[Macaro]

So it's November 2016 as I create this thread. The new 2017 ZL1's are beginning to hit dealer showroom floors. What is the current thought process on a 6th Gen based Z/28? Will it be announced early in CY2017? Shipping as a MY2018?

And...given current rumors, do you all think it will/can turn up the wick a bit? The new ZL1 already posted an insanely fast Ring time. Looks like 2017 ZL1>5th Gen Z/28. Will the 6th Gen based model really be able to topple that?

Thanks for any thoughts you have.

DM

PS - I own a 2014 ZL1, great car, I bought it weeks before the Z/28 pricing fell off a cliff and I've regretted not waiting just a little more and buying a Z/28 for the same money I paid for my ZL1. My car is primarily used as a track car, it's not a DD at all. I'm looking to upgrade and right now I'm considering jumping ship to a GT350R (but they are impossible to buy) or a 2017 GS Corvette. In my heart I think I want to hold out for a 2018 Z/28 but I'm not sure one will come out and I don't want to wait till MY2019 to replace my current car.

[2cnd chance]

Originally Posted by Macaro

So it's November 2016 as I create this thread. The new 2017 ZL1's are beginning to hit dealer showroom floors. What is the current thought process on a 6th Gen based Z/28? Will it be announced early in CY2017? Shipping as a MY2018?

And...given current rumors, do you all think it will/can turn up the wick a bit? The new ZL1 already posted an insanely fast Ring time. Looks like 2017 ZL1>5th Gen Z/28. Will the 6th Gen based model really be able to topple that?

Thanks for any thoughts you have.

DM

PS - I own a 2014 ZL1, great car, I bought it weeks before the Z/28 pricing fell off a cliff and I've regretted not waiting just a little more and buying a Z/28 for the same money I paid for my ZL1. My car is primarily used as a track car, it's not a DD at all. I'm looking to upgrade and right now I'm considering jumping ship to a GT350R (but they are impossible to buy) or a 2017 GS Corvette. In my heart I think I want to hold out for a 2018 Z/28 but I'm not sure one will come out and I don't want to wait till MY2019 to replace my current car.

Yes the "unknown" is the killer.

[BradfordCamaro]

All we have is photos of "another" Camaro with fat tires and a little snazzy bodywork. No one has said there will be a Z/28. Rumors are from enthuasiast forums such as this one. Could be 6 months or 12 months before or IF anything is revealed.

[Bhobbs]

It will probably be revealed in the next couple of months as a 2018 model.

[Macaro]

Originally Posted by BradfordCamaro

All we have is photos of "another" Camaro with fat tires and a little snazzy bodywork. No one has said there will be a Z/28. Rumors are from enthuasiast forums such as this one. Could be 6 months or 12 months before or IF anything is revealed.

Mostly agree. Though there have been some videos of Al O being asked the question directly and his answers/reactions clue you in that something is in the works. Will it be a Z/28 or a package applied to the ZL1 who knows. I do think there is a segment of the market currently not being served by Chevrolet and it's an opportunity. The question is, is the opportunity big enough?

Personally I think a "halo" car lifts the whole brand/model. If the perception is that the "best Camaro" is better than the "best Mustang" then all Camaro's are better than their counterpart Mustangs. You can't buy that kind of marketing, you have to earn it. Perhaps the new ZL1 will be good enough to accomplish that, but perhaps not.

The pessimist in me believes that the Gen 5 Z/28 was a financial failure. They tried selling them for $75K and, some did but a lot we left to be sold in a fire sale of sorts where they were going for about $20K less. Maybe Chevrolet learned something about the sweet spot in the market, but how much did that lesson cost them and are they willing to belly up to the bar again...

Time will tell, I just hate waiting.

DM

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by Macaro

So it's November 2016 as I create this thread. The new 2017 ZL1's are beginning to hit dealer showroom floors. What is the current thought process on a 6th Gen based Z/28? Will it be announced early in CY2017? Shipping as a MY2018?

And...given current rumors, do you all think it will/can turn up the wick a bit? The new ZL1 already posted an insanely fast Ring time. Looks like 2017 ZL1>5th Gen Z/28. Will the 6th Gen based model really be able to topple that?

Thanks for any thoughts you have.

