2015 Motor Trend Car of the Year Finalist

[ChocoTaco369]

Originally Posted by Destructo09

To be fair, the Camaro is over 5 years old now without any major improvements other than a face lift, so it doesn't surprise me. I'd wait and see how that list pans out when the 6th gen comes out.

Agreed. It is far less impressive today as it was in 2010.

I expect the 2016 to be there, though. Assuming Chevy doesn't screw up.

[ChrisBlair]

Originally Posted by BEEotcch

Yeah but you know what I mean. Even GM advertises the car as something that should be used on the track. While it is street legal it's not the most daily driver friendly car. Something like a golf can go either way.

But no matter how many ways we slice it, street legal is street legal. It's not a purpose-built racing car. It meets standards for street-legal operation for ridiculous things like the weight of the seats, theft protection, etc. It's a factory street/track use car, not a factory race-only car, as impressive as it is. It's a more capable track car than a 1LE certainly but when I start peeling the onion, it's just a very strongly track-oriented car. And here's why-

I can compare and contrast this car and another one as a benchmark for 'race car': as evidence I submit for your review a recent vehicle for comparison, from Chevrolet, and even in the Camaro family- the recent COPO, non-DOT approved track car. That car is a real factory race car and the 'wink-wink-nudge-nudge' routine from Chevy is dropped for this car. It cannot be registered, and it carries no VIN.

Levels of comfort aside, the new z/28 is built to in fact to be adequate for daily use. Better choices for a daily driver simply means you'd prefer not to use it daily.

[SSBUSDRVR]

z28 won it in '82.

Although the '82 edition was not a 'race car' in and of itself

That is an understatement LOL The Pace Car I owed in '82 had 145hp 305 and a very weak Tranny and Rearend. Man loved that car to death. T-tops and all and wish still had it. Have come along way. Just wonder how the 6th Gen will turn out. When the '82 came out, many people hated the change of the front end and said it would never sell. Didn't like it at first however it grew on a lot on people.

[BEEotcch]

Originally Posted by ChrisBlair

But no matter how many ways we slice it, street legal is street legal. It's not a purpose-built racing car. It meets standards for street-legal operation for ridiculous things like the weight of the seats, theft protection, etc. It's a factory street/track use car, not a factory race-only car, as impressive as it is. It's a more capable track car than a 1LE certainly but when I start peeling the onion, it's just a very strongly track-oriented car. And here's why-

I can compare and contrast this car and another one as a benchmark for 'race car': as evidence I submit for your review a recent vehicle for comparison, from Chevrolet, and even in the Camaro family- the recent COPO, non-DOT approved track car. That car is a real factory race car and the 'wink-wink-nudge-nudge' routine from Chevy is dropped for this car. It cannot be registered, and it carries no VIN.

Levels of comfort aside, the new z/28 is built to in fact to be adequate for daily use. Better choices for a daily driver simply means you'd prefer not to use it daily.

I agree with you 100% but those are probably all of the reasons that they did not select it as a car of the year candidate. That's why I'm road & track has a performance car of the year category. Fact of the matter is the Camaro model has gone largely unchanged for five years.