USA - The Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 is one of AUTOMOBILE’s All-Stars for 2015

The Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 is one of AUTOMOBILE’s All-Stars for 2015. The official announcement was made at the brand’s website on the eve of the Los Angeles Auto Show. The Z/28 and the rest of the All-Stars will be featured in the January 2015 issue of AUTOMOBILE Magazine.

“The Z/28 is flat-out amazing to haul butt in on the track, making it an easy choice as a 2015 All-Star,” saidAUTOMOBILE Editor-in-Chief Mike Floyd. “This car is a shining example of what a dedicated team of performance engineers can achieve when they put their minds to it. You won’t drive the Z/28 every day, but every day you do will be a great one.”

AUTOMOBILE’s All-Stars criteria is weighted more on subjective attributes than instrumented testing – although the editors found the Z/28 more than adept on the track, noting in their story: “Chevy didn’t build the Z/28 for the logical buyer. Chevy built the Z/28 for hardcore car geeks. All you have to do is drive this hyper-focused Camaro on a racing circuit to see, or rather feel, why this car exists and why it’s an All-Star.”

“From the outset, the mission of the Z/28 was clear: create the most track-focused, best-handling Camaro in the car’s history,” said Todd Christensen, Camaro marketing manager. “Being named an AUTOMOBILE All-Star is a welcome confirmation that the team of designers and engineers succeed at that goal.”

In addition to the AUTOMOBILE All-Star nod, the Z/28 was recently named Motor Trend’s 2014 Best Driver’s Car – the first American-brand car to win the seven-year-old award.

The Camaro Z/28 builds on the legacy of the original SCCA Trans Am-series contender introduced in 1967. Its unique exterior is designed like a race car to produce downforce that presses the car against the track for greater grip and faster lap times. 

Comprehensive chassis and suspension changes, including a lower center of gravity, specific stabilizer bars, higher-rate coil springs and other chassis and suspension features have been optimized for the track – enabling more than 1.08 g in lateral acceleration and 1.5 g in deceleration.

Racing-bred dampers, tires and Brembo carbon ceramic brakes play important roles in not only maximizing performance, but making it more predictable and consistent with every lap. 

Engineers also made sure the Z/28 was as light as possible to maximize its power-to-weight ratio. Everything from lightweight wheels to thinner rear-window glass is used to reduce curb weight and improve the overall weight balance. The carbon ceramic brake rotors, for example, collectively save more than 20 pounds of unsprung weight, compared to the Camaro SS.

In fact, 100 percent of the unsprung mass – suspension, wheels, tires and brake system – has been changed from the Camaro SS, dramatically enhancing the balance and overall driving feel of the Z/28.

A 7.0L LS7 V-8 rated at 505 horsepower (376 kW) and 481 lb-ft of torque (652 Nm) complements the lightweight vehicle components to give the car an enviable 7.6:1 power-to-weight ratio. It was bred on the racetrack, with features designed for high-rpm performance and durability, including a durable forged-steel crankshaft, lightweight titanium connecting rods and high-flow cylinder heads with lightweight titanium intake valves.