DM

PS - I own a 2014 ZL1, great car, I bought it weeks before the Z/28 pricing fell off a cliff and I've regretted not waiting just a little more and buying a Z/28 for the same money I paid for my ZL1. My car is primarily used as a track car, it's not a DD at all. I'm looking to upgrade and right now I'm considering jumping ship to a GT350R (but they are impossible to buy) or a 2017 GS Corvette. In my heart I think I want to hold out for a 2018 Z/28 but I'm not sure one will come out and I don't want to wait till MY2019 to replace my current car.

Your guess is as good as ours. Might be revealed at LA later this month, or Detroit in January, or Chicago in February or New York after that, or at a special event in the spring or summer, or at next years SEMA or some other time or never.

The thing we've seen might be a Z/28, might be a special package for the ZL1, might be something else altogether, might get canned instead of going into production.


But if you want my best guess? The Z/28 will be revealed at the LA Autoshow this year, to go into production near the start of the 2018 model year. But thats based on little more than my gut instinct.

[90503]

...Still guessing at LA show as a '17.....

The ZL1s are in customer hands....only the Z/28 left to go as the 50th Anniversary Crown Jewel.....I think it will be out sooner than later....

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by Macaro

And...given current rumors, do you all think it will/can turn up the wick a bit? The new ZL1 already posted an insanely fast Ring time. Looks like 2017 ZL1>5th Gen Z/28. Will the 6th Gen based model really be able to topple that?

Thanks for any thoughts you have.

The 17's ZL1 was performance benchmarked against a 2015 Z/28...they beat that benchmark, as intended...

But if you watch the Z/28 and ZL1 Nordschleife lap videos...the Z/28 holds more speed through corners...more aggressive tires alone would make the new ZL1 faster. Better aero? Even more so..C/C brakes? Definitely. Lower weight? Yup.

If they follow the same formula as the 5th-gen Z/28...any new Camaro with that nameplate could potentially be a high 7:10s, low 7:20s Nurburgring lap time...

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by Mr. Wyndham

The 17's ZL1 was performance benchmarked against a 2015 Z/28...they beat that benchmark, as intended...

But if you watch the Z/28 and ZL1 Nordschleife lap videos...the Z/28 holds more speed through corners...more aggressive tires alone would make the new ZL1 faster. Better aero? Even more so..C/C brakes? Definitely. Lower weight? Yup.

If they follow the same formula as the 5th-gen Z/28...any new Camaro with that nameplate could potentially be a high 7:10s, low 7:20s Nurburgring lap time...

Just adding to what you've said ...


To put the '14 Z/28 vs '17 ZL1 Nurburgring laps into perspective, compared to the Z/28 the ZL1 has about 30% more power, with less than 3% more weight. Its lap time was 8 seconds or 1.8% faster than the Z/28 ... a car that just so happened to do the last part of the lap in the rain (which probably slowed it by a few seconds).

To imply that a next-gen Z/28 has little room for improvement based on the the performance of the ZL1 is nonsense. As Dragoneye said, another 10ish seconds is certainly possible.

[Memphis]

I doubt we will see an announcement this year, it would take away potential ZL1 buyers at this point even if it is 8 months away from production. I'd guess a Detroit debut if there isn't a Corvette announcement there (which it looks like there will be).

[BradfordCamaro]

Originally Posted by Memphis

I doubt we will see an announcement this year, it would take away potential ZL1 buyers at this point even if it is 8 months away from production. I'd guess a Detroit debut if there isn't a Corvette announcement there (which it looks like there will be).

This is true. They could want one full year of production before announcing anything new. 5th gen ZL1 had 2 years by itself before a Z model.

[Bhobbs]

We first saw the Z/28 prototypes in March. Based on the timeline of the ZL1 prototype to reveal, the Z/28 should be revealed soon.

[Zack46]

Originally Posted by Bhobbs

We first saw the Z/28 prototypes in March. Based on the timeline of the ZL1 prototype to reveal, the Z/28 should be revealed soon.

+1

[BradfordCamaro]

Originally Posted by Bhobbs

We first saw the Z/28 prototypes in March. Based on the timeline of the ZL1 prototype to reveal, the Z/28 should be revealed soon.

"We" call it the Z/28 prototype. But was it?