03-14-2017, 10:06 AM | #1 |
Drives: 2011 2SS/RS LS3 Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Torrance
Posts: 14,481
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Might this GT4 Program Produce a Z/28?
Link from member Mountain regarding the GT4 program...
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/ctscc/g...ustomer-sales/ Just thinking if this sort of program could expand to some sort of Z/28 build...True, not street legal etc...but at least a track platform for the N/A die-hards....Looks pricey, but perhaps a Z/28 might be less expensive than a GT4....Could be a new spot for the LS7...maybe not to spec for actual racing circuits, but satisfactory to the weekend track-rat... They are hoping for market interest...a Z/28 might have some...Custom builds, similar to COPO....but maybe better than nothing...Just 'sayin... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "The new Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R will be made available to customers worldwide, according to GM Racing Director Mark Kent, who is targeting sales to begin next year. The Pratt & Miller-built GT4-spec car, which finished 2nd in its competition debut in Friday’s Pirelli World Challenge GTS season opener at St. Pete, is GM’s first turn-key race car built to a global set of technical regulations. It will initially compete in PWC and IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge this year with development partners Blackdog Speed Shop and Stevenson Motorsports, respectively. “That is our objective,” Kent told Sportscar365. “We haven’t finalized it all, but our goal when we started this process was that by next year we would have a product that would be racing in the hands of other teams in addition to Blackdog [and Stevenson]. “We have received a lot of interest, a lot of tire kickers. But until we figure out the distribution process and price, it’s hard to tell how many of those tire kickers are serious. We’ll find out. “Based on what we believe we have here, we think it’s an exciting product and we think there’s going to be a lot of interest in the years to come.” Kent said they have yet to establish the exact market for the SRO GT4-homologated car, which could be used for track days and club racing events in addition to being eligible for GT4 championships worldwide. GM’s most recent experience with customer race car sales has been with the COPO Camaro, a race-inspired Camaro for the drag strip, which it has limited sales to 69 cars per year based on initial interest. “We’re going to do something similar with this; we’re going to try and identify the market and see how many we can really sell,” Kent*said. “If you’re only producing four of five, you take this approach. But if you’re producing 400-500, you take a different approach altogether. “We’ve got to identify that. But we hope it’s a big market.” Kent said they’re also working through the customer support model, given that teams will likely be utilizing the Camaro ZL1 1LE-based car in*a number of different championships. “The idea of a GT4 car is that you don’t need to support them,” he said. “You buy the car, the car’s capable to go racing. “You shouldn’t have to have ongoing engineers embedded with the team to help them because that’s really not the idea with GT4.” With a full season ahead in PWC with two cars, as well as the Stevenson Camaro debuting at the Continental Tire Challenge round at Circuit of The Americas, Kent is optimistic of having a well-sorted car for customers by next year. “We hope at the end of the year we’ve ironed out all the bugs, we’ve figured out how to operate the car so when someone does buy it, ‘Here’s your owner’s manual. This is how you can compete with this car,'” he said. “The other half, [the drivers and teams] would like to win some races and poles. We hope that we have a steep but effective learning curve that we can be competitive here as soon as possible. “They’ve love to win the championships and we hope this product would enable that.” Last edited by 90503; 03-14-2017 at 10:17 AM. |
03-17-2017, 03:55 PM | #2 |
Drives: 2014 Z/28 #82+#192, 18ZLE 66Nova Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: By the lake in AZ
Posts: 15,719
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Now that the new President has said there going to roll back the CAFE Standard, do we think gm is going to use that motor that did not meet the Standard, in the Camaro ?
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03-17-2017, 05:12 PM | #3 |
Drives: 20 1LE 2SS M6 Rally Green Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Franklin WI
Posts: 6,632
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__________________
"the trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so.” Ronald Reagan - |
03-17-2017, 07:48 PM | #4 | |
Drives: 2011 2SS/RS LS3 Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Torrance
Posts: 14,481
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Quote:
...Regardless, I doubt we'll see any risky knee-jerk reactions that might be short-lived...or not....I haven't heard anything announced one way or the other... |
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03-17-2017, 07:56 PM | #5 |
I used to be Dragoneye...
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CAFE and emissions are different things...definitely keeping an eye on those policies...
Anyways - I think the GT4.R program will produce something like the COPO Camaro...except for the road course. I sort of doubt they'll call it a "Z/28", though... |
03-17-2017, 08:10 PM | #6 |
Drives: 2011 2SS/RS LS3 Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Torrance
Posts: 14,481
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I wonder what the price tag will be on one of these GT4.Rs. Pricey for sure to meet race specs, I would guess....but a more "affordable" version for the non-circuit tracker might be something of interest at some point....
That's sort of what I had in mind for a "Z/28" model....Barring a street legal Z/28 which may never happen, a GT4 type build might be what it takes to out perform the ZL1 1LE at the track...A 300-400 hp LT1 may not do it either....Other N/A crate motors would likely be needed to beat the ZL1... |
03-17-2017, 08:56 PM | #7 | |
I used to be Dragoneye...
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Quote:
The GT4.R weighs ~3150, rides on slicks, and is stripped to nothing on the inside. So it will need about 550hp to reach the same power to weight ratio as the ZL1 1LE, but could probably hold better in the corners. |
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03-17-2017, 10:36 PM | #8 | |
Drives: 2014 Z/28 #82+#192, 18ZLE 66Nova Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: By the lake in AZ
Posts: 15,719
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Quote:
I still remamber the last time we where all at BE for the last CAMARO FEST, in the parking lot with the camaro team, and Al taking about how nice it will be if the next Z/28 hade a high revving motor in the new car, so all I can think, is we have not seen the last of the Z/28. |
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03-18-2017, 12:25 PM | #9 |
Drives: 66 Chevelle SS Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: SoCal
Posts: 1,347
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The COPO cars consist of a plethora of aftermarket components. They are extremely capable drag cars.
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