Predictions For The Upcoming Sixth Generation Chevrolet Camaro Z/28

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Earlier this month, spy photographers captured an unidentified sixth-generation Camaro headed onto the Nürburgring, presumably for some road course testing. While the session didn’t end particularly well, there’s a lot more here than just a Chevy coupe in a camouflage wrap out for a few laps around the Green Hell.

The obvious answer, given the hardcore aero and the fact that we’ve already seen what the 1LE is going to look like, is that we’re looking at the new Z/28. And given that assumption, Motor Trend has speculated that this test mule is powered by a new, direct-injected version of the naturally aspirated, 7.0-liter LS7 V8, dubbed the LT7.

The high-revving LS7 initially debuted in the C6 Corvette Z06 and then later found its way under the hood of the fifth-generation Camaro, making 505 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque.

So what we’re looking at here folks, is a glimpse at the first vehicle powered by an updated version of the LS7. It’s safe to assume the motor would have internal upgrades to go along with the inherent output improvements via the direct injection, so we’re speculating the LT7’s output in the neighborhood of 540-560 horsepower. That seems feasible, but there are some caveats worth considering here.

First, and perhaps most importantly, is the notion that this engine would debut in a Camaro. While the Z/28 will likely retail for more than a base Stingray, Chevrolet traditionally introduces high-performance V8 engines in their halo car – the Corvette – before the motor moves down the food chain to models like the Camaro. Debuting an all-new, track-focused high performance Chevrolet engine in anything other than a Corvette seems out of character for the company and generally ill-advised.

7Moreover, the C7 Corvette Grand Sport recently made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show. Traditionally the Grand Sport has served as more or less a Z06 with the base Stingray’s powertrain. But with the Z06 now slotted more like the “King of the Hill” C6 ZR1 in the Corvette lineup rather than the most track-focused iteration of the car (like the C6 Z06 was), it seems like Chevy has some license to change up model identities within the Corvette’s various offerings and make the C7 Grand Sport what the C6 Z06 was to the Corvette lineup for that generation.

Given the timing of the Grand Sport’s debut, wouldn’t it have made more sense to unveil a new version of the LS7 in that car rather than GM’s answer to the Ford Mustang?

Then again, Chevrolet does need a proper response to the 526-horsepower Mustang GT350R. There’s a number of angles worth considering here, so we asked some folks around the office to weigh in on this as well:

Chase Christensen, editor of lsxmag.com: “I think GM is going to treat the Z/28 to the “Grand Sport” treatment, meaning I think that they will make the new model a lightweight ZL1 without the supercharger. They might tune the motor to produce a bit more horsepower, but I think that will be the basic recipe. This is evidenced by the two hash marks the prototype is sporting — even in camouflage.

Trevor Anderson, editor of Turnology.com: “I would expect Chevrolet Performance to be looking to field a counter offer to the GT350R, I think it’s important to distinguish between America’s Sports Car (the C7) and a top-tier muscle car. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Z/28 shares a few architectural carry-overs from the C7 but it will have its own identity as a Mustang rival.

So we ask you, dear commenters: What are your thoughts? Will the new Z/28 bring with it a modernized 427 V8, or should we expect something a little more pedestrian, like a warmed over version of the LT1?

About the author

Bradley Iger

Lover of noisy cars, noisy music, and noisy bulldogs, Brad can often be found flogging something expensive along the twisting tarmac of the Angeles Forest.
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