The name Z28 started out as only a Regular Production Order
(RPO) option code but has since grown into one of the most recognizable three
letters in Camaro automotive history. It may just be a coincidence that the RPO
code for the Camaro Super Sport (SS) package was Z27 and that RPO Z28 just
followed it sequentially or maybe not. Whatever the case may be it was nothing
more and nothing less than a RPO option code at first.
Some people mistakenly believed that the Z in Z28 stood for
Zora Arkus-Duntov the Corvette engineer. Actually a man named Vincent W.
Piggins (more on him later) had put a name on the original 283 “Z28″ prototype
Camaro before he presented it at a October 1966 “show-and-tell” session with
top management at the GM Proving Grounds. The name that he had chosen was
Cheetah. However at the last moment Vincent took the handmade decal off the car
mumbling something like, “Well, a name is a name is a name.”
“There wasn’t any suggestion of what we were going to call
this car,” recalls Vincent. “When it came down to having to decide, somebody
just said, `Hey, it’s option RPO Z28; let’s call it Z28!’ So the name just grew
from there. The graphics people did things with the Z, and that’s how the designation
stuck. The car got its name from the actual option number.”
So who is Vincent W. Piggins you ask? Well he was a veteran
Chevy engineer who designed the Z28 expressly for the Trans-America sedan
series races along with convincing Chevrolet/GM management to sell it to the
public. In fact, without Vincent’s efforts, the Sports Car Club of America’s
(SCCA) might never have continued Trans-America sedan competition at all. Had
it not been for Vincent’s assurance to SCCA officials that Chevrolet would lend
its support there may not have been a Trans-Am sedan series race schedule for
1967.
Vincent had been a Chevrolet engineer since 1956 and was the
man behind the Hudson Hornet’s NASCAR championships in the early 1950′s. The
following is his explanation of the Z28′s creation:
“After Ford released the Mustang, they had about two years
on us before Chevrolet could get the Camaro into the 1967 product line. I felt
in my activity, which deals with product promotion and how to get the most
promotional mileage from a car from the performance standpoint, that we needed
to develop a performance image for the Camaro that would be superior to the
Mustang’s.
“Along comes SCCA in creating the Trans-Am sedan racing
class for professional drivers in 1966, aimed at the 1967 season. I made it a
point to have several discussions with SCCA officials-notably Jim Kaser, John
Bishop, and Tracy Byrd-and one thing led to another. I suggested a vehicle that
would fit this class and, I believe … supported by what Chevrolet might do with
the Camaro … it gave them heart to push ahead and make up the rules,
regulations, and so forth for the Trans-Am series. I feel this was really the
creation of the Trans-Am as we know it.”
“This was “sedan racing,” mind you, and what qualified the
Camaro and all ponycars as “sedans” was the fact that they had rear seats. And
although Chevrolet sold only 602 Z28′s during 1967, they met the 1000
production rule by homologating the 350-cid Camaro under FIA Group I rules and
then qualifying the same basic vehicle with the Z28 option under Group II.”
“Now on August 16, 1966, ” continues Piggins, “I put
together a memo to my boss, W.T. Barwell, that laid out the basic idea of the
Z-28, although, of course, it wasn’t called that then.
“This memo went out to engineers Alex Mair and Don
McPherson, sales manager Bob Lund, Joe Pike in sale promotion, and C.C. Jakust.
I said, in effect, that SCCA sedan racing was becoming increasingly popular and
would blossom into even bigger things with the advent of the short-wheelbase,
Mustang type pony car.
“My proposal went on that since our projected engine lineup
for the 1967 Camaro had no V-8 smaller than the 327, and since we were above
the 5000cc (305-cid) SCCA displacement limit for Class A sedans, we ought to
take a high-performance version of the old 283 and wrap an option package
around it to make it competitive within SCCA. You’ll remember that the
Barracuda was running a 273 V-8 at that time, and the Mustang’s competitive
engine was the 289. So our high-performance 283 would certainly have been right
in there.”
The key portions of Piggins’ Aug. 17 memo said, “A new 283
high-performance engine plus other relative drive line and chassis items will
provide performance and handling characteristics superior to either Mustang or Barracuda.
