Even as he was talking about reviving the Pontiac G8 as a Chevrolet, GM's Bob Lutz dampened prospects that a Z28 makeover is in the works for the Chevrolet Camaro.
In a normal world, a Z28 would have seemed inevitable for the Camaro. The Z28 label is legendary, emotional and instantly connotes the image of big American muscle. For GM, it would have allowed the Camaro to promote head-to-head with Ford's Mustang GT500, Automobile magazine reports. A Z28 would also command a hefty premium for a job that really wouldn't require much more than shoehorning a supercharged LSA engine, the same one found in the Cadillac CTS-V, into a Camaro.
The problem is that offering a new American muscle car when youre a just-revived company now 60% owned by U.S. taxpayers isn't all that politically correct. American muscle may come in the form of the 304-horsepower V-6 engine that powers the Camaro, not the V-8s of yore, reports Automobile. GM's Lutz says the automaker isn't out of performance, but what makes a hot car may have to be redefined. "I think the V-6 Camaro is probably a very good model for the future of the high-performance car in America," Lutz tells Automobile. Also: “The Solstice coupe with the 2.0-liter turbo engine is another good expression of the future of the high-performance car, which is smaller, lighter, more fuel-efficient, and probably with lower displacement, but with a turbocharger.”
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