To say GM made a big blunder when it killed the Camaro in 2002 is being too nice. It was a stupid move, ending 35 years of a muscle car legend. Then again, maybe the plan all along was to bring the Camaro back as a better car, which today it is. Consumers have responded with their wallets, buying the Camaro over the Mustang by a comfortable margin.
According to Automotive News, GM is looking to capitalize on the new Camaro’s popularity by introducing a new special edition Camaro every six months or so, and Jalopnik reports that the Z/28 Camaro is still on the table at GM.
Yes, we all thought the car we now know as the Camaro ZL1 would be called the Z/28, and when you think about it, the name starts to make more sense. The Camaro ZL1 has always been a Shelby fighter, while the Z/28 was a car more along the lines of Ford’s BOSS 302. That’s to say historically, it was a Trans Am car with a powerful naturally-aspirated engine and a focus on suspension.
The Camaro ZL1 though, is about brute force, and its natural enemy is the supercharged Shelby GT500. GM seems ready and willing to go toe-to-toe with Ford on any playing field, and when the Z/28 does come around, it will be as a car to compete with Ford’s 2012 BOSS 302 Mustang. The Z/28 won’t be the last special edition Camaro either, as GM will likely produce another Transformers edition Camaro, and there are other nameplates to draw on too including IROC-Z. What special edition Camaros would you like to see?
Editor’s Note – Anybody who says “Berlinetta” gets banned