Thinking the code Z-26, Z-27 and Z-28 decides the hierarchy of Camaros because of simple numerical order is ridiculous.... example: Z06, Z71, Z85.


AND, the Z/28 was not the top dog in the 60's, other than on a road course it was out performed by several: SS396 and COPO 427s as well as the
ZL1 - aluminum 427.
After the 350 was put in the Z/28 it became the performance car, as compression ratios and cubic inches began dwindling away.....

The Z/28 should be the most available V8, as it has been the most popular Camaro for most of the previous 35 years of production. Let SS be a trim package and let the gt500kr killer be a ZL1 or IROC or COPO... whatever.
I want the Z/28, for the $30k version.

I want to be perfectly clear. This thread is not intended to insult your opinion of which trim is the top trim or whether such a trim exists. This thread is only seeking clarification between speculation and fact.

From what I understand, the source of the Z28 presumption comes from the below sources.

SPECULATION
• Since their used to be a Z28, their must be one now. Traditionally that Z28, being a higher RPO code, is a higher performance trim than the SS. In response to this, I must remind all readers that tradition is not a determinant of future events. There used to be a bunch of Z cars, including the Cavalier and Lumina, that no longer exist in production and apparently will never return. This is a reasonable speculation because the Camaro is a car with a strong tradition, and strong traditions tend to be followed more than weak ones, like the lacking following of the Z24.
• The SS is the one we know about, so the Z28 is the one we don't know about. We don't know about it because it will come out when the convertible does. I cannot cite the source from memory, but I do recall something of a special Camaro coming out a year after production. Maybe there is a future performace Camaro, but there is not enough evidence to suggest it is a Z28. With the recent ZR1 Corvette, I would lean toward a performance ZL1 Camaro because that would better fit the Chevy lineup. If they called the high-performance Camaro a Z28, then Chevrolet would be obligated to make future high-performance Camaros Z28s instead of ZL1s, a clear violation of tradition, which we agreed was important to the Camaro in the previous argument.
• Competing companies have a high-performance trim, so the Z28 must fulfill that role. The GT500 is not the only special Mustang, and the Daytona is not the only special Charger. As a result, having one prime Camaro to match all of the special editions is nonsense. Chevrolet has no need to compete with ridiculously priced vehicles that get very little attention outside of the enthusiast realm. If you went down the street asking people not as interested in cars as us whether they know who makes the GT500, very few would know. The Z28 and the SS nameplates are both far better known. If GM were to match the GT500 trim exactly, then GM would match it with an equally dominant trim, like the ZL1. This, too, is speculation.
• Magazines have been printing that the Z28 is going to be amazing so it must be true. If there is a Z28, then it will be amazing, so it is true; however, the same magazines have claimed that the Camaro will have the current pre-production headlights as production, that the Camaro will have 2 V8s at launch, and that they have better insiders than fbodfather, which we all know is a bold-faced lie.
• Since the Camaro tends to come in multiple V8s, there must be an alternative to the speculated SS LS3 or L76, which must have forced induction, and further must be called the Z28. This is ridiculous. I mean no offense to those who believe this, but every part of this sentence is potentially false. We have no confirmation of the primary V8 engine, nor do we have evidence that GM is working on a forced induction platform for the Zeta, at least to my knowledge—correct me if I'm wrong.

FACTS
• Z28 is the highest RPO code when compared to RS (Z26) and SS (Z27). This is true for traditionally ordering a Camaro. I don't know if this ever changed.
• The Z28 has not always been the highest tier when compared to the ZL1 and the fourth generation SS. This directly contradicts the idea that Z28 is superior to SS or ZL1.

the rpo codes that are listed have not been kept that way. for instance in 76, the RS RPO code was Z85 and there was no SS or Z28. for 1970, the RS was Z22. in 68 there were 4 different Z28 levels to choose from, 73 had no SS, 75 lost the Z28. and after looking at things, the Z28 RPO code, which was originally designated for the "Special Perf Components Pkg " is now the 1LE RPO code

so maybe in addition to the RS, SS, Z28, ZL1, we need a strictly 1LE camaro

I'd rather not have my Pinto/camaro explode when a basketball hits the rear end of the car thx :)

Z28 sounds hella cooler than "SS", because theres so many "SS" within Chevy, its over done imo.
when you hear "Z28" you know what someone is talking about; dead on.
when I hear Z28, doesn't matter what generation it is, I think - Instantly - "Badass Camaro". It holds a certain power behind the name.
when I hear "SS" I think of 1 of the other many "SS" trimmed cars. and I don't like to think of the camaro ss as "just another similarly named trim"
It needs to be unique. this isn't going to be your average muscle/sport car.
It's gonna be a Camaro, and it Should be a Camaro Z/28.

When I hear Z28 I think of the "not quite as cool looking as the SS and certainly not as powerful." The fourth gens are the only camaros I see around here anymore, unless the first gens come out, but those only have the v6's or RS badging. =/


There's a difference between SS and Camaro SS.

