The history of the Z/28....That may continue...

In the mid '60's the SCCA had a series called "Sport Sedan Racing" or as it's more widely known, "Trans-Am Racing". ( Short for Trans-American Sport Sedan Racing Series ). It was wildly popular, and the cubic inch limit was 5 liters or 305 cubic inches, which is odd in the middle of the musclecar era, when "Big" was in. Ford did well with the Mustang and it's little 289 V8, and Chrysler raced the ugly, but light Barracuda with their 273 inch V8. Chevrolet's counter to the ultra-popular Mustang was the Camaro, introduced for 1967. Ford had dominated the series in 1966, and GM didn't want to just compete, they wanted to win. Not content to just drop a plebian 283 in, Chevy engineers went balls-out. They put a 283 crank in a 327 block to create a 302 inch V8. But they didn't stop there-they gave it 11:1 compression, Corvette "Fuelie" heads, a hot solid-lifter cam, an aluminum intake and a 780 Holley carb. This high-winding, fire-breathing little monster was grossly under-rated at 290 hp. The buff magazines put it's true output closer to 400 hp. To race them, they had to sell at least 500 to the public. They simply took the option code, and used that for the name-Z/28. 602 were built in 1967. These screamers dominated so much in 67-68, that Ford countered with the Boss 302 in 1969. They got quite a rep on the street as well. However, even with the racing success and magazine writer accolades, they were pretty much a "niche" car. The motor was peaky and made it all it's power from 4,000 rpm to 7,000, and had very little low-end torque and was only available with a 4-speed and 3.73 or 4.11 gears! Of the quarter-million Camaros sold in 1969, only 19,000 were Z/28 models. This means the majority of Camaros sold were 327,350 or 396 models which had much more low-end torque, could be had with an automatic and air conditioning, and were more street-friendly. The F-bodys were totally redesigned for 1970. This bodystyle would last until 1981. The Z/28 got the Corvette LT-1 engine to replace the 302. It still had the solid-lifter cam and all the goodies, but the bump to 350 cubes gave it quite a boost in low and mid-range torque. Rated at 360 hp this engine was much more tractable on the street and was available with an automatic as well as a 4-speed. Because of tightening emission controls and the introduction of low-lead gas, Chevrolet lowered compression ratios on all engines for 1971. This dropped the Z/28's horsepower rating to 330 gross. In 1972 the SAE switched from gross to net hp ratings which made it look like power dropped way off, but in reality was the same. The Z/28 / LT1 was rated at 255 hp for 1972, although it was identical to the '71 version. A strike at the Norwood, Ohio plant that built Camaros and Firebirds almost killed the line. 1100 unfinished cars that couldn't meet the stiffer 1973 bumper safety standards had to be scrapped. Only the efforts of Pontiac engineer Herb Adams, fighting for his beloved Trans-Am Firebird and a few Chevy guys convinced GM to continue making Camaros and Firebirds, which would prove to be extremely profitable in only a couple years. In 1973 the LT1 was replaced with the L82. The solid-lifter cam, and 780 Holley on a high-rise aluminum intake were gone, victims of ever-tightening emissions standards. The cam was now hydraulic, and the induction system was now a Rochester Quadrajet on an iron manifold. Net hp only dropped from 255 to 245. Sales more than doubled over 1971-72. Inexplicably, in early 1974, the Z/28 option was mysteriously dropped. I say inexplicably, because as I said, sales went way up for the whole Camaro line in '73, and they sold more Z/28s than any year since 1969. Further, it's cousin, the Pontiac Trans-Am,whose sales quadrupled in 1973 over 1972, doubled that total in 1974, and doubled that in 1975 and doubled that yet again in 1976, selling nearly 50,000 units. In 1977, the smash-hit Burt Reynolds car-chase classic movie "Smokey and the Bandit" was released, and T/A sales skyrocketed for the rest of the decade. In April 1977 Chevrolet realized their goof, and brought back the Z/28 option. The engine was a generic L48 350 rated at 180 hp,but you got a choice of a T10 4-speed or a TH350 automatic with 3.42 or 3.73 gears,F41 suspension with front and rear sway bars and spoilers and graphics that shamelessly copied the Trans-Am. 1978 was the Camaro's best sales year ever. Nothing changed for 1979, but in 1980 "Cowl Induction" returned-a vacuum-operated hood scoop that opened under acceleration and sounded cool. The 4-speed was still a T10, but instead of a 2.64 low gear with a 3.73 axle, the 1980 models had a 3.44 1st gear and a 2.28 2nd with a 3.08 rear axle. This actually increased acceleration through the gears and helped highway fuel economy. Automatics still got a 3.42 cog. 1981 was the last year of the body that had been around since 1970. For some reason,this year you could only get the 190hp 350 with an automatic. If you wanted a 4-speed, you got a 305 that wheezed out 145 hp. However, Canadians could still get the 350 / 4-speed combo, so you may see some around on the used market. 1982 brought an all-new body that would last another decade until 1992. Engine choices were a 305 with a 4bbl or a 305 with "Cross-Fire" injection. In 1983 the L69 "H.O." package debuted which upped horsepower from 165 to about 190, and the old 4-speed was replaced with a 5-speed manual, and the 3-speed slushbox was replaced with a 4-speed automatic, all of which greatly increased performance. In 1985 "Tuned Port Injection" debuted, which upped horsepower to 215, but was only available with an automatic this first year. If you wanted a 5-speed, you got the carburated L69. This was also the year the "IROC-Z" package debuted-commemerating the International Race Of Champions, which had used Camaros for years. Besides loud graphics, it also included 16" wheels and fat, 245/50VR16 tires. In 1986, the 5-speed was offered with TPI, and in 1987 the L98 Corvette TPI 350 was offered, but only with an automatic. This remained unchanged until 1992. 1993 brought an all-new body that would last until the demise of the line in 2002. It also brought the excellent LT1 Corvette 350 which made 300 hp in the 'Vette and 275 in the Camaro Z/28. These are sought after by enthusiasts because the horsepower can be upped by 150 pretty easily. This also brought a six-speed manual trans option. This continued through 1997. 1998 brought the introduction of the LS1 350 which was introduced in the Corvette the year before. This upped hp to 320. We all know the accolades the LS motors have gotten in the buff magazines. The 98-02 LS1 motored Camaros are a steal if your looking for a late-model performance car. However, when they were new, they were a car without a market. Car and Driver said it best when they road-tested one. "This car is absolutely coveted by people who can't afford it." "It caused a complete work stoppage at every drive-up fast-food window or gas station we stopped at."  At $37,000 in 2002 dollars for a loaded Z/28 they were right. GM just priced the car out of business. A loaded V8 Mustang GT was about 25K-a good 10-12 grand less, and Ford was still selling Mustangs like hotcakes.  20-25 year old guys couldn't afford Camaros, and the 30-45 year old guys who could were buying 'Vettes,Porsches,BMWs, and SUVs, not thirsty musclecars with a ten-year old body and a backseat fit only for midgets. As Mustang sales continued to soar, especially after the retro-body came out in 2005-( It looks like a 1968 Mustang ) Ford couldn't meet demand. GM realized the goof, and brought the Camaro back in 2009, looking a lot like the revered 1969 model. They also priced it right-the 300hp V6 model started at $22,000 and the 426 hp LS3 'Vette engined model at about 29. Sales went off the charts. Curiously, they brought back the "SS" moniker for the high-performance version instead of using the Z/28 name. Rumor had it that the Z/28 would return with a version of the Supercharged LS9 ZR1 'Vette engine, but when the car was introduced as a 2012 model with 580 hp, they called it the ZL1. Who knows, maybe they'll resurrect the name on something even cooler than that. We can only hope. Mastermind