2015 Z28 vs 2016 GT350R

[69Z28-RS]

Well...  the new 350R leaves me giddy ... and almost speechless...   mindful of the *original* Z28..  )

Watch and listen to what Jay Leno says about his new 350R..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYU94CB7RO0&feature=youtu.be

and then watch a comparison test between the new Z28 and new GT350R.. 
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtdtGgf1BF0

wow..     

[cook_dw]

Yep the new 350R is one bad mutha..  I cant wait to see what GM does next with the 6th gen Camaro and if they will do a Z..

[ko-lek-tor]

I had seen the early press releases touting a flat crank and the sound is unbelievable, a symphony to a 'gearhead'. That stuff about Ferrari and the comparison to Ford is not new or unheard of. Read about the Shelby Daytona and the GT-40 programs of the sixties. As I recall, Ford met with Enzo F. and comparing thier success, it goes, Ferrari said Ford would never be a dominant force in racing like Ferrari. Ford took that as an insult and pumped untold fortunes into a racing program just to humble Ferrari.
Too bad, such neat masterpieces are so expensive and low production allowing only the elite to ever relish ownership. Still, I prefer( translate: can only afford, barely) old school, unsophisticated, stab and steer, brute muscle...the smile meter is pegged by this stuff.  I like this Ford (and who wouldn't), despite it not having a bowtie, but I can almost assure you, Chevy may be late to the dance, but their entry will be a 'Cinderella' spectacular response...I hope?

[69Z28-RS]

If Chevy is going to 'outdo' that GT350R, they need a different body than the *over fat* Camaro body they currently have.   hopefully any replacement will be a bit smaller (eliminating the useless back seat would not be a bad thing), and HOPEFULLY provide some driver visibility as to his surroundings.

Ford has answered the old question: 'What beats displacement??"       REVS!!   

PS.  Chevy needs to find the engineer who defines the Mustang exhaust systems, and hire him (or her) to be PC..     Mustangs always sound great, regardless of the engine they install...

[X33RS]

I think it has a lot to do with the firing order Gary.  I've run the same systems on my SCJ as I do on a Pontiac and a Chevy that I have.  The ford sounds the best out of the 3.   Notice the LS engines also sound quite a bit different than the old school chevy's.  I ran the same system on a couple of LS cars I had, sounded better than the old chevy's do.

On that same note, I'm interested in finishing another project I'm doing.  Putting my 502 in the chevelle with a custom solid roller starting with a core that has an LS firing order.  This is said to relieve some crank pressure and harmonics and make more power,  and I'm betting the car is going to sound way different than it did before using the old school firing order.

By the way, love the GT350R, helluva car for the money.  Cracks me up how he giggled like a school girl when he drove it.

[cook_dw]

If Chevy is going to 'outdo' that GT350R, they need a different body than the *over fat* Camaro body they currently have.   hopefully any replacement will be a bit smaller (eliminating the useless back seat would not be a bad thing), and HOPEFULLY provide some driver visibility as to his surroundings.

Ford has answered the old question: 'What beats displacement??"       REVS!!   

PS.  Chevy needs to find the engineer who defines the Mustang exhaust systems, and hire him (or her) to be PC..     Mustangs always sound great, regardless of the engine they install...

Have you seen the 2016 Camaro architecture?  And it sounds like you are a closet Ford lover..  Dont forget your roots..

[69Z28-RS]

...
Have you seen the 2016 Camaro architecture?  And it sounds like you are a closet Ford lover..  Dont forget your roots..

*L*   you're funny Darrell!   No, I never had a mullet, but I think I have a pix of you somewhere on my computer where you were sporting a red one???        and No, I haven't seen the 2016 Camaro architecture; after considering and rejecting purchase of the current Camaro (due to their 'deep bathtub visibility'), I won't go out of my way to read on the next one..  they'll have to SHOW me that someone up there has a better idea before I will waste my time.

PS.  I do have a 'one owner' 1970 grabber blue Mach I under my shed (but it's last on my list of cars to restore).. wifey bought it just before we married...    Does that make me a Ford guy?  or just a CAR GUY.. 

[dale_z28]

I can't believe my ears (eyes)! Using the "F" word here?! On a Camaro forum?! Aren't you guys afraid of lightening strikes or something? As an aside, I always thought Oldsmobiles had a distinct sound, never knew why, tho.

[janobyte]

The Z's dyno numbers were impressive. Volumes to be said about the torque curve(or subtle incline). Voluptuous car though. And not fair the exhaust was muffled. See the one on YouTube running Nurburgring.

But...that screaming nimble Mustang. Wow. Ford didn't come late to the dance, they organized it.

Considering my old Z with bias ply tires on it had greater track potential then my driving capabilities ever will, would not mind seeing either the blue oval or bowtie in my garage.

[X33RS]

I can't believe my ears (eyes)! Using the "F" word here?! On a Camaro forum?! Aren't you guys afraid of lightening strikes or something? As an aside, I always thought Oldsmobiles had a distinct sound, never knew why, tho.

Lol, Doesn't bother me, but all good fun poking at one another.  I consider myself just as Gary does, a real "car guy" that enjoys them all.   I bought a SCJ Mach 1, and to be honest, I don't believe that's a car anyone in their right mind would kick out of their garage.  I also bought an 89 5.0 mustang and restored it, now my son drives that daily.  Great little cars.  They all have their place, I appreciate them for what they are.

[69Z28-RS]

The Z's dyno numbers were impressive. Volumes to be said about the torque curve(or subtle incline). Voluptuous car though. And not fair the exhaust was muffled. See the one on YouTube running Nurburgring.

But...that screaming nimble Mustang. Wow. Ford didn't come late to the dance, they organized it.

Considering my old Z with bias ply tires on it had greater track potential then my driving capabilities ever will, would not mind seeing either the blue oval or bowtie in my garage.

You would expect a 427 ci engine to have gobs of torque...  The little Ford was/is a 5.2 l (around 320 ci) putting out 526hp (naturally aspirated)..

PS.  To be fair to the Z28's 427 ci engine, they rev outstandingly (amazingly) for such a long stroke engine.  I was totally amazed how quickly that engine revved thru a gear when I first rode in a Z06 in 2006... so I'd say that the LS7/Z06/Z28 engine is NOT typical of the old style big blocks in that respect...  I just would prefer that the current day Z28 had an engine similar to the *original Z28* (and the new GT350R) ...  I think that is what I liked most about the little Ford, .. the similarity to the original Z28 re it's revvability.. and redline..   ADRENALINE RUSH!! ..

[janobyte]

Oh, I  agree.

I think if you love old Camaro's, you have a "secret crush" on Mustangs.

Who here doesn't crank the volume in Bullitt's famous chase scene?

[BULLITT65]

If Chevy is going to 'outdo' that GT350R, they need a different body than the *over fat* Camaro body they currently have.   hopefully any replacement will be a bit smaller (eliminating the useless back seat would not be a bad thing), and HOPEFULLY provide some driver visibility as to his surroundings.

Ford has answered the old question: 'What beats displacement??"       REVS!!   


PS.  Chevy needs to find the engineer who defines the Mustang exhaust systems, and hire him (or her) to be PC..     Mustangs always sound great, regardless of the engine they install...

Well I my ears were burning with the mention of "BULLITT"....ha ha

I wouldn't say Chevrolet was late to the dance, in fact it was Chevrolet who introduced the 5th gen Z/28 back in 2013 for the (2014 production). So you could say Ford is 2 years behind, and the onus was one them to 1 up Chevrolet. BUT to Chevrolets credit the 2 year old Z, was just a hair off the pace, 2 second lap time, and .02 1/4 mile. Not bad IMO.

I totally agree with Gary and others the GT350R has the right recipe, small cubes, higher revs, lighter body. The 5th gen Z/28 was nice, but kind of a conglomeration of different parts from the Corvette and ZL-1, granted there wasn't any american competition at the time. BUT I give Ford Credit for coming out with a true track monster. The motor, the magnetic ride control, among other Shelby exclusive parts. For GM, it is suppose to be cheaper to borrow from older makes and models, even the LS7 was aging,  but the $75K price of the Z/28 was ridiculous, and then when you look at the GT350R 2016 price of $65k, I mean come on GM whats going on here?? Its not like Shelby borrowed a bunch of items from the upcoming 2017 Ford GT) even that would still be forward thinking.
Chevrolet is going to have to realize the market for a Corvette is different than the Camaro Market, Like The Mustang is different from the Shelby is different than the Ford GT.

So I think Ford has definitely upped their game, and it is going to take Chevrolet out of their comfort Zone to produce A Camaro Specific power plant once again, (like the 302 of 67-69) and Z/28 only components to really move the ball forward.
It is this competition that really makes each manufacturer push to the outer limits to reach for the next rung. What a great time we live in to see this rivalry heat up again, (and realize the significance only comes around every 45 years!)

[69Z28-RS]

For the past 20 yrs (at least), GM/Chevy's marketing people have been 'youngsters' with NO SENSE of the tradition behind the mystique or traditions behind the names from the past.   They think they can just pick a few parts, throw an old famous name on it (Z28, ZL1, Z06, etc etc) and they've done their job.  They make little attempt to understand WHY we bought those original cars back then, and why we still revere them today... thus they make poor choices... like putting the Z28 name on a big huge heavy car wtih a 427ci engine in it..  Yes, it handled great and ran great due to the technology thrown at it, but they *ignored* the tradition of the name, just as they did with other reuses (or misuses) of the old model names from the past.   I think it shows they don't know what they are doing, and don't really care enough to TRY to understand.

at least..  that's my opinion..

[BULLITT65]

Well they did come to the revelation about the Z/28 being a road track car. (they almost named the super charged body Z/28, but then got negative feedback and chose the ZL-1 moniker instead. The 1LE was a push for me, they borrowed a couple of ZL-1 tidbits, with a close(r) ratio trans, and then a decent upgrade in price of corse.
In general I really like the Gen 5 body style. I clearly see the first Gen Camaro cues when looking at it. If I had to change 3 things, it would be:

1)The car could have shed 300 pounds pretty easily, by using more aluminum in the dash, and the suspension components. (This would have made it easier to develop a Z/28 more true to form
2) A true 2 door hardtop- I think they missed the mark by not having the rear quarter windows roll down. "they couldn't, because of safety" you say? Well then check out the 2015 Mercedes CL500 series or you can go all the back to the 95 BMW 840CI . American cars started this "true hardtop" idea and now the european car makers have taken the ball and run with it. Both available in a true 2 door hardtop with all 4 windows operable and no post!
"its more weight" you say?
I doubt an electric motor and tracks could have added more than 25lbs, especially when you factor in the extra bolster of metal Chevrolet used in that post. That is one area I would take on the weight for the look.
3) Created a Z/28 more true to form. How about a LT 5.2L " rev to the sky" machine? How about revised suspension that goes toe to toe with the Z06 to twist a wrench in the Corvette engineers ass? I mean some inner company rivalry could be a good thing here, since corvette will always way less, plus is better balanced , it will always have the upper hand.

Just my 2 cents