The 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 Doesn't Cost Enough
It’s Worth Far More Than Its $75,000 Sticker
Chevrolet should be charging more than $75,000 for the 2014 Camaro Z/28, because the car's worth it. There, I said it. It feels good to say it, and it needs to be said. Especially if you remember the reaction when Chevy released pricing info for the honestly greatest ever Camaro. On the social media sites I frequent, it was, "$75K for a Camaro? OMG! What flavor of crack is Chevy smoking? LOLZ!"
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If you were unfortunate enough to spend time with the Zeta-platform, fifth-gen Camaro when it first came out -- especially when it had that godforsaken steering wheel -- you can be forgiven for laughing out loud at 75 large. But I'm part of the lucky handful who've driven the newfangled Z/28, and the car might go down as one of the best bargains ever. Why?
Let's start with the brakes. They're big, vented-and-drilled carbon-ceramic Brembos, 15.5 inches front, 15.3 inches rear. More important, they are standard. As in, that's it -- you can't get a Z/28 without them. Fun and games time: Please name the next-least-expensive car that has carbon-ceramic brakes standard. Stumped? Try the $170,545 Audi R8 V10 Plus with a six-speed manual and nary an option. Exactly how no one buys 'em. Next up the price ladder is the $180,100 Porsche 911 Turbo S. Keep in mind that the $130,400 Porsche GT3 -- a car we're certain will compete basically on par with the Z/28 -- only has carbon-ceramic brakes as a $9210 option. Beyond those cars, you're getting into funny money territory. The Ferrari 458 Speciale starts life at $298,000.
Forget about the brakes. Let's talk dampers. Specifically the MultiMatic DSSV dampers that are standard on the track-rat Camaro. I'm barely smart enough to explain the technology, but essentially they provide unique low- and high-speed control of both compression and rebound. Other types of shocks - including the General's own magnetorheological shocks - only have one type of movement, regardless of speed. If you were interested in another production car with DSSV damper technology, you'd have to shell out $1.85 million for an Aston Martin One-77. That's it, really. No other street car comes with DSSV. There are race cars that feature the technology, specifically F1 cars. Last I heard, a set of F1 carbon discs are $80,000 a pop -- plus, you can't buy an F1 car. Point is, the Z/28 is packed with top-shelf tech at well-drink prices.
Let's not forget the engine. As I've said many times (ever since I first heard Angus MacKenzie say it), if there were an engine hall of fame, Chevy's LS7 would be in it. I remember driving the Corvette 427 (the convertible Z06, for total lack of a better name), but honestly all I remember about the car is the engine. Well, I'm mostly sure the car was white. Many folks on the Internet fall into weird pitfalls when it comes to GM small-blocks. They'll say things like it doesn't make enough power-per-liter, or cam-in-block technology is old. As is usually the case, the people who scream the loudest about such nonsense have never driven an LS7-powered car. That mill is a true marvel. Hand-built, 7.0 liters, 505 hp, and almost as much torque, with a Satan-gargling-fireballs soundtrack and an immediacy and ferocity that simply must be experienced to be understood. Do hand-built engines even matter? No, it's an obvious though sexy marketing ploy. My point is that for the low price of just $75K you too can own one of the three best production engines in the world.
True, you can get a hand-built engine for less money, as AMG will happily sell you a CLA45 AMG with a 2.0-liter turbo I4 with 355 ponies for $48,375. Of course, the Z/28 will roll the CLA45 up in an East German flag and smoke it. If you're looking for a more apples-to-apples comparison, AMG also hand-assembles bigger engines, such as the soon-to-be-dead (if not already deceased) M156, a 6.2-liter humdinger of a V-8 that has also earned its spot in our (sadly fictitious) engine hall of fame. Besides the LS7 and M156, the other current engine I'd throw in our hall is the 730-hp rip-snortin' V-12 found under the hood of the $323,000 Ferrari F12 berlinetta. Holy wow, Batman.
Back to the apples. If you hurry, you can still buy a four-door C63 AMG for $62,875. Of course, that's an apples-to-pears comparison, as the C63 sedan "only" has 451 hp. Apples-to-apples is going to require the C63 AMG 507 Coupe with a 507-hp, 457 lb-ft of torque example of the M156. Price: $75,125, just slightly undercutting the Camaro Z/28. I've driven both cars. Surprisingly, they're quite similar in character and feel -- both even sport Alcantara-wrapped steering wheels. But as much as I love the C63 in all its forms (especially the wagon!), the Z/28 would break its jaw in any sort of fight. I'd rather own the Chevy, too.
Remember, this is the Camaro that bested both a Nissan GT-R Track Edition and a Porsche 911 Turbo S on a race track. The Z/28 is for real, no joking, one of the greatest sports cars in the world.
We had a Chevy PR person in the office the other day, and while talking about the baddest ever Camaro, I mentioned that it should cost more. She looked startled for a moment before continuing with, "One of our brand values is low price." I smirked and added that Chevrolet dealers feel differently. They will certainly no doubt be putting tens of thousands of dollars on top of the Z/28's asking price as soon as they can. You know the crazy part? The cars will sell for that greedy, artificially inflated price, because the Camaro Z/28 is worth much more than Chevy is charging.
When I was just one-year-old and newly walking, I managed to paint a white racing stripe down the side of my father’s Datsun 280Z. It’s been downhill ever since then. Moral of the story? Painting the garage leads to petrolheads. I’ve always loved writing, and I’ve always had strong opinions about cars.
One day I realized that I should combine two of my biggest passions and see what happened. Turns out that some people liked what I had to say and within a few years Angus MacKenzie came calling. I regularly come to the realization that I have the best job in the entire world. My father is the one most responsible for my car obsession. While driving, he would never fail to regale me with tales of my grandfather’s 1950 Cadillac 60 Special and 1953 Buick Roadmaster. He’d also try to impart driving wisdom, explaining how the younger you learn to drive, the safer driver you’ll be. “I learned to drive when I was 12 and I’ve never been in an accident.” He also, at least once per month warned, “No matter how good you drive, someday, somewhere, a drunk’s going to come out of nowhere and plow into you.”
When I was very young my dad would strap my car seat into the front of his Datsun 280Z and we’d go flying around the hills above Malibu, near where I grew up. The same roads, in fact, that we now use for the majority of our comparison tests. I believe these weekend runs are part of the reason why I’ve never developed motion sickness, a trait that comes in handy when my “job” requires me to sit in the passenger seats for repeated hot laps of the Nurburgring. Outside of cars and writing, my great passions include beer — brewing and judging as well as tasting — and tournament poker. I also like collecting cactus, because they’re tough to kill. My amazing wife Amy is an actress here in Los Angeles and we have a wonderful son, Richard.Read More