Look at the rest of the chevy lineup. They dropped the z's in favor of the ss name.

 

Look at the Corvette and trucks - Z's everywhere.

 

The Z28 has been a Camaro from the beginning in 1967. Then in the 1980's Chevy took advantage of the "Z" for marketing other cars like the Z24 Cavalier and the Z34 Lumina and the Z71 pick-up. You can't use the same marketing tricks forever, now Chevy uses the SS label. But rest assured the Camaro WILL NEVER EVER EVER NOT HAVE A Z28 as long as it is in production (unless it is the top dog that is due for release one year after the 2009 Camaro.

 

if they don't bring back the Z28 model.... I think I'm buying a mustang...

 

i bet there won't be a z28 for the first year or two though

 

There wasn't a "Z28" in the 1975 MY or 1976 MY. They also axed the name Z28 in 1988-1990.

 

you may be right, in fact you are, but do you think they'll drop it again?

 

it's been dropped for nearly 5 years already.

 

What is the biggest name for a Mustang ever? the limited Shelby. What was the Biggest name for a Camaro in the early years? the limited Z28.

It would be wise to expect the Supercharged Shelby killer to be a limited edition 550+ HP LS7 Z/28 and the standard performance car to be the LS3 430-440 HP SS.

The Z28 I believe will take the same path as the Shelby and be a year or two behind the intro. You just don't show all your cards up front.

Besides life will not be that bad with a 400+ SS.

Either way there will be a Z in the future as there is too much to the name to drop it. I would think just about everyone here would understand that by now. Just don't hold your breath for a IROC.

 

OK.....Name one example.

Probally right. There was no Z28 originally planned.

Mustang GT.

Been around for 25 years...... non stop.

I'm not EVEN going to attempt and put together the total numbers produced since it's 1982 introduction.

It also was produced from '66 to '70 if I'm not mistaken.

Yep.

GM decided not to continue to certify the LT1 (which was basically a mildly modified Corvette L82) past 1975 because the Camaro was due to be killed off. Firebird (and Trans Am) was due to continue till sales died off. Z28 came back late in the 1977 model year due to the explosion of Trans Am sales. The '77-79 Z28s were basically a regular LM1 350 with Trans Am's quasi-dual exhaust.

IROC-Z was an option package to the Z28 in '85. By '88, the Z28 name was dropped completely. By 1990, Chevrolet's 5 year contract with the IROC series ran out, and they lost the right to use the name. Dodge picked it up next, and then Pontiac.


Pretty lame reason IMO.

 

whoa -- hold on a second -- where's the study to say that the biggest name for a Mustang was a Shelby? By what standard? By popularity? By name recognition? .........

As to the Z28 name -- don't jump to conclusions. As it's been pointed out here -- the Z28 name has come and gone -- but you can be ASSURED that we're MORE than aware of how important the nameplate is.

 

Well if you take into account the prices of Mustangs the Shelby is second to none in value. Also find me a Mustang fan that would turn down a Shelby for anything this side of a Boss 429 or Parnelli Jones Boss race car.

GT Mustangs, Mach 1 and Boss Mustangs are all great and popular but they still pail to any Shelby.

Now the same thinking applied to the Camaro. You have your big block SS cars and the the rare ZL1 but the high point of the Camaro in terms of First gen is still a high optioned Z28.

Both the Shelby and Z28 have the racing history and competed together in the past. No reason for them not to compete now.

Also you can say the name "Sheby GT350" you don't have to say Mustang just as you say "Z28" you never have to say CAMARO, people know what car you are talking about.

If you say SS to a muscle car fan the reply would be "Which One?" An "SS" is a "Chevy" and a "Z28" is a "Camaro".

I don't expect all to agree and that is all that it is. But in my opinion when a model sub name can carry a car with out even naming the Model with a ledgend like history and name equity you can ask a premium for it.

I am not saying anything bad about the later Z cars as they were good cars. But in my eyes they lost the special status of the original car. A car is just not as special if everyone has one. It should be a car that should be aspired too by those owners of the lessor car or other brands.

I am not a Mustang fan but I really appreciate the Shelby then and today as it is not something I am going to see every day on my trip to work. Now if I am driving one of these cars to work I will have no problem paying extra for the right to own one.

As I have said this is my opinion and it is base on my dealing working in the performance aftermarket. When people call me from Iowa or Europe they don't tell me they have a Camaro they say they have a Z28 or in Europe a Zed 28. The name is a badge of pride.

I still think the SLP cars were backwards and shoulf have been the Z28 as the SS name never made the SS Camaro stand out for the special car it was.

I hope Scott you understand where I am coming from. I do not post a lot here but read often and know my Chevy history fairly well. I hate to see names like Z24 and the like placed on cars that in my eyes were good cars but not special. It is like slapping Super Duty on a Grand Am or Shelby on a FWD car. It is just wrong.

I am not putting down any SS car being a 2 time owner of past 60's Chevy SS cars. But the ZL11. ZL1, Z06 and Z28 are Special cars and any Z car should be held to a higher standard.

High number sold should not play into it as Porsche sold a lot of 944 but the 911 is still the one everyone wants.

Now it has stopped raining, excuse me while I go wash my ZQ8.........[Sorry I was on a roll]

 

Okay, that comes from a legitmate source. I think everyone can stop panicing now.

Thanks Fbodfather.

 

Its semantics at this point, I would not define the status of the Z28 nameplate as dropped. The Camaro is on hiatus along with the SS and Z28 nameplates. However I think we all can agree that IROC, Berlinetta, and RS are "dropped".

 

I still could see a RS as a possible model or trim package if Hideaway lights make a return.

As for the Z28 name it was never gone it just has not been reused yet. All good thing come with time. It is just a matter of which Camaro model model and what year.

Even the Eagles said on their Hell Freezes Over tour, "We never broke up we only took a 16 year vacation".

The bottom line is a lot of late 60's heritage being played out with a lot of present day technology. I see it not only in the Camaro but I suspect the new Impala will play to a similar idea. What's more American than that.

Lets see Toyota match that. They could offer a rusty heritage Celica.

We Just need a updated new generation USA 1 plate to go on the new Camaro.