designed to better handle frequent high revving and the higher g-forces of the Z/28's improved cornering ability. Of course, things get super hot under extreme driving conditions, so to keep it all in check, there's a liquid-to-liquid cooling system for the engine oil (identical to the system used in the Corvette ZR1), and the transmission and differential are kept cool with a high-capacity liquid-to-air system that's similar to what Chevy uses in the Camaro ZL1.

Compared again to the ZL1, the Z/28 is less powerful, but as we've learned before, engine output isn't everything. Surely, no one will complain about the Z/28's naturally aspirated 7.0-liter V8, officially rated at 505 horsepower at 6,100 rpm and 481 pound-feet of torque at 4,800 rpm. Yes, you could argue that that using GM's supercharged 6.2-liter LSA V8 from the ZL1 and Cadillac's V models would have been a good choice, but simply put, the Bowling Green-assembled LS7, which was also used by the last-generation Corvette Z06, weighs less and still absolutely rocks.

A few tweaks were made to the LS7 during Z/28 development. Pankl titanium connecting rods were added, Oppenheiser says the connecting rods survived a 50-hour torture test running at redline with little to no wear. Mahle pistons, and a revised air intake with K&N cold-air induction and exhaust headers were added as well. The 505-hp rating may be the same as the LS7-powered Corvette Z06, but the extra massaging here in the Camaro is what yielded the 481 lb-ft number – 11 more torques than in the 'Vette. The only transmission available is a Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual, with close-ratio gearing and a 3.91 final drive ratio – up from 3.45 in the Camaro SS.

To keep everything steady, Chevy has fitted a beefier Torsen helical limited-slip differential, which we're told cuts lap times on the Milford Road Course by 0.7 seconds. This improved setup is specifically designed to optimize track performance, with built-in programming for corner entry, mid-point and exit.

Perhaps most importantly, the suspension has been heavily reworked, with springs that are 85-percent stiffer up front and 65-percent stiffer in the rear, optimized for the new Multimatic DSSV (Dynamic Suspensions Spool Valve) dampers. These state-of-the-art dampers were first pioneered in the Champ Car series in 2002, and to this day are used in Formula One by Red Bull Racing. DSSV dampers are also found in DTM, Formula 3 and the Ferrari 458 Challenge, and were installed as factory equipment on the Aston Martin One-77. The Camaro Z/28 marks the first mainstream application of the DSSV dampers.

Naturally, higher-quality stoppers were fitted: lightweight, carbon ceramic brakes at all four corners. Up front, the big rotors measure 15.5 inches with fixed, six-piston calipers (in an asymmetric layout for improved clamp-force distribution), and at the back, large 15.4-inch rotors are used with four-piston fixed calipers.

[green-lantern]

My favorite comment

Those wipers are cheap and NOT working...?
The car looks rough too, not very streetable.
Good job GOV'T MOTOR

Wipers leaving streaks at 150mph, great track car too rough on city streets?
That's like complaining about your microwave because it doesn't make good ice cream.
GOV'T MOTORS? Good one!

[green-lantern]

BTW that's sexy as hell