With plenty of horsepower and punctuation, the Camaro Z/28.R racer heads to Daytona

By Stephen Edelstein Published January 22, 2014

Say what you will of the Camaro Z/28.R – you can’t deny it’s got plenty of horsepower … and punctuation.

The Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R will bring a historic name back to the track when it debuts at the Rolex 24 at Daytona later this week.

As you might have guessed, the Z/28.R is a racing version of the 2014 Camaro Z/28, itself a revival of a classic nameplate that began as a homologation special for the SCCA Trans-Am racing series back in the 1960s.

Stevenson Motorsports and CKS Autosport will campaign Z/28.Rs in the GS class of the IMSA Continental Tires SportsCar Challenge.

Turning a Z/28 into a race car apparently doesn’t require much. The racer uses the same aerodynamics package as the stock Z/28, including its front and rear spoiler, hood extractor, rocker and wheel house extensions, and belly pan.

The 7.0-liter LS7 V8 is also the same, although power output may be changed to conform with class rules. The Z/28.R also uses the stock Z/28’s limited-slip differential.

Many race cars have little in common with their stock counterparts, but Chevy’s choice of the Continental Tires SportsCar Challenge means it can field a car that’s pretty close to what customers can actually, reinforcing the Z/28’s credentials as a purpose-built track weapon.

While the original Camaro Z/28 raced muscle cars like the Ford Mustang Boss 302 and Dodge Challenger T/A in Trans-Am, the new version will go up against a wider variety of competition, including Mustangs, Nissan 370Zs, and Aston Martin Vantages.

The racing action at Daytona kicks off this Friday at 1:45 p.m. Eastern, and the Z/28 goes on sale soon with a base price of $75,000.

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Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

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