I totally understand that, but it's still "SS"; majority of what I see is the 4th gen, but I familiarize more with the 3rd. I like its style a lot better then the 4th.
I personally didn't much care for the exterior upgrades on the 4th gen SS, I liked the sleek/classy look of the smooth hood, and the regular spoiler, the SS spoiler looked like a lifted up top lip, lol.
I like the Idea of mixing "RS" with Z28 & SS tho...(though I guess SS is just the combo of the 2?, in reference to the 4th gen anyway) I thought I recalled seeing "SS" and "Rally Sport" on a '69 picture I've seen tho..maybe i'm mistaken.
However if I were to buy an older camaro, I'd go for the late 4th, (y2k+), but not ss, seeing as how I don't have the kinda money to keep up a 3rd gen (maintenance/deterioration wise) :iono: otherwise I'd probably get an old 3rd gen "Z/28". '91 or '92, I kinda like the spoiler better.

I just know nothing about the camaro's history. However, I think there should be a top dog Z28 for strategix reasons:
- Chevy can't let Ford alone on the Gt 500 segment
- We've seen a pic of a SS which seemed pretty close to a final model. Thus, I hardly imagine chevy releasing the whole offer the same day (V6 + V8 + Top god+convert). To keep the movement going, they have to release new stuffs regularly. Thus, I guess the top dog wouldn't be ready yet. Thus, It wouldn't be the SS.
- having the top dog being a 400 hp car would, I guess, kill the poney car image. Ford would laugh at chevy, I guess chevy people are here to make a car that would beat the mustang, every mustang and not building a wifey car.

However, I assume the whole industry is having hard times. GM canceled some programs and people are gonna be fired. But chevy is maknig now a lot of "reasonnable" cars. Corvette is not even badged chevy anymore. Thus chevy needs a z28

However, everything written here is coming from me .. thus ... it's maybe complete bullshit .. well ... probably complete bullshit

for some reason, I didn't really understand this post..can you clarify plz?, maybe it's just because I'm super tired..am I the only 1?..I don't mean to seem rude, i just don't really get it :iono:

you could get a decent 3rd gen for a good price, give it a tune up and call it a day till you save some moolah to mod with.

as for the part highlighted is not how it works. the three are RPO packages. there wasnt an RS for every year of the 4th gen just as there wasnt an SS for every year. but there was a Z28. as ive stated before about the 4th gens, when GM first set out to make them, they only planned for 2 models, the base and the Z28. bottom rung and top dog. then SLP and GMMG stepped in and started modding Z28's straight from the factory and turned them into SS's.

I see that you are an extremely passionate person about this matter--good to have people on here that don't just state unfounded info with nothing to back it up and aren't just going off of someone else's opinion.:thumbsup:

Didn't all 4th gen camaro SS's have RPO Z28? Then another RPO stating SS option??

No problem ... tired too+doing 2 things at the same time+english not being my mother language= crazy post

Summarized:
We have a picture of "SS in production trim". Meaning it would be ready for commercial launch. Meaning it would be available as soon as V6. Thinking you have to tease a little customers and bring upgrades within the first and second year, I'd say the convert will come later then chevy should release a top dog version V8 being the Z28.

My point is that I don't see chevy releasing the full range of camaros (V6, V8, convert) one shot. If we assume that and assume that the SS is ready for commercial launch, it would mean a higher version should be released within the first year. Thus it would be the Z28 with 500+hp.

Hope i'm clear enough. Anyway, my thoughts may be dumb even if understandable.

I gotta quit typing in english!

LOL

I'm strictly a 1st Gen. (and 5th) fan. So I don't know much about the 2-4 generation Camaros. But, my general impression of the older Camaro models is:

Z28 = road race
SS = bad ass
RS = deluxe trim

Just my opinion. (from someone who owns a Camaro with a 327, "aftermarket" Z28 stripes, and no badges):iono:

The fact that Dragoneye and Tag and Moose and the other mods haven't posted in this thread says to me that they have some inside info but they're sworn to secrecy. (Yeah, I've noticed your little hints here and there Dragon!)

From what we've seen, it seems that the SS is nearly ready for launch. I thought Fbodfather or some other credible source confirmed that there would be a 'Hi-Po' car released 6/9/12/X months after the initial launch. If the SS is part of the initial launch, then clearly the Hi-Po is not the SS. So when people talk about Camaros, the most prevalent option packages are SS, RS, and Z/28. In many past years RS was strictly a cosmetic/exterior appearance package. So, knowing that the Fifth gen is definitely designed and created with previous generations in mind, it seems likely that they would use the pre-existing designations, instead of a new one. Other designations that were not common across all four previous generations are certainly an option, but some don't even make sense (COPO, for example wouldn't make sense as a badge because it was something totally different, not a trim level/option package).

Putting aside which SS's were faster and which Z/28's were faster, BOTH SS and Z/28 are commonly associated with Camaros across almost all generations. As several folks have said, the SS badge has been extended to many different models across the Chevrolet line-up, from the Cobalt to the Chevelle to the Impala to the Monte Carlo. This is simply not a badge that uniquely identifies the Camaro.

While there are other Zed cars like the Z24 Cavalier (*faint*), the Z71 package on K-Blazers/Tahoes/Avalanches/Silverados/etc, of course the Z06 and now the ZR1 on the Corvette and I'm sure several others, the Z/28 badge is uniquely Camaro. If Chevy was to offer a 'Top Dawg', I think the Z/28 is the most likely choice, given what we know today.

Of course it's absolutely possible they're going a completely different direction. But given the other tidbits that have leaked here and there about almost every other detail, I would think if they had some super secret model designation up their sleeve, we would have heard something about it by now. But then again, maybe that's why the mods haven't posted in this thread yet...

:suburban: :yikes: