Road Atlanta is less than 30 minutes from me and the mountains are all around. All that's missing is...

There is a company that makes a coating that can make it pass the abrasion tests. But that is more $$. I think the thinner glass is the best of both worlds.

Also some convertibles have plastic rear windows that yellow over time. I don't believe GM does this for that simple reason.

Keep in mind there are some things GM has to have because it has them on other vehicles. You can remove a lot of things, but simply removing everything is not practicle.

Yes, you could take even more stuff out/off. That isn't the issue.

Take the window regulator for example. To engineer, test/validate a manual crank window would easy to do. And yes you could spend the additional money to tool up that crank window. And then if you divide the cost of the engineering, testing and tooling by whatever number of Z/28s you expect to sell you will find that you just added another $XX to the cost of the car AND you would have a door that wouldn't close because the Camaro was designed with indexing glass so that at high speeds (say those seen at a track day) the window will stay sealed. So now GM would have to engineer an entirely new door seal just for the Z/28 to have manual windows. And that is wayyyyy more than $XX. And what would you have saved for that? The weight of two small power window motors that weigh no more than a few pounds. And you would be adding back in two cranks.

Just know there is much more to this "how much can you take out" game than meets the eye. It's not as easy as you all think.

What would be the weight savings in replacing the front fenders with carbon fibre ones?

Well said I could not agree more with what you said. I just wish they would have taken it even farther with overall weight reduction. Never the less a great platform to build upon.

Carbon Fiber has a density of 83 lb/cuft. Steel is around 500 lb/cuft. So roughly 16% of steel.

Not sure what a Camaro fender weighs.

Could Google the weight of the Z06 front fenders and come close. Those I worked on.:)

That is a huge difference. Thanks.

That 16% is at the same thickness. What I wonder is what the carbon fiber to steel thickness ratio might be . . .


Norm

From what I've been able to find the front fender is only 5 lbs. less in CF than the stock one. Not very much of a difference IMO.

Not to mention crank window control would weigh more than the electrics. Pointless exercise. And for those complain gong about the radio. I haven't tuned mine on since I tested it at the dealership 3 years ago. Engine sounds too sweet. I suspect the Z/28 will be as pleasant.

i wonder how they plan on doing the 2014 required backup camera. mylink or bringing back the rear view mirror one?

But it's a Ferrari!