To aid in the merchandising of this vehicle, certain other embellishments have
been included to make the overall vehicle immediately identifiable and
distinctive. The sales department anticipates a volume of 10,000 such vehicles
could be sold in 1967.”
Piggins continues his explanation: “My initial proposal
suggested we use the 283 V-8 plus the F-41 optional suspension, with heavy-duty
front coils and multi-leaf rear springs. I also requested the J-52 front disc
brakes with J-65 metallic linings for the rear drums, the 11-inch clutch from
the 396 V-8, the close-ratio 4-speed with 2.20 low, a brand-new steering gear
with a 24:1 overall ratio, Corvette 15 x 6 wheels with 7.75 tires, and a
special reworked hood to provide functional air intake. There were other
modifications called for as well, and 1 suggested we make the package available
only in the Camaro coupe, not the convertible, and that the Z-22 Rally Sport
option form part of the equipment for this car. Now not all this equipment went
into the production Z-28 automobile, but those were the initial parts called
for.”
Piggins got permission to have a pre-production Z-28
prototype built to these initial specifications. One of his first passengers in
the as-yet-unnamed Z-28 was Chevrolet’s new general manager, Elliott M. (Pete)
Estes. The ride didn’t come until just before noon. After some full-throttle
acceleration runs and a few dives through a slalom course, Piggins let Estes
take the wheel.
“Estes was quite impressed with the performance of this 283
engined vehicle,” recalls Piggins, “and as I explained to him what we planned
to do to capture the Trans-Am championship and to produce a good performance
image for the Camaro, it didn’t take much convincing for Pete to see what I was
aiming toward.
“The only thing. . .” says Vincent, “while we were driving
the car, I mentioned that we’d put the 283 into it because we’d built that size
engine before. But I suggested when we got back to the starting pad that it
might be a lot better to take the 327 block and put the 283 crank into it,
giving us a 4 x 3 bore and stroke. That would put displacement at 302.4 cid,
just under the SCCA’s 305 limit.” This configuration produced a high revving
302 cid small-block with a modestly rated 290 bhp (probably more like 350hp)
and 290 pound-feet of torque (probably more also).
“So Pete immediately agreed, especially being an engineer
and knowing the potential this car could have. Estes walked over to engineers
Alex Mair and Don McPherson and said, `Let’s release this package and develop a
302 engine to go with it.’
“That was really the start of the Z28, and we proceeded to
homologate that vehicle with the FIA as of Jan. 1, 1967 as a Group II car.”
Even before that happened Chevrolet built a prototype 302 engined show car and
displayed it for the motoring press at a special preview. This preview was held
at Riverside International Raceway in California in November 1966 at the end of
the ARRC events.
Chevrolet’s public relations person Walt Mackenzie set up a
special track side tent at Riverside that had a technical news handout. It
showed the Camaro coupe with what was called simply Regular Production Option
(RPO) Z28. Magazine writers and editors from publications such as Motor Trend,
Road & Track, Car & Driver, Sports Car Graphic, Hot Rod just to name a
few were allowed to drive this first Z28. They all loved the car publishing
rave reviews soon afterward.
What helped transport the Camaro from a wanna be to real
competition for sedan sports car sales was the fact that the Camaro was
successful at the track, beating the Mustang on a regular basis. Of course, the
Z28 that the public could buy at their local Chevrolet dealership was not
anywhere close to being the race-ready car that won SCCA championships. The
race winner was, however, the basis for the cars that were made available to
the public. The more racers learned about what they needed to win, the more
Chevrolet was able to offer as performance parts for the Z28′s. For example,
the Penske/Donohue race team was hugely responsible for bringing many heavy
duty performance upgrades to dealers’ parts counters since any part that was
used on the Z28′s being raced was required to be made available to the public.
One of the amazing facts of the first gen Z28 was its
warranty. Chevrolet didn’t flinch and applied the same 2year/24,000-mile
warranty to the Z28 automobile as a whole and its 5-year/50,000-mile warranty
to the powertrain. That went beyond expectation and contrary to the practice of
warranties for most high performance packages.
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