Well, I drive my Firebird Vert from May through the end of September then park it all winter. If I cannot drive with the top down I park it. Weather is not the best here in Minnesota from October through the end of May.
That is the weather I speak of.

 

I want in on any bets, too. Smart money is on Z28.

 

Based on recent GM history I am not surprised to see the SS be the middle of the pack and Z28 as the top dog. Also I am not surprised to see the Z28 come out later either. Here are the details of my rational.

SS designation is used in cars like the Cobalt so while we see it as sacred and significant it is just a general designation that GM uses to designate the performance version of any model in the line.

The Z desination seems reserved for GM's top models. Recently we have seen this with the Z06 and ZR1. For this reason it makes sense that the Z28 will be top. I also assume there will be no hyphen on slash between the z and 28.

In 2005 Gm launched the C6 vette and stated the Z06 would follow a year later. The C6 did very well and the Z06 was a hit also. I believe the advantage is ensuring that the cars production is fine tuned before the most demanding customers plop down their green. Also the enthusists will either buy the SS and drive it for a year then get the Z28 (my plan) or they will simply wait.

 

Or they will get sick of the wait, and go buy a Challenger or a GT500. I have been waiting for a long time for a new Camaro (like most everyone else on here) but if indeed it will be another year and a half before the Z28 comes out, I am almost certain I will go buy a Challenger. I hope that they are wrong on the time frame.

 

I would like to see a "ZL1" model with maybe an LS9

 

I thought about that, but the ZL1 was the all aluminum 427, which is what the LS7 is now, so to put the LS9 in and call it a ZL1 would be against heritage.

 

A Z28 for under 50K? Wow, if true, I think GM has lost it's roots on this vehicle. I always remember the Z to be a bang for your buck vehicle.
And NO, don't tell me Apprx. 50K is a good deal on a Camaro. It is NOT!!

 

I have found an excellent choice for dead horse beating here on the forum. Although it's good for multipurpose threads, I selected this one as it's particularly good for weight threads as it's a nice composite model

 

Except that the ZL1 was a big block.

Who said it was going to cost $50k? Perhaps close to $50k in a convertible with all the bells and whistles and dealer mark-up, but certainly not MSRP.

 

The average enthusiast is not the Z28's target buyer. The diehard Camaro enthusiast in in his 40s-50s with a little extra money in the bank is. Those types of people would rather wait for it a little longer than settle for a Mustang or Challenger.

 

Well, since I am in that demographic, I can say that I for one, will most likely NOT wait. I have been a life-long Camaro fan, but I am not going to wait ANOTHER 18 months for a Z. Now, I fully admit, if the Challenger were not out, then I would not go buy a Mustang, and would be stuck waiting, but for many people like me who have more than one brand they consider, it is lost sales.

 

That is one sweet bat!!!

 

Your post with the theme of "if it is not this or that I am going to buy something else" is old and boring....nobody cares if you buy a dodge or ford ... please post something relevant or informative or don't post at all...the first time you see a new 5th Gen SS/Z28 blow your doors off you will regret your ill advised decision..GM will sell as many of these cars that they can build ...

 

Sure buddy, your 30 post count sure makes you the expert. As far as what, when and why post, until and unles you are the owner/host, STFU comes to mind

 

All in how you look at it. There were two things that ID'ed the 69 Monster. "COPO" and "ZL1" It would take the COPO name Central Office Production Order when this would be a RPO Regular Production Order which obviously isnt right. As you pointed out the ZL1 was the 427 race motor that made the car what it was.. Its because of that I think using ZL1 would seem more appropriate. It was astronomically priced and rare which would make the LS9 a perfect fit, limited, and too rare and over priced to be a Z28. The Z06 is a small block. The ZL1 was the baddest thing going at the time which would be the LS9 now. Yes I know some people feel the car was never named as an acutal model and because of that it shouldnt be considered a model. I disagree. I would love to see a car pay homage to the COPO ZL1. I dont care if they didnt name it.