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Video: 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28

03:26 min
By Cars.com Editors
April 16, 2014

About the video

Cars.com editor Joe Bruzek was at Monticello Motor Club to get behind the wheel of Chevy's new Camaro Z/28.

Transcript

(upbeat music) (tires screeching) Hi, it's Joe Bruzek from cars.com. By now you'll probably know about the return of the Camaro Z28, the Camaro's track focus model that only has one speaker standard and no air conditioning.
But what it does have are over 190 unique parts, compared to the SS, to make it a track capable machine. We're out here at Monticello Motor Club and we're out driving it, so let's take a look at how it does. (car engine revving) (car engine roaring) The wheel and tire package is an important part of any track car, and on the Z28 you have super-wide tires and wheels up front and out back. The 305 millimeter wide front tires are the widest of any production car, according to Chevrolet. The tires themselves are super-sticky Pirelli hard compound tires, and they provide just a ton of grip on the track. Behind the wheels are massive carbon ceramic brakes. They're the type of brakes that you find on super-exotic race cars, and they provide so much stopping power it'll feel like it's gonna rip the glasses off your head. It's just an unbelievable braking experience. Now we were ramping on the cars all day on the track, and even up until last laps, there was a ton of life left on the brakes and they didn't feel like they were fading at all. The Z28s 505 horsepower engine is naturally aspirated and it comes from the previous generation Z06. The brakes, throttle and steering all work together perfectly in the Z28, you always feel like you're in control. And for how heavy the car is, even though they took out 300 pounds compared to the ZL1, it's extremely agile and it doesn't feel like it still weighs 3,800 pounds. In fact, it drives like a much lighter one and there is rarely an indication where it feels like you're throwing around that much weight. The suspension, the tires, the throttle and the steering, they all work together for just an ultimate track car experience in the Camaro. Even when the car does get a little sqirly, an extremely smart electronic stability system keeps everything in check, and it's not intrusive, even in its most aggressive mode. It doesn't grind you to a halt, it'll gradually take away power and let you get the car back in shape And then it lets you pour it on. But it's not intrusive and it doesn't just stop the car from squirming around a little bit, it still lets you know what's going on. (car engine roaring) Just to note, I am no professional driver, but that doesn't mean I wasn't able to have fun in the Z28. Yes, it may be a track package, but it was very easy to drive and I felt very comfortable in the car after just a few laps. And we haven't driven the Z28 on the street yet, but I don't really care, it's amazing on the track and it's the track where you have to experience the Z28. (car engine roaring)

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