The first Z-28 was to Chevrolet ’s Camaro what the Boss 302 was to Ford ’s Mustang : a manufactory - engineered raceway - ready " ponycar " available at your corner salesroom . But where Camaro trailed Mustang to commercialise by two years , the Z-28 come out two years before the Boss .
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announce in early 1967 , some six months after the Camaro itself , the Z-28 was conceive by Chevrolet engineer and mathematical product - promotional material specialist Vincent W. Piggins . The impetus , as Piggins later explained , was " to explicate a performance image for the Camaro that would be higher-ranking to Mustang ’s . Along come [ play Car Club of America ] in creating the Trans - Am sedan racing course for professional driver in 1966 … I advise a vehicle that would agree this class and , I believe … it gave them the centre to agitate in advance …. "
ab initio , the Trans - Am involved Group II production cars with wheelbase of 116 inches or less and engines of no more than 305 cubic inches . authentication required at least 1,000 be ramp up per modeling yr . Chevy met this by get in the standard V-8 Camaro as a Group I variation car ( over 305 cid ) and the Z-28 pick under Group II .
Rule - deflexion aside , the Z-28 was a racer ’s pleasure : lumbering - dutysuspension , powerfront - magnetic disc brakes , metallic - delineate tail end - drum brakes , 15 x 6 Corvette wheels wax 7.75 x 15tires , especial hood with operative air breathing in , close- or wide of the mark - proportion four - swiftness gearbox , and a new 302 V-8 . The last arrive from slotting the crankshaft from the honest-to-goodness 283 railway locomotive into the then - current 327 stop , yield 302.4 cid – just under the limit . output were conservatively stated as 290horsepowerand as many pounds / feet of torsion , but actual bhp was good 400 , thanks to a huge four - barrel Holley carb , oversize intake manifold , big port and valve , gaga 346 - degree - duration cam , and casting - iron header .
Chevrolet called the Z-28 " the closest matter to a ' Vette , yet , " and not without understanding . Car and Driverclocked one at a blaze 6.7 second 0 - 60 mph , versus 7.8 seconds for the typical four - speed SS350 and slightly under 11 second for an automatic 210 - bhp 327 . Handling was racer - sharp ; brake as good as it could be with contemporaneous technology .
Keep reading to learn about the styling and sales of the 1967 - 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z-28 .
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Continued
The " civilian " 1967 , 1968 , 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z-28 package , which also include tolerant dorsal race banding , seemingly added just $ 400 to a Camaro ’s price . But it was closer to $ 800 because the four - pep pill , front discs , headers , and special rear brake facing were freestanding " compulsory option . " Of course , you could add all way of regular Camaro goodies , including Positraction circumscribed - slipdifferential , rear spoiler , and the Rally Sport appearance group . So give birth , prices could easily exceed $ 5,000 – still hardly horrid .
But profits , not sales event , were the Z-28 ’s principal finish , and in due time they were convincingly attain . Mustang claimed theTrans - Am championshipin 1966 and again in 1967 , when Z-28s won only three upshot . But Camaro dominated the series in 1968 and 1969 , thanks to the all - star Roger Penske squad and ace driver Mark Donohue .
A raft of improvements occurred for 1968 . The power front discs became received , four - wheel record arrived as a late - time of year " service option " for more stopping superpower on the rail , master bearings were lucubrate , five - leaf rearward outpouring supersede the wimpy monoleaf units , and a new $ 500 twinned - four - barrel manifold pick arrived . Factory competition equipment proliferate to include plastic bucketful seats and purpose - design airdams , spoilers , andsteeringcomponents .
Other than a substantial side - lift , share with other Camaros , the most obvious alteration in the 1969 Z-28 was a average - looking " Cowl Induction " hood with a buns - facing scoop that gulped in air from the mellow - pressing area just ahead of the windshield . The deep - breathing , high - wind 302 switched to four - bolt principal bearings , and rolled origin slimmed to six - in - wide rims wearing E70 - 15 high - performancetires .
collimate the entire Camaro line , the 1969s are the most legion of the first - generation Z-28s with 19,014 built – quite high for such a specialised machine . That anatomy also represented a substantive addition on the 7,199 of 1968 , which in crook was a sizable increment over the mere 602 for 1967 . Needless to say , those first - year models are today the most collectible Z-28s , not least for being most like the all - out contest railcar Piggins had in mind .
Of naturally , the Z-28 has since seen far high volume , but only by becoming more and more like other Camaros – and far less potent . Happily , it beget a lot more exciting as meter last by . But later Z-28s could never cast the same spell as the 1967 - 1969 originals . magic musculus machine all , they were a unique , short - lived breed the likes of which we shall not see again .
Keep reading for the specifications of the 1967 - 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z-28 .
1967, 1968, 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z-28 Specifications
The 1967 - 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z-28 was make after Chevrolet ’s Camaro and became a race driver ’s delight .
Specifications
Engines : ohv V-8 , 302 Criminal Investigation Command ( 4.00 x 3.00 ) , 290 bhp ( token rating ; actual estimated horsepower 400 )
Transmission:4 - speed manual
suspension system front : upper and lower A - arm , coil spring
Suspension rear : alive axle , semi - elliptic leaf springs
Brakes : front discs / rearward drums ( opt . four - wheel discs1968 - 1969 )
Wheelbase ( in.):108.0
Weight ( lbs):2,950 - 3,150
Top stop number ( mph):124 - 132
0 - 60 ( sec):5.3 - 6.7
Production : 196760219687,199196919